Richard Kingson
Richard Kingson (born 13 June 1978) is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He currently serves as a goalkeeper coach for the Ghana national football team.[3][4] He is also known by his Turkish name Faruk Gürsoy[5] and sometimes by the surname Kingston, which is the surname he used in his UEFA registration[6] and also the surname of his brother Laryea Kingston. The different spelling of the surnames is due to "irregularity on his identity documents".[7] Even in his native Ghana, he was quoted as "the man who got the 't' off his surname".[8] Known for his speed and powerful saves and a ability to rush off his line. Considered as one of the best goalkeepers of all time.
 Kingson with Ghana in 2008 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Richard Kingson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 13 June 1978[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Accra, Ghana | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1996 | Great Olympics | 30 | (1) |
| 1996–2005 | Galatasaray | 27 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | → Sakaryaspor (loan) | 21 | (0) |
| 1999–2001 | → Göztepe (loan) | 19 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | → Antalyaspor (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | → Elazığspor (loan) | 20 | (0) |
| 2003–2007 | Ankaraspor | 154 | (0) |
| 2007 | → Hammarby (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Birmingham City | 41 | (0) |
| 2008–2010 | Wigan Athletic | 42 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Blackpool | 20 | (0) |
| 2013 | Doxa Katokopias | 10 | (0) |
| 2014 | Balıkesirspor | 13 | (0) |
| 2015 | Great Olympics | 20 | (0) |
| Total | 443 | (1) | |
| National team | |||
| 1996–2012 | Ghana | 93 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2017–2019 | Ghana (goalkeeper coach) | ||
| 2021 | Ghana A' (goalkeeper coach) | ||
| 2021–2024 | Ghana (goalkeeper coach) | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Club career
changeKingson left his hometown in 1996 to pursue a career in Turkey, where he represented six different clubs, and became a naturalized citizen, having a Turkish name, Faruk Gürsoy, originating from Faruk Suren and Ergun Gürsoy. His first club in Turkey was Galatasaray SK, whom he signed in December 1996, but did not play a single game there. In the 2004-05 season when he played with Galatasaray SK again, he was suspended from football for six months after a doping test.
After a three-month loan spell at Swedish club Hammarby IF, he caught the attention of other clubs in Europe, including Aalborg Boldspilklub, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Birmingham City, eventually joining the latter. On 28 August 2007, Kingson made his debut for Birmingham in a League Cup third round match against Hereford United. He played once in the Premier League, a 2-0 defeat against Portsmouth FC. At the end of the season, co-owner David Sullivan blamed the club's promotion and relegation on the quality of signings to former manager Steve Bruce'. Kingson marks a "waste of space" Kingson was disappointed and angry at the perceived unfairness of Sullivan's reaction, saying that "An older person, in his position, has to... speak maturely. He has to be a responsible man as a co-owner to speak well and an example for young people "The player's contract, which still had one year to run, was canceled by mutual consent at the end of 2007-08
Kingson linked up with former manager Steve Bruce, when he signed for Wigan Athletic on 12 September 2008. He was given the number 22 shirt, the same number he wears in Ghana. He made his first team debut in the FA Cup third round against Tottenham Hotspur, where his team lost 3–1. He made his first Premier League appearance for the club when he replaced the injured Chris Kirkland after 10 minutes of the away match against West Bromwich Albion on 9 May 2009. He saved a shot from Chris Brunt, but Brunt was able to score from the rebound, and the game ended in a 3-1 defeat. He was released after his contract expired at Wigan at the end of the 2009/10 season. After being released by Wigan Athletic, he signed for the newly promoted Blackpool FC in September 2010. In spring 2014, Kingson moved to Turkish second division club Balıkesirspor. At the end of the season he left the club and joined his former team Great Olympics. He ended his career here in 2015.
International career
changeThen aged 18, he played in the soccer competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He played a qualifying match for the 2006 World Cup.
Kingson participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup with the Ghana team. He was originally third choice for the Ghana team at goalkeeper, but he started the competition as a starter. After very successful matches at the 2006 World Cup, particularly against the Czech Republic, he was described by the BBC as "Africa 's first great goalkeeper". During the 1/8 finals and the Brazil – Ghana match, he made three remarkable saves which earned him the nickname “Olele” by Brazilian supporters. Kingson served as the primary goalkeeper for the Ghana team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, 2010 Africa Cup of Nations and 2010 FIFA World Cup.
He was selected as the All-Star Team goalkeeper of the tournament at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations held in Ghana.
In 2008, he scored his team's equalizing goal in the last minute of a friendly match against Tanzania that ended 1-1.
In 2010, Ghana, which he captained in the African Cup of Nations, reached the final and Kingson was once again selected for the All-Star Team.
Kingson, who played for Ghana in the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, contributed greatly to his team's progress by conceding only 2 goals in the group matches. He was selected as the Player of the Match in the match against the USA in the next round, which was won 2-1 in extra time. Ghana faced Uruguay in the quarter-finals and was eliminated by losing this match.
Honours
changeGalatasaray S.K.[9]
Ghana
Individual
- Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2008,[12] 2010[13]
References
change- ↑ "Premier League clubs submit squad lists" (PDF). Premier League. 1 February 2011. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Richard Kingson: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
- ↑ "Ex-Ghana stars Laryea and Richard Kingson complete coaching course". 20 June 2017.
- ↑ "Former Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingson wanted to go into farming after retirement". 11 August 2017.
- ↑ "Faruk Gürsoy". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007.
- ↑ "Former Blackpool goalkeeper Richard Kingston's wife claims she used her 'evil powers to trouble his career'". The Daily Telegraph. 10 September 2012.
- ↑ Sannie, Ibrahim (4 July 2007). "Birmingham complete Kingson deal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
- ↑ "Richard Kingson, Avram Grant and Andre Ayew: The three major talking points". Modern Ghana. 26 March 2015.
- ↑ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Richard Kingson (Player)". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ↑ "Ghana v Egypt - African Nations Cup". espn.com. ESPN. 31 January 2010. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
- ↑ "26th Africa Cup of Nations Ghana 2008". cafonline.com. CAF. 9 February 2008. Archived from the original on 14 February 2008.
- ↑ "CAF names Best XI for Ghana 2008 ACN". CAF Online. 10 February 2008. Archived from the original on 13 February 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
- ↑ "CAF Releases top 11 of Orange CAN". cafonline.com. Confederation of African Football. 31 January 2010. Archived from the original on 4 February 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
Other websites
change
- Richard Kingson – FIFA competition record (archived)
