Ruairi McConville
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1 May 2005 | ||
| Place of birth | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Norwich City | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2021 | Linfield | ||
| 2021–2025 | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2025 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | (0) |
| 2025– | Norwich City | 15 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021 | Northern Ireland U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2022–2024 | Northern Ireland U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2023– | Northern Ireland U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 2024– | Northern Ireland | 7 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 09:41, 9 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 22:01, 7 September 2025 (UTC) | |||
Ruairi McConville (born 1 May 2005) is a Northern Irish footballer who plays as a centre-back or right-back for EFL Championship club Norwich City and the Northern Ireland national team.[2]
Club career
Brighton
From Belfast, he joined the Brighton & Hove Albion academy in 2021 from Linfield.[3] 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 contract with the club that ran into the summer of 2025.[4][5] He made his professional debut for Brighton on 11 January 2025, appearing as a substitute in a 4-0 FA Cup third round away victory against Norwich City.[6]
Norwich
In February 2025, McConville left Brighton to join Norwich City on a five and a half-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[7] He made his debut for Norwich City in the EFL Championship in a 4-2 home win against Stoke City on 22 February 2025, appearing as a substitute late in the second half.[8]
International career
A Northern Ireland U16 and U17 international, he was captain of the Northern Ireland U19 side.[9] He made his debut for Northern Ireland U21 in November 2023 against England U21.[10][11]
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.[12][13] He started his first senior international match for Northern Ireland a few days later, in a 2-2 away draw with Luxembourg on 18 November 2024, in the UEFA Nations League.[14][15]
Career statistics
- As of match played on 3 May 2025
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion U21 | 2023–24[16] | — | — | — | — | 5[a] | 1 | 5 | 1 | |||
| 2024–25[17] | — | — | — | — | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2024–25[17] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| Norwich City | 2024–25[17] | Championship | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 1 | ||
- ^ a b Appearances in EFL Trophy
International
- As of match played 17 November 2025[18]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 2024 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 0 | |
References
- ^ https://www.premierleague.com/players/117150/Ruairi-McConville/overview
- ^ "Ruairi McConville". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Fullerton, Gareth (31 December 2022). "Belfast teenager on the rise after signing new pro deal with Brighton". Belfast Live. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Norwich vs. Brighton". Soccerway. 11 January 2025. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
- ^ "City complete signing of Ruairi McConville". Norwich City F.C. 3 February 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ "Norwich vs Stoke 4-2". Soccerway. 22 February 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ "Teenager McConville called up to NI squad but McNair injured". BBC Sport. 5 November 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "England U21 Vs. Northern Ireland U21 3-0". Soccerway. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Southwell, Connor (25 March 2025). "City's McConville endures Northern Ireland baptism of fire". Pinkun. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ "Luxembourg vs Northern Ireland 2-2". Soccerway. 18 November 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ "Games played by Ruairi McConville in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ^ a b c "Games played by Ruairi McConville in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
- ^ "Ruairi McConville". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 2025-03-02.