Ronan Curtis

Ronan Curtis

Personal information
Full name	Ronan Curtis [1]
Date of birth	(1996-03-29) 29 March 1996 (age 28) [2]
Place of birth	London, England [3] [4]
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.82 m) [2]
Position(s)	Left-winger
Team information
Current team	AFC Wimbledon
Number	24
Youth career
	Kildrum Tigers
	Swilly Rovers
2014–2015	Derry City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2018	Derry City	91	(18)
2018–2023	Portsmouth	184	(42)
2024–	AFC Wimbledon	15	(4)
International career‡
2017–2018	Republic of Ireland U21	8	(1)
2018–	Republic of Ireland	7	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:00, 24 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:00, 4 June 2021 (UTC)

Ronan Curtis (born 29 March 1996) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a left-winger for EFL League Two club AFC Wimbledon and the Republic of Ireland national team.

Curtis started his career with Derry City in 2015, spending four seasons there and amassing 100 appearances and 24 goals. He agreed a deal with Portsmouth in May 2018 and joined the South Coast club for a fee believed to be approximately £100,000. In March 2019, he won his first senior honour, the EFL Trophy.

He represented Ireland at under-21 level before making his senior debut in November 2018 in a 0–0 draw against Northern Ireland.

Club career

Derry City

Curtis moved to Derry City's academy in 2014, after playing for Kildrum Tigers and Swilly Rovers. ^{[4] [5]} He made his senior debut for the club on 8 May 2015, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 home loss against Galway United. ^[6]

Curtis scored his first goal for Derry on 30 October 2015, netting his team's first in a 4–2 away loss against Longford Town. ^[7] On 25 November, he signed a two-year contract extension, ^[8] and scored a brace in a 2–2 home draw against Shamrock Rovers on 27 September of the following year. ^[9]

On 19 February 2017, Curtis signed a new contract extension with the Candystripes. ^[10] He finished the campaign with eight goals in 32 appearances, and had a move to Swedish side Östersunds FK cancelled in August after failing to agree personal terms. ^[11]

Curtis scored on his European debut at FC Midtjylland in the 2017-18 UEFA Europa League ^[12]

On 7 May 2018, amid high interest from Portsmouth, ^[13] Curtis scored a hat-trick in a 7–3 home routing of Shelbourne, taking his side to the semi-finals of the League of Ireland Cup. ^[14]

Portsmouth

On 22 May 2018, League One side Portsmouth agreed a deal to sign Curtis from Derry City, for a transfer fee in the region of £100,000 on a two-year contract. ^[15] Curtis made his English Football League debut at Fratton Park on 4 August, playing the full 90 minutes of a 1–0 victory over Luton Town. ^[16] A week later, he scored his first two goals in a 2–1 win at Blackpool. ^[17] On 31 March 2019, he won his first piece of silverware when Portsmouth won the 2018–19 EFL Trophy, defeating Sunderland 5–4 on penalties following a 2–2 draw after extra time. ^[18]

On 20 August 2019, Curtis scored his first goal of the new season in a 3–3 home draw against Coventry City with a header in the tenth minute. ^[19]

On 12 January 2021, Portsmouth announced that Curtis had tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of his club's FA Cup Third round proper game against Bristol City. ^[20] The striker later spoke of the effect the illness had on his breathing, as well as his sleep pattern and dreaming. ^[21]

AFC Wimbledon

On 19 January 2024, Curtis joined League Two club AFC Wimbledon on a short-term deal until the end of the season. ^[22] Curtis scored a memorable winner in the final minute of added time against AFC Wimbledon's bitter rivals MK Dons on 2 March 2024, ^[23] earning the club just their second league win in the fixture's history.

