42 Facts About Robbie Savage

Robert William Savage was born on 18 October 1974 and is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a midfielder, now a football pundit and director of football at Northern Premier League Division One West club Macclesfield.

Robbie Savage became a regular for Leicester City in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and performed a similar role for Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers.

Robbie Savage played for the Wales national team on 39 occasions.

Robbie Savage is a pundit for the BBC and regularly presents 606 on BBC Radio 5 Live on Sunday evenings.

Robbie Savage played in the FA Youth Cup winning team of 1992, and was later given a professional contract, but never played a first-team game for the club and signed for Crewe Alexandra in 1994.

Robbie Savage switched into midfield early in his time at Crewe and proved himself as a competent young player, helping them reach the Division Two play-offs in his first two seasons at the club; a remarkable feat for a newly promoted club who had only played at this level twice in the previous 30 years.

Robbie Savage spent five years at Leicester, where he made his name as a reliable, competitive and fiery midfielder.

Robbie Savage won the club's Player of the Year award in 2003.

In March, Robbie Savage called an end to his international career after new manager John Toshack dropped him for a World Cup 2006 qualifying game against Austria.

Robbie Savage was well liked by the Blackburn fans and was given a standing ovation by a near capacity ground by the Rovers fans when he returned with Derby.

Rumours of Robbie Savage leaving Derby came in July 2008 when he missed out on every pre-season match.

Stubbs was forced to retire shortly into the new season through injury, but Robbie Savage was not considered for the role due to not being in the first team, and the armband went to Paul Connolly.

Robbie Savage even telephoned club ambassador Alan Birchenall and former teammate Paul Dickov to put in a good word with manager Nigel Pearson.

Later that month, Robbie Savage was renamed as Captain of Derby County, replacing Paul Connolly, who manager Nigel Clough wanted to "concentrate on his own game".

Robbie Savage won the club's own Player of the Year award but lost out on the fan's award to Shaun Barker.

Robbie Savage played in goal for Derby on 11 March 2010, when Stephen Bywater was taken off with a back injury against Reading.

Robbie Savage let in two goals during his 45 minutes in the Derby goal.

Robbie Savage eventually rejected the move, stating it was too big a move for his family.

On 31 January 2011, Robbie Savage announced that he would be retiring at the end of the season to concentrate on his growing media career.

On 24 November 2019, Robbie Savage came out of retirement to join Stockport Town of the North West Counties League.

Robbie Savage played at under-18 and under-21 level for Wales before making his senior international debut in 1995 against Albania while at Crewe.

Robbie Savage attained 39 caps, scoring two goals, both in World Cup qualifying against Turkey and Norway, before retiring from international football in September 2005, saying he wished to concentrate on his club career.

Robbie Savage was initially dropped by Gould from the squad only to be reinstated the next day.

Robbie Savage has only been sent off twice in his career: once during an international game for the Welsh national team, and once during a Premier League game for Blackburn.

Robbie Savage received his first-ever red card when he was sent off in Wales' World Cup qualification match against Northern Ireland in September 2004 for reacting to a foul on him by midfielder Michael Hughes.

Robbie Savage was ridiculed for threatening to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights over the decision.

Robbie Savage later admitted that he was probably due a controversial sending off because he had escaped punishment for illegal challenges in the past.

Whilst playing for Leicester, in the final minute of a league game against rivals Derby at Pride Park in 2001, Robbie Savage dived in the penalty area.

Robbie Savage is famous for an incident at Villa Park, while playing for Birmingham City, in a bad-tempered Second City derby in March 2003.

When being interviewed by BBC Radio Derby's Colin Gibson in January 2010, Robbie Savage reacted furiously to rumours he heard that the Derby players think the club's backroom staff are not up to the job.

In September 2010, Robbie Savage signed up as official sporting ambassador for bookmakers William Hill.

Since retiring from football in May 2011, Robbie Savage has attempted to become a more prominent broadcasting figure beyond punditry.

From September 2011 Robbie Savage took part in the 2011 series of Strictly Come Dancing, partnering Ola Jordan.

In October 2012, along with 463 other players, Robbie Savage took part in BBC Radio 5 Live's attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for the 'most players in a continuous 5 a side exhibition match'.

Robbie Savage was born in Wrexham on 18 October 1974, to Colin and Valerie Robbie Savage.

Robbie Savage attended Ysgol Bryn Alyn in Gwersyllt until he completed his GCSE studies in July 1991.

On leaving school, Robbie Savage joined Manchester United as an apprentice.

Robbie Savage's father was diagnosed with Pick's disease, a dementia-type illness, when he was in his mid-50s, and died in 2012.

Robbie Savage is an ambassador for the dementia care and research charity, the Alzheimer's Society.

Robbie Savage had said in the future he would have liked to finish his career at home town club Wrexham before going on to manage them.

Robbie Savage said that the greatest regret of his football career was not signing for Everton when he had the chance in 2005.

In October 2014, Robbie Savage was awarded an honorary fellowship at Wrexham's Glyndwr University for services to sport.