| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 September 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Rhondda, Wales | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Cardiff City | ||
| Number | 45 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Cardiff City | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022– | Cardiff City | 23 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | Wales U21 | 3 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 25 February 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15:19, 20 November 2023 (UTC) | |||
Cian Ashford is a Welsh footballer who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Cardiff City. He is a Wales Under-21 international.
Ashford joined the Cardiff City academy at the age of six, signing a first professional contract with the club in June 2023. [1] He had first caught the eye of the first-team in November 2020, when he was called up to first-team training by then manager Neil Harris, impressing with three goals in a 4v4 match with the senior squad. [2]
In August 2023, Ashford made his senior debut for Cardiff City in the EFL Cup against Colchester United. [3] In January 2024, he signed a new contract to keep him at the club until June 2027. [4] On 10 April 2024, he made his league debut for Cardiff in a 1–0 victory over Birmingham City. [5] Following the match, he was described as "the future for Cardiff" by teammate Jamilu Collins. [6] In his third league appearance for the club, he scored his first senior goal, a 96th minute winner from twenty-five yards against promotion hopefuls Southampton. [7]
Ashford made his Wales under-21 debut on 24 October 2023 in the UEFA EURO U21 qualifier against Czech Republic as a 91st-minute substitute, immediately scoring the equalising goal in the 1–1 draw. [8]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cardiff City | 2023–24 [9] | Championship | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | |
| 2024–25 [10] | Championship | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 11 | 2 | ||
| Total | 14 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 14 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 3 | ||