International career

Although born in England, Curtis grew up in St Johnston, County Donegal and has represented the Republic of Ireland at under-21 and senior level. ^{[3] [24]} On 7 September 2018, Curtis scored his first international goal in a 1–1 draw against Kosovo in the UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifying stage. ^[25]

Received the ROI under 21's player of the year 2018 Shane Duffy and Ronan Curtis pick up FAI Player of the Year Awards

On 9 September 2018, Curtis was called up to the senior Republic of Ireland squad for the friendly match against Poland two days later, ^[26] in which he was an unused substitute. ^[27] He was again added to the Ireland squad on 14 October for a UEFA Nations League encounter against Wales. ^[28] He made his full Republic debut on 15 November 2018, coming on as a half-time substitute for Callum O'Dowda in a goalless friendly against Northern Ireland at the Aviva Stadium. ^[29]

Personal life

Curtis was born in London but moved to County Donegal when he was ten. He is the godson of Chris Coleman, who played for and managed Wales. ^[30] Curtis supported Arsenal while growing up, but also watched Crystal Palace games. ^[31] Curtis's mother is from Derry and his grandfather is from Cork, ^[31] meaning Curtis was eligible to play for England, the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland ^[31] until making his competitive Republic of Ireland debut against Denmark in Aarhus in November 2018. ^[32] Curtis is the youngest of 11 siblings. ^[33]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 24 April 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup [lower-alpha 1]		League Cup [lower-alpha 2]		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Derry City	2015 [34]	League of Ireland Premier Division	13	1	0	0	0	0	—		—		13	1
	2016 [35]	League of Ireland Premier Division	24	4	3	2	2	0	—		—		29	6
	2017 [36]	League of Ireland Premier Division	32	8	0	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 3]	1	—		34	9
	2018 [37]	League of Ireland Premier Division	22	5	0	0	2	3	0	0	—		24	8
	Total		91	18	3	2	4	3	2	1	—		100	24
Portsmouth	2018–19 [37]	League One	41	11	4	0	1	0	—		3 [lower-alpha 4]	1	49	12
	2019–20 [38]	League One	33	11	5	2	3	0	—		3 [lower-alpha 4]	1	44	14
	2020–21 [39]	League One	42	10	2	1	2	1	—		3 [lower-alpha 4]	2	49	14
	2021–22 [40]	League One	43	8	2	0	1	0	—		2 [lower-alpha 4]	2	48	10
	2022–23 [41]	League One	25	2	3	0	2	3	—		6 [lower-alpha 4]	2	36	7
	Total		184	42	16	3	9	4	—		17	8	226	57
AFC Wimbledon	2023–24 [42]	League Two	15	4	0	0	0	0	—		1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	16	4
Career total			290	64	19	5	13	7	2	1	18	8	342	85

1. Includes FAI Cup, FA Cup
2. Includes League of Ireland Cup, EFL Cup
3. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
4. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy and EFL play-offs

International

As of match played 3 June 2021 ^[43]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Republic of Ireland	2018	2	0
	2019	1	0
	2020	3	0
	2021	1	0
Total		7	0

Honours

Portsmouth

• EFL Trophy: 2018–19; ^[44] runner-up: 2019–20 ^[45]

