PLAYER PROFILE

Chris Riggott

Position: Defence

Height: 6'3

Weight: 10st 6lbs

Date of Birth: 1980-09-01 Derby, England

Chris Riggott

Chris Riggott joined Middlesbrough in January 2003, initially on loan. However at the end of the season the switch was made permanent and he signed for £2million.

Riggott had been plunged into the Derby first team in 2000-2001. He had just one Premiership appearance against Chelsea under his belt from the last game of the previous season when he was selected for the Rams. After making his Pride Park debut against Leeds United, Riggott remained in the team and eventually made 36 appearances for Jim Smith's team.

His progress has been rewarded with appearances for England's under-21 line-up. He has made one start for the under-21s and has two caps in recognition of his blossoming career as a top-flight player.

After Derby's relegation at the end of the 2001/02 season he was linked with a move to many big clubs, but stayed at Pride Park until January 2003, when he moved to Middlesbrough, initially on loan until the end of the season.

He settled in to life at Boro, immediately making an impact on his debut in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool. Since then Riggott has struggled with injuries, and missed the end of the 2002/03 and 2003/04 seasons thanks to a cartilage problem and Ankle injury respectively. He made several appearances for Boro during his first full season on Teeside in the absence of Ugo Ehiogu.

Such success continued into the 2004/05 season. Riggott made 32 appearances all in all and knocked in 3 goals, including one in a 3-2 UEFA Cup defeat against Sporting Lisbon.

An unsung squad member, whose performances often go unnoticed, Riggott enjoyed his best season with the club in 2005/06, as he made 42 appearances and took the captain's armband in the absence of Gareth Southgate.

Though the club captaincy was handed to George Boateng in 2006, Riggott indicated his desire to stay at Boro by signing a new four-year contract, a move which saw new boss Southgate tipping him to break into the full England squad.

However, he made only a handful of appearances in 2006/07 and will be hoping for better luck in 2007/08.