Ruairi McConville

Ruairi McConville
Personal information
Date of birth (2005-05-01) 1 May 2005 (age 19)
Place of birth Belfast, Northern Ireland
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Brighton & Hove Albion
Number 44
Youth career
0000–2021 Linfield
2021– Brighton & Hove Albion
International career‡
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021 Northern Ireland U17 3 (0)
2022–2024 Northern Ireland U19 2 (0)
2023– Northern Ireland U21 4 (0)
2024– Northern Ireland 2 (0)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Ruairi McConville (born 1 May 2005) is a Northern Irish footballer who plays as a defender for the academy of Premier League team Brighton & Hove Albion and the Northern Ireland national football team.[1]

Club career

From Belfast, he joined the Brighton & Hove Albion academy in 2021 from Linfield.[2] He spent his first season with the club’s under-18 side. He made the step up to the under-21s during the 2022–23 season. In December 2022, he signed a new professional contact with the club that runs until the summer of 2025.[3][4]

International career

A Northern Ireland U16 and U17 international, he was captain of the Northern Ireland U19 side.[5] He made his debut for Northern Ireland U21 in November 2023 against England U21.[6][7]

In November 2024, he was called-up for the first time to the senior team for their UEFA Nations League matches against Belarus and Luxembourg. He made his senior debut on 15 November 2024 in a 2–0 home win over Belarus.[8][9]

References

  1. ^ "Ruairi McConville". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  2. ^ Fullerton, Gareth (18 December 2023). "Brighton and Hove Albion teen Ruairi McConville 'making up for lost time' this season". Belfast Live. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  3. ^ Fullerton, Gareth (31 December 2022). "Belfast teenager on the rise after signing new pro deal with Brighton". Belfast Live. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  4. ^ Lumey, Graham (17 June 2024). "Learning from best can take me to new levels, insists NI Under-19 captain Ruairi McConville". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Teenager McConville called up to NI squad but McNair injured". BBC Sport. 5 November 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  6. ^ Morton, Johnny (18 June 2024). "Former Linfield youngster 'learning so much' from Northern Ireland legend ahead of leading country into U19 European Championships". Newsletter. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  7. ^ "England U21 Vs. Northern Ireland U21 3-0". Soccerway. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  8. ^ McNabb, Johnny (5 November 2024). "Brighton and Hove Albion defender Ruairi McConville receives maiden Northern Ireland call-up for Nations League double-header". Newsletter. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  9. ^ Beacom, Steve (16 November 2024). "Ex-Linfield Academy star reacts to making his Northern Ireland debut: 'Hopefully it's the first of many'". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 16 November 2024.