References

1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Portsmouth" (PDF). English Football League. p. 56. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
2. "Ronan Curtis". Portsmouth F.C. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
3. "Ronan Curtis". Football Association of Ireland. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
4. O'Hehir, Paul (30 March 2018). "Ronan Curtis eyeing European adventures with Ireland and Derry City". Irish Daily Mirror. Reach plc. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
5. McNulty, Chris (8 November 2016). "Ronan Curtis named on Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad for Spain trip". Donegal Sport Hub. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
6. Collins, Simon (9 May 2015). "Derry ended up with one of their main strikers in goal on a nightmare night against Galway". The42. TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
7. Divin, Calum (30 October 2015). "League Report: Longford Town 4–2 Derry City". Extratime.ie. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
8. McNulty, Chris (25 November 2015). "Ronan Curtis signs two-year contract at Derry City". Donegal Sport Hub. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
9. "Derry City 2–2 Shamrock Rovers". BBC Sport. 27 September 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
10. McLaughlin, Kevin (19 February 2017). "DERRY CITY: Curtis signs contract extension". Derry Journal. Johnston Publishing. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
11. McNulty, Chris. "Ronan Curtis' proposed move to Ostersunds has fallen through – player to stay at Derry – Donegal Daily". www.donegaldaily.com.
12. https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/match/2021745--midtjylland-vs-derry/
13. Collins, Simon (7 May 2018). "Kenny Shiels resigned to losing Portsmouth target Ronan Curtis". Derry Journal. Johnston Publishing. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
14. "Derry City 7-3 Shelbourne" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
15. "Pompey Agree Deal To Sign Curtis". Portsmouth F.C. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
16. Cross, Jordan (4 August 2018). "Lowe gives Pompey lift-off". The News. Johnston Publishing. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
17. "Blackpool 1–2 Portsmouth: Ronan Curtis double earns win for Pompey". Sky Sports. PA Sport. 11 August 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
18. Edwards, Luke (31 March 2019). "Portsmouth prevail in Checkatrade Trophy final shootout after dramatic Wembley showdown with Sunderland". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
19. "Portsmouth 3–3 Coventry City". BBC Sport. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
20. Kelly, Niall (13 January 2021). "Ireland striker Ronan Curtis recovering following Covid-19 diagnosis". The42.ie . Retrieved 13 January 2021.
21. Fitzmaurice, Aidan (15 February 2021). "'Covid virus really knocked me for six' — Ronan Curtis". Irish Independent . Retrieved 15 February 2021. 'I'm still getting over it now really... It really knocked me for six, after a few days my sleep pattern was out of the window and I was having crazy dreams – my head was gone. It was difficult because I was getting out of breath easily, too, and my chest was sore'.
22. "Curtis captured! Ronan arrives on short-term deal". www.afcwimbledon.co.uk. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
23. "AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Milton Keynes Dons". BBC. 2 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
24. "Curtis added to Republic of Ireland squad". Football Association of Ireland. 9 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
25. McDermott, Shane (25 September 2018). "Ronan Curtis: Exciting times for the St Johnston man". Donegal Daily. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
26. "Republic of Ireland: Striker Ronan Curtis is called up to the squad for Poland friendly". BBC Sport. 9 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
27. "Poland 1–1 Republic of Ireland". BBC Sport. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
28. Fennessy, Paul. "Portsmouth youngster recalled to Ireland senior squad ahead of Wales clash". The42.
29. Begley, Emlyn (15 November 2018). "Republic of Ireland 0–0 Northern Ireland – as it happened". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
30. Fisher, Ben (10 October 2018). "How Portsmouth got the buzz back after years of misery". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
31. Rooney, Will (28 July 2018). "Pompey move is Gunner be good for Irishman Curtis". The News. Johnston Publishing. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
32. Rooney, Will (19 November 2018). "Ronan Curtis makes Republic of Ireland competitive debut in Denmark". The News. Johnston Publishing. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
33. Rowan, Paul (23 December 2018). "Ronan Curtis hits rich vein of form to attract Mick McCarthy's attention". The Sunday Times. ISSN   0956-1382 . Retrieved 23 December 2018.
34. "Games played by Ronan Curtis in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
35. "Games played by Ronan Curtis in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
36. "Games played by Ronan Curtis in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
37. "Games played by Ronan Curtis in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
38. "Games played by Ronan Curtis in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
39. "Games played by Ronan Curtis in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
40. "Games played by Ronan Curtis in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
41. "Games played by Ronan Curtis in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
42. "Games played by Ronan Curtis in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
43. "Curtis, Ronan". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
44. Williams, Adam (31 March 2019). "Portsmouth 2–2 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
45. Williams, Adam (13 March 2021). "Portsmouth 0–0 Salford City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 March 2021.

External links

• Ronan Curtis at Soccerbase
• Profile at the Portsmouth F.C. website