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Happy birthday to Kieran Trippier! Atletico Madrid star hits the big 30

Happy birthday to Kieran Trippier! Atletico Madrid star hits the big 30
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Today we celebrate the 30th birthday of Atletico Madrid and England star Kieran Trippier by taking a brief look back on the player’s career story.

Kieran Trippier is a bit of a late bloomer compared to many of his peers, only really proving himself a top talent across the last few seasons.

The Englishman doesn’t share the typical attributes of your average right-back either, namely in excelling as a tackler. But what he lacks in that certain area, he more than makes up in others. His positioning, crossing, and free-kick abilities have all been hailed.

Early days

Born on 19th September 1990, in Bury, Trippier began his football journey at the age of nine by joining the Manchester City academy. He soon graduated the youth ranks and inserted himself into the reserves.

But while the full-back enjoyed FA Youth Cup success with the Citizens in 2007/08, first-team opportunities were non-existent. Therefore, Kieran left for Barnsley in a two-year loan deal down in the Championship.

It didn’t take long for him to impress over in South Yorkshire either, with Trippier having proved a worthy replacement for the departed Tyrone Mears. He made 44 appearances for the club and scored a memorable long-range belter.

These impressive performances led Burnley to sign the youngster on loan in the summer of 2011 to aid in their Premier League promotion bid.

Trippier proved good value for money right from the offset at Turf Moor, prompting the club to sign him on a permanent deal in January 2012 as he collected their Player of the Year award of his exploits.

On the international front, meanwhile, the right-back had established himself at youth level for England and even formed part of the Three Lions’ second-place finish in the 2009 UEFA European under-19 Championship.

Trippier’s big break

Trippier continued to make his mark at Burnley, making back-to-back appearances in the Championship’s PFA Team of the Year on route to helping Clarets win promotion to the Premier League in 2013/14.

An impressive debut campaign in the English top-flight then prompted Tottenham to sign him for €4.90m in 2015. And while he struggled for regular opportunities at the beginning, he soon won over Mauricio Pochettino.

The 2017/18 season was a defining moment in Trippier’s career. He produced some dazzling displays in north London, earning an international debut for the England senior team and winning countless plaudits. His display in Spurs’ 3-1 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League that season was a highlight.

Gareth Southgate, therefore, selected him for England’s 2018 World Cup squad and wasn’t to be disappointed. Trippier featured in all but one of the seven games as the Three Lions reached the semi-finals for the first time since 1990, the year he was born incidentally.

And who can forget that free-kick against Croatia in the last-four either?

Kieran later made a surprise €22m transfer to Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2019 and defied expectations by proving himself a valuable member of Diego Simeone’s squad.

The 30-year-old will now hope to build on his strong start to life in La Liga by winning a first piece of major silverware this season.

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