In the early 2000s, Charlton Athletic was a regular in the Premier League, reaching as high as seventh place in 2003–04.
Luke Young, a seven-time England international who not only made his debut for the Three Lions’ senior squad while playing at The Valley but also played there more often than he did for the rest of his career, was their starting right back at that period.
Young’s career was very remarkable; he played in the Premier League for 14 consecutive years, made 378 appearances, and only played one league game outside of the division, which was his final match for QPR in April 2014.
| Luke Young’s appearances by club, per Transfermarkt | |
| Charlton Athletic | 207 |
| Aston Villa | 89 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 76 |
| Middlesbrough | 42 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 27 |
He will be fondly remembered by many clubs, but his most well-known club is Charlton Athletic.
Luke Young’s £3 million move from Tottenham Hotspur to Charlton
Luke Young made his first-team debut in November 1998 after starting his career in the Tottenham Hotspur development system.
The 19-year-old Young played all 120 minutes of Spurs’ FA Cup semi-final loss to Newcastle United and started in their League Cup quarterfinal victory over Manchester United, which they later won. Young played in 22 games across all competitions that season.
After turning 22, Young would play at least 20 league games at White Hart Lane for another two seasons before going to the Valley for £3 million per week.
A right-back who would become a cult legend at the club was signed by Charlton, who had finished ninth in their first season back in the Premier League and were hoping to make an impression in the summer transfer market to keep their top-flight standing.
Young would play for the Addicks for six seasons, totaling more than 200 appearances. He was the first-choice right back right away, and in his first season, he started 34 of 38 Premier League games, rising from the high teens at Tottenham to the early 30s at the Valley.
Young experienced his first significant injury setback during Charlton’s best season, playing in just 24 league games in 2003–04. When he returned in January after over three months away, the Addicks were in fourth place following a strong run without him. In the end, Charlton fell to seventh place, seven points behind fourth-place Liverpool.
Young had his most successful season in 2004–05, starting 36 of 38 Premier League games and helping his team place 11th. He also scored two goals in the first six games of that season, marking his first goals with the Addicks.
Following an injury at the end of that campaign in May 2005, Gary Neville received his first call-up to the England senior squad. In friendlies against the United States and Colombia, he came off the bench for his first two England outings.
He was unable to play in the 2006 World Cup due to an ankle injury, and the following season he was unable to keep Charlton up. He also missed some time that season due to injury, but upon his return, the Addicks went on a six-game winning streak, moving them out of the bottom three. Their seven-year run in the top level ended after they failed to win any of their next five games.
He departed the team in July 2007 at the age of 28 because he believed that his future lay outside of the Championship.
Had Charlton not been relegated from the Premier League, Luke Young may still be there.
According to then-Charlton manager Alan Pardew, Luke Young departed the Addicks with his full consent, admitting that he wanted to continue playing in the Premier League. The Charlton supporters agreed, since he was obviously talented enough to remain in the top league.
Young paid £2.5 million to join Middlesbrough, but he left after just one season to join Aston Villa, who were winning European titles and finishing in the top six from 2005 to 2008.
He participated in seven UEFA Cup games during his first season at Villa Park, helping Aston Villa reach the Round of 32. Young even led the squad in their elimination from the competition when they lost 2-0 against CSKA Moscow.
After Aston Villa was promoted to the Premier League, he spent two more seasons there before joining QPR.
Young retired after 378 games in England’s top division, demonstrating his unmistakable desire to play in the Premier League. Young might have remained with Charlton throughout the 2006–07 campaign.
He will be remembered as a Charlton Athletic hero, though, and his time at the Valley is treasured.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.