Joe Ledley is a Ram! The midfielder has joined Derby County as the club’s sixth new signing this season.
Gary Rowett has moved to secure the services of the three-time Scottish Premier League winner and Welsh international until January and with that, dcfc.co.uk has taken an extensive look at Ledley’s career to-date…
Age: 30
Position: Midfielder
Nationality: Welsh
Previous Clubs: Cardiff City, Celtic & Crystal Palace
His Background…
Originally from Fairwater in Cardiff, Ledley’s footballing thirst began at Cantonian High School, where he was captain of the football team.
An avid Cardiff City supporter, the talk of Ledley’s talent spread very early with him joining the Bluebirds’ ranks at the age of just nine-years-old.
Keen to progress, Ledley moved up through the youth ranks quickly at Cardiff and, during the start of the 2004/05 season, found himself in prime position to make his professional debut at the age of just 17…
Bursting On To The Scene…
On 21st September 2004, manager Lennie Lawrence handed Ledley, just 17-years-old, his first appearance for Cardiff’s first team from the bench after 63 minutes in a 4-1 win over MK Dons.
The work-horse midfielder than found himself in league action just over two weeks later, again coming on from the bench, against Rotherham before being handed his first competitive start three days later in a 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion.
After the game, both Ledley’s team mates and manager heaped praise on the youngster for demonstrating maturity beyond his years and creating key chances throughout the match.
‘An old head on a young pair of shoulders’ was how Lawrence described the ability of Ledley, and he delivered with his first goal a month after making his first start in a 4-1 victory over West Ham United.
In February of that season, the forward-thinking midfielder’s impressive form was rewarded with both a new long-term contract at the club and an Under-21 Wales call-up.
During the entirety of his debut season in the professional game, Ledley made a total of 32 appearances scoring three goals. It was clear he was destined for a bright future.
Building A Name For Himself…
After an eye-catching breakthrough year during the 2004/05 season, two consistently good campaigns followed with Ledley earning himself a call-up to the senior Welsh national team for the first time and making over 100 appearances in all club and international competitions.
Notably, during his 2006/07 campaign, Ledley picked up the Football League Goal Of The Season award for his strike on the opening day of the season against Barnsley.
With every successful season that Ledley had, his name was spreading further and further and at the beginning of 2007/08 a series of bids from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton were turned by Cardiff.
The speculation off the pitch, though, had no bearing on his performances and another successful season saw the Welsh midfielder help Cardiff to their first FA Cup Final since 1927 and he netted the only goal in the previous round against Barnsley.
It was also a season which proved to be his most prolific in front of goal as Ledley finished as joint top-goal scorer on 11 in all competitions.
More speculation surrounding Ledley’s future then followed in the 2008/09 season, with Premier League reportedly offering Cardiff £5 million – a bid which the Bluebirds down.
As always, though, Ledley’s focus was solely on his football and it proved to be one of his most successful campaigns to date with the Welshman being selected as captain for nearly all of the season and being included in the Championship Team of the Season.
In his final campaign as a Cardiff player, a string of injuries saw Ledley struggle to maintain his consistent high standard on the pitch. However, the midfielder still managed to make 37 appearances in all competitions.
Ledley’s final game for Cardiff came in the Championship Play-Off Final, where his goal couldn’t help the Bluebirds fall to a 3-2 defeat against Blackpool.
That proved to be his last game for his hometown club, it was time for a new challenge…
Silverware Galore and Champions League Football…
Ledley’s contract at the end of the 2009/10 season and, naturally, there was plenty of interest from a number of Premier League sides.
Celtic won the battle, though, and brought the midfielder to Scotland where he would enjoy a trophy laden three-and-a-half years.
He had to settle for a second-place finish in his first year, but after that, he helped the Hoops to three successive titles and two Scottish Cups. The Champions League beckoned and was his next port of call as he got the opportunity to test himself against the likes of Barcelona and Benfica.
He became a firm favourite at Celtic Park too, just for the pure fact that he had a knack of scoring against Rangers and even scored the winner against Celtic’s great rivals in December 2011!
His greatest night will have arguably come in the Champions League, though, as he helped the Hoops beat Barcelona 2-1 – a massive result that helped Ledley and co reach the knockout stages of the competition.
Like at Cardiff, he was a regular first team figure throughout his time in Glasgow and he marked his last appearance by scoring in a 4-0 victory over Kilmarnock.
That brought the curtain down on his 153 appearances for Celtic and in January 2014, it was time for him to go test himself in the Premier League.
A Chance In the Top Flight…
After adding three league titles and one cup trophy to his cabinet, the Premier League came calling for Ledley in the form of Crystal Palace.
The Welshman joined the Eagles on Transfer Deadline Day in January in 2014 on a three-and-half year deal with his remit being too help the South London side to top flight safety.
And it was a move that looked to have paid off immediately as Ledley marked his debut with a goal in a 3-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion.
The Welsh international then started every game after that and was successful in maintaining Palace’s Premier League status for another year.
Throughout the rest of his time with the Eagles, Ledley was pretty much a mainstay in the team – seeing out all three and a half years of his contract at Selhurst Park and finding the form to take him to the UEFA European Championships in 2016 with Wales.
International Glory…
Beginning his international career at the age of 17, Ledley was called up to the Welsh Under-21 squad after bursting onto the first-team scene with Cardiff.
After continuing to impress, and earning praise about his potential from former Wales manager John Toshack, Ledley’s first break at senior international level came in September 2005 against Poland.
Two years later, and Ledley netted his first international goal for Wales in a European qualifier against San Marino in 2007.
Ledley then had the honour in 2009 of being named captain of Wales’ youngest ever side in a 1-0 win over Estonia.
Of all his international experience, though, Ledley’s biggest break for Wales on a global scale came in the 2016 UEFA European Championships, where the midfielder featured in all six games of Wales’ history making campaign.
Not only did Ledley make a spectacular recovery from a leg break earlier in the season, but the commanding midfielder was integral in Wales’ style of play, putting in a number of assured performances.
In total, Ledley has played 73 times for his country, scoring four goals.
