1. Neil Etheridge joined the Fulham Academy after three years as a trainee at Chelsea and made his debut for Fulham in the UEFA Europa League against Danish club Odense Boldklub, though he never played in a league match with the club.
50 Facts About Neil Etheridge
1. 2.
Neil Etheridge joined Charlton on a permanent basis in 2015 after his contract with Oldham ended.
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Neil Etheridge then moved on to Championship club Cardiff City in 2017.
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Neil Etheridge joined Birmingham City, of the Championship, three years later.
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Neil Etheridge was released by Birmingham in 2024 and signed for Thai League 1 club Buriram United.
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Neil Etheridge has one British and one Filipino parent; in international football, he played for his native England at under-16 level, and at senior level has represented the Philippines since 2008 and captained the team.
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Neil Etheridge was born in Enfield, London to an English father, Martin Neil Etheridge, and a Filipino mother, Merlinda Dula, a native of Tarlac.
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Neil Etheridge took up football at the age of nine, initially playing as a left midfielder or striker before switching to playing as a goalkeeper in 2000 after volunteering to switch due to an injury to his youth side's regular goalkeeper.
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Neil Etheridge started out as a forward but eventually switched to playing as a goalkeeper at the suggestion of his coach.
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In 2006, Neil Etheridge moved to local rivals Fulham, and signed professional terms for the club.
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In September 2009, Neil Etheridge underwent surgery on both knees after suffering from tendinitis.
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Neil Etheridge received his first senior team call-up on 11 September 2010, when he was named on the substitutes' bench as cover for Mark Schwarzer in a home game against Wolverhampton Wanderers due to an injury to regular second-choice goalkeeper David Stockdale.
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In March 2011, Neil Etheridge joined League One club Charlton Athletic on loan, but was recalled six days later without playing for them.
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Neil Etheridge signed a new contract in May that would extend his stay at Craven Cottage until the summer of 2013.
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On 23 March 2012 upon his return to Fulham after completing his international duties, it was announced that Neil Etheridge would be out for the rest of the season due to a wrist injury that was sustained in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup.
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Neil Etheridge joined League Two club Bristol Rovers on an initial one-month loan on 20 September 2012.
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Neil Etheridge signed a one-year extension to his Fulham contract on 8 May 2013, with the option of a further year extension.
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Neil Etheridge rejoined the club on 25 February 2014 on loan until 13 April, but was recalled on 4 April by Fulham.
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Neil Etheridge made one appearance for Oldham during his time with the club during a Football League Trophy match against Preston North End.
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Neil Etheridge rejoined Charlton Athletic on 27 November 2014 on a one-month loan deal.
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Neil Etheridge was released on 12 May 2015 following the end of his contract.
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Neil Etheridge joined League One club Walsall on 2 July 2015 after agreeing a two-year deal.
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Neil Etheridge kept 12 clean sheets in 44 appearances as the club finished the season in 14th place, missing the last five matches of the season due to injury.
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Neil Etheridge played a total of 94 matches with Walsall during his two seasons at the club.
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On 30 May 2017, Neil Etheridge signed for Championship club Cardiff City on a free transfer, after rejecting a new three-year contract with Walsall.
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Neil Etheridge performed well enough playing for Cardiff that fellow goalkeeper Lee Camp was loaned to Sunderland after recovering from injury.
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Neil Etheridge's penalty save made him the first goalkeeper to save a penalty on his Premier League debut since Allan McGregor for Hull City in 2013.
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Cardiff were relegated from the Premier League after finishing in 18th position and Neil Etheridge won the club's Player of the Year award.
29.
Neil Etheridge signed a four-year contract with Championship club Birmingham City on 11 September 2020; the fee was undisclosed.
30.
Neil Etheridge was on the bench for the following day's match, in which the 19-year-old debutant Zach Jeacock kept a clean sheet, and came into the starting eleven for the goalless draw at Swansea City a week later.
31.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Neil Etheridge received hospital treatment in July 2021 after he contracted COVID-19.
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Neil Etheridge signed for Thai League 1 club Buriram United on 30 June 2024.
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Neil Etheridge is a former England under-16 international, having played in the 2005 Victory Shield, in which England and Wales eventually shared the trophy.
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In 2007, Neil Etheridge received an invitation to play for the Philippines but declined the offer, citing unfamiliarity with the language and the players.
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Neil Etheridge was again invited in early 2008, this time by the new Philippine Football Federation president Jose Mari Martinez.
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Neil Etheridge eventually accepted the invitation after speaking to the new manager and learning about the setup, and after encouragement from Chelsea youth teammate Phil Younghusband.
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Neil Etheridge officially switched allegiance to the Philippines in April 2008.
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Neil Etheridge made his full international debut against Brunei in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers, playing in all three of his country's matches.
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Neil Etheridge kept three clean sheets but the Philippines still failed to qualify due to an inferior goal difference to group winners Tajikistan.
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Neil Etheridge was called up again later that year for the 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification matches.
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However, in their remaining three fixtures, Neil Etheridge conceded five goals as the Philippines won another match, drew one and lost one, before being eliminated on the basis of their goals scored record after finishing tied for second.
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Neil Etheridge later credited his debut for the Philippines in 2008 to his later progress in his club career in 2018 due to having experienced playing for the national team before a crowd of up to 90,000.
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In 2010, Neil Etheridge was named in the Philippines' squad for the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup.
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Neil Etheridge was then called up for his country for the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers where he conceded only a single goal, enabling the Philippines to qualify for the group stage.
45.
Neil Etheridge announced his interest to join the squad for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup but was originally in doubt to be included due to club commitments.
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Neil Etheridge labelled manager Thomas Dooley "disrespectful" over the omission.
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Neil Etheridge expressed disappointment of missing out on the regional championship, but added that he was committed to playing for his club.
48.
In 2018, Neil Etheridge was part of the Philippines' squad that qualified for the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in the nation's history.
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In June 2022, Neil Etheridge was appointed by head coach Thomas Dooley as captain of the Philippines national team.
50.
Neil Etheridge has been married to Alexandra Solera since May 2021 and the two have a daughter.