Source: FOOTYMAD
Leeds' All Time Greats: No 2 Michael Bridges
Bridges could have been one of the best strikers in the club's history. Michael Bridges (1999-2004) 82 apps, 21 goals Bridges deserves his place in this list because of the 21 goals he scored in his debut season and the sheer determination he showed during the injury hell that followed. Bridges could have been one of the best strikers in the club's history - he was the record signing when bought for £5 million and scored a memorable hat-trick at Southampton - but there was a meningitis scare, drilled bones and no end of failed comebacks. "You think, 'What the hell have I done to deserve this?' but I wasn't ever going to tie a knot in the ceiling and put my head in it," he told me. "I thought about people worse off than myself." When he scored for Carlisle United at Elland Road last year, it was hard not to feel happy for him and sad that he never achieved what he should have. Personal informationFull nameMichael BridgesDate of birth5 August 1978 (1978-08-05) (age 31)Place of birth North Shields, Tyne and Wear, EnglandHeight1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)Playing positionStrikerClub informationCurrent clubNewcastle United JetsNumber14Youth career1994-1995SunderlandSenior career1YearsClubApp (Gls)*1995-19991999-20042004200420042004-20052005200520062006-20092007-20082008-200920092009-SunderlandLeeds United→ Newcastle United (loan)Bolton Wanderers→ Sunderland (loan)SunderlandBristol City→ Carlisle United (loan)Carlisle UnitedHull City→ Sydney FC (loan)→ Carlisle United (loan)Milton Keynes DonsNewcastle United Jets079 0(16)056 0(19)006 00(0)000 00(0)011 00(1)008 00(0)011 00(0)007 00(3)023 0(12)022 00(2)009 00(2)030 00(7)001 00(0)010 00(6) National team2England U18England U211 Senior club appearances and goalscounted for the domestic league only andcorrect as of 09:39, 17 January 2010 (UTC).2 National team caps and goals correctas of 12:58, 18 September 2008 (UTC).* Appearances (Goals)function slideshowPopUp(url){pictureGalleryPopupPic(url);return false;}
