Rhys Williams

Personal Details Date of Birth: 14 July 1988 Place of Birth: Perth, Western Australia Height: 187cm (6' 1") Position: Defender Club Summary Club Games Goals ECU Joondalup (juniors-2004) ? ? Middlesbrough (2005-now) 93 5 Burnley (2009, on loan) 17 0 Total (as of start June 2012) 110 5 International Summary Games Goals Australia 'A' (2009-) 9 0 Wales Under-21 (2007-2009) 10 1

Career Brief

A junior with ECU Joondalup, Williams was rewarded for this starring role for the State Under-16 team with a two-year stint in the academy program at English club Middlesbrough. 2007 was a landmark year for Williams, the young defender signing his first professional contract in July and soon after he made his first international appearance for Wales at Under-21 level. He signed a new two-year contract with Middlesbrough in January 2009 and was immediately loaned to Championship side Burnley, where he played 17 times in four months.

A strong 2009/10 pre-season had Williams scored four goals in five games from central midfield for Middlesbrough and, despite niggling injuries, he featured regularly across the season that followed. Elligible to play internationally for Australia, England, India or Wales, in May 2009 he opted for the former and the following month made his full Australia debut with a late substitute appearance in a World Cup qualifier against Japan.

Williams' second Socceroos outing was against the Republic of Ireland in August, and three months later he was sent off fifteen minutes into an Asian Cup qualifier with Oman. He played through the pain of a persistant groin injury with Middlesbrough to gain selection in Australia's preliminary World Cup squad only to be cut from the final list of 23-players due to his injury.

It would be a full ten months before Williams next stepped onto a football field with Middlesbrough, re-joining the club following surgery. In an impressive 12 game cameo he collected six man-of-the-match awards to aid Middlesbrough in their best run of the Championship campaign. His comeback was made complete by appearances for Australia against New Zealand, Serbia, Wales, Malaysia and Oman across mid to late 2011.

Although linked with several Premier League clubs, Williams penned a new four-year deal with Middlesbrough in February 2012. After few days after being named club captain for the following season he played a full game in the Socceroos friendly loss to Scotland. On returning to club duty Williams suffered an ankle injury, forcing him to watch the first half of the 2012/13 campaign from the sidelines.

Socceroos Game by Game

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This page was last updated on the 7th September, 2012.