Ray Parlour

Raymond "Ray" Parlour (born March 7, 1973) is a former England international footballer born in Romford, England. He currently plays for Middlesbrough in the English FA Premier League.

Related Topics:
March 7 - 1973 - England international - Football - Romford - England - Middlesbrough - FA Premier League

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ray is most famous for his years at Arsenal, where he played for 15 years. Parlour joined Arsenal as a trainee in 1989, and made his debut for the Gunners against Liverpool on January 29, 1992, where he unfortunately conceded a penalty in a 2-0 defeat.

Related Topics:
Arsenal - 1989 - Liverpool - January 29 - 1992 - Penalty

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Parlour continued to be a bit-part player for the next few years, and was more noted for several disciplinary problems (such as a run-in with a Hong Kong taxi driver while on tour). He properly broke through in the 1994-95 season, and played in Arsenal's Cup Winners' Cup final loss to Real Zaragoza that season. However, Parlour only fully developed as a player after the arrival of Arsène Wenger as manager in 1996; he became a regular fixture playing on the right wing or in central midfield for Arsenal, and was man-of-the-match in the Gunners' 1998 FA Cup final win. However, he didn't get an England call-up until 1999; he won 17 caps for his country but did not play in any tournament finals.

Related Topics:
Hong Kong - Taxi - 1994-95 - Cup Winners' Cup - Real Zaragoza - Arsène Wenger - 1996 - Midfield - 1998 - FA Cup - England - 1999

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He remained an unsung hero for many years until he claimed his deserved place in the spotlight with a brilliant 30-yard strike to open the scoring in the 2002 FA Cup Final against Chelsea (Arsenal won 2-0, with the second goal from Fredrik Ljungberg). While at Arsenal, Parlour won three League titles and two FA Cups, and played a total of 467 matches, scoring 32 goals. He moved to Middlesbrough in the summer of 2004.

Related Topics:
2002 - Chelsea - Fredrik Ljungberg - 2004

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He is often referred to by his nickname "The Romford Pelé" or "The Romford Destroyer".

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~