AFC Bournemouth
After the announcement of the arrival of Robbie Brady to AFC Bournemouth, we look at the career of the Republic of Ireland international.
Hailing from Dublin, Brady spent his youth career at St. Kevin’s Boys in the capital, the famous academy that also helped produce players including Damien Duff, Ian Harte and Cherries team-mate Gavin Kilkenny.
Impressing, Brady was scouted by Manchester United and joined the club as a 16-year-old, soon turning out for the side’s under-18s and reserve teams.
Making steady progress with United, the midfielder was named on the bench for the first team in the League Cup match with Wolves in the autumn of 2010, the same competition he would make his only appearance for the Red Devils in, coming on as a late substitute against Newcastle United two years later.
Aged 19, Brady began a successful loan spell at Championship side Hull City in the summer of 2011 and in his fifth game scored his first senior goal, the only strike in a home win over Reading.
Playing 41 games during his first season on Humberside, Brady returned to the Tigers the following season, a key component as the side were promoted to the Premier League and signing for the club permanently during the campaign.
As Hull got off to a roaring start in 2013/14, Brady made history in scoring the side’s first Premier League goal, a match-winning penalty to beat Norwich City, and he soon also netted in autumn wins against Newcastle and West Ham – before a groin injury saw him miss much of the second half of the season.
Back for the start of the new campaign, he scored twice in the Europa League play-off second leg against Lokoren, the Tigers sliding out of the competition on away goals and later also relinquishing their place in the top flight at the season’s end.
Winning international caps at five youth age groups, Brady made his senior Republic of Ireland debut in September 2012, finding the net and gaining two assists in a 4-1 win over Oman.
Brady helped make national headlines as the side successfully qualified for Euro 2016, scoring in the play-off win over Bosnia and then, at the tournament itself, scoring a winner in the final group stage game against Italy to help the side through to the knockout stages.
He then scored the opener in the last-16 tie with hosts France, though Antoine Griezmann’s second-half double would sink Brady and his team-mates. To date, Brady has amassed over 50 caps and eight goals.
The summer previous to Euro 2016, Brady had joined newly-promoted Norwich City for a reported fee of £7m, spending two seasons with the Canaries, firstly in the top division before a second in the Championship.
Highlights during his time at Carrow Road included an away winner at West Brom in the spring of 2016 and, the following term, a fine strike from range in a road victory against Wolves.
In an unusual incident Brady also lost two teeth after colliding with team-mate – and now Cherries coach – Gary O’Neil during a match while playing together for the Canaries.
In January 2017 Burnley paid a club record fee of a reported £13m to bring Brady back to the Premier League and inside a fortnight he had notched his first goal for the club in a fixture against league leaders Chelsea.
Making 87 showings for the Clarets and scoring ten times, Brady has made a total of 160 top flight appearances in his career ahead of his arrival at Vitality Stadium.
