Playing career
Arsenal
Born in Edmonton, London, [2] of Turkish Cypriot descent, [6] Riza started his career as a youth with English club Arsenal. He made his only appearance for the club on 28 October 1998 in the League Cup third round, a 2–1 win away to Derby County in which he came on in the last minute as a substitute for Christopher Wreh. Riza said in 2018 that he believed he should have played more, due to his form for the under-19 and reserve teams; he said that although Nicolas Anelka, Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp were first-team forwards for Arsenal, players that he considered inferior to himself such as Kaba Diawara, Fabián Caballero and Wreh were getting more opportunities. [7]
During the 1998–99 season, Riza went on loan to ADO Den Haag for three months.
Turkey and Football League
In the 1999–2000 season, Riza moved to West Ham United, but again was unable to break into the first team. He went on loan to Barnet and Cambridge United, and signed a permanent deal with the latter in 2002.
Riza went on trial at Aberdeen in July 2002. He scored the equaliser in a 4–4 pre-season friendly against nearby part-time club Brechin City, but was passed over by manager Ebbe Skovdahl for being too much like their player Darren Mackie. [8]
During the 2002–03 season he scored 17 goals for Cambridge, which prompted a move to Süper Lig side Denizlispor during the 2003 close season. In January 2006, he signed for Trabzonspor. In January 2008 Riza walked out of the club claiming he had not been paid. The Turkish Football Federation banned him from playing for any club. [9]
In February 2009, Riza returned to English football with a trial at League Two club Shrewsbury Town, and impressed manager Paul Simpson, but Riza could not take part in any official matches due to the ban imposed upon him by the TFF. The players legal representatives submitted a case to football's World governing body FIFA in early April 2009, from which a Swiss judge over-ruled the TFF decision, on 17 April, that Riza shall be allowed to compete in English football. Riza made his debut for Shrewsbury Town as a second-half substitute against Rotherham United the following day. [10] He made five appearances that season, ending on 23 May in the 1–0 loss to Gillingham in the 2009 Football League Two play-off final, in which he came on for Nick Chadwick with 11 minutes of regulation time remaining. [11]
On 22 January 2010, Riza left Shrewsbury Town after struggling to break into the first team during the first half of the season, with player and club coming to an agreement regarding paying off the rest of his contract. On 25 February he joined Aldershot Town until the end of the season. [12]
Non-league
Following the appointment of David Livermore as manager at Histon, [13] Riza joined Histon on a non-contract basis and made his debut against Kettering Town in a Conference National fixture on 28 August 2010. He scored his first goal via a penalty in their league match against Hayes & Yeading United, which turned out to be the winning goal. [14] Due to the cost of his wages, Histon released Riza in January 2012, giving him seven days notice to leave the club. [15]
In February 2012, Riza signed for Boreham Wood scoring on his debut in a 3–0 win against Maidenhead United. [16] [17] On 28 January 2013 he signed for Chelmsford City [16] and scored on his debut on the same day against Dorchester Town in a 4–0 win, being named Man of the Match. [18]
In August 2015, Riza signed for Harlow Town, hoping to bounce back from a knee injury. [19]
In December 2017, Riza came out of retirement, signing for Eastern Counties League Premier Division side Newmarket Town as a player. [20] One month later, Riza left Newmarket due to injury. [21]
On 1 January 2022, 42-year-old Riza played for Hertford Town in the Southern Football League. [22] [23]
