Ronnie Edwards (footballer)

Ronnie Edwards

Personal information
Full name	Ronnie Lee Edwards [1]
Date of birth	(2003-03-28) 28 March 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth	Harlow, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) [2]
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Southampton
Number	12
Youth career
2013–2019	Barnet
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2020	Barnet	1	(0)
2020–2024	Peterborough United	121	(1)
2024–	Southampton	1	(0)
International career
2021–2022	England U19	10	(0)
2022–2024	England U20	13	(0)
Medal record Men's football Representing   England UEFA European Under-19 Championship Winner 2022 Slovakia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:01, 4 December 2024 (UTC)

Ronnie Lee Edwards (born 28 March 2003) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League club Southampton.

He began his career with Barnet before earning a move to Peterborough United in 2020. In his first season, Peterborough won promotion to the Championship. In the following season, Edwards became a regular starter for the club, winning the Player of the Season award. In the 2023–24 season, Edwards was a member of the Peterborough team that won the EFL Trophy as well as winning the League One Young Player of the Season award. His form earned him a £3 million move to Premier League side Southampton.

Edwards has represented England at youth level, winning the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in 2022. He has also played for England at under-20 level.

Club career

Barnet

Edwards joined Barnet at the age of nine, and progressed through the club's academy, captaining the under-18s. ^[3] Aged sixteen, he made his senior debut when he captained a young Bees side in a Middlesex Senior Cup game against Staines Town on 17 December 2019. ^[4] Four days later he made his league debut as a late substitute against Maidenhead United. ^[5] He made five appearances for the Bees in the 2019–20 season. ^[6]

Peterborough United

He joined Peterborough United after a successful trial against Peterborough Sports in August 2020. ^{[7] [8]} He made his debut on 8 September 2020 in the EFL Trophy against Burton Albion. ^[9]

Edwards made his full league debut on 15 December 2020 in a 1–1 draw away to Milton Keynes Dons. ^[10]

The 2021–22 season saw Edwards establish himself in the first-team picture. Although the club suffered relegation from the Championship, the season proved a success on an individual level, winning four awards at the club's end of season awards, including the Player of the Season. ^[11]

Edwards was awarded the EFL Young Player of the Month for January 2024, registering his 100th league start for the club in the same month. ^[12] He was a member of the Peterborough side that won the 2023–24 EFL Trophy, starting in the final at Wembley Stadium. ^[13]

Southampton

On 3 July 2024, Edwards joined Premier League club Southampton on a four-year contract for a reported £3 million. ^{[14] [15]} He made his debut for the club on 28 August 2024 in a 5–3 away victory against Cardiff City in the EFL Cup. ^[16] On 4 December 2024, Edwards made his Premier League debut in a 5–1 home defeat against Chelsea after he replaced James Bree in the 78th minute. ^[17]

International career

Edwards was called up to a training camp with the England U19 national team in May 2021. ^[18] In October 2021, he was called up to the full U19 squad for the friendly Marbella Cup tournament and made his debut during a 3–1 defeat against France. ^{[19] [20]}

On 17 June 2022, Edwards was included in the England U19 squad for the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. ^[21] He started in the final as England won the tournament with a 3–1 extra time victory over Israel on 1 July 2022. ^[22]

On 21 September 2022, Edwards made his England U20 debut during a 3–0 victory over Chile at the Pinatar Arena. ^[23] On 10 May 2023, Edwards was included in the England squad for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup. ^{[24] [25]} He started all four of their games at the tournament including the round of sixteen defeat against Italy. ^[26]

Career statistics

As of 4 December 2024 ^[27]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Barnet	2019–20 [28]	National League	1	0	0	0	—		4 [a]	0	5	0
	Total		1	0	0	0	—		4	0	5	0
Peterborough United	2020–21 [29]	League One	2	0	1	0	0	0	3 [b]	0	6	0
	2021–22 [30]	Championship	34	0	3	0	1	0	—		38	0
	2022–23 [31]	League One	40	0	1	0	0	0	3 [b]	0	44	0
	2023–24 [32]	League One	45	1	3	0	2	0	5 [c]	0	55	1
	Total		121	1	8	0	3	0	11	0	143	1
Southampton	2024–25 [33]	Premier League	1	0	0	0	1	0	—		2	0
Career total			123	1	8	0	4	0	15	0	150	1

1. Two appearances in the FA Trophy, one appearance in the National League play-offs, one appearance in Middlesex Senior Cup
2. Appearances in EFL Trophy
3. Three appearances in EFL Trophy, two appearances in League One play-offs

Honours

Peterborough United

• EFL League One second-place promotion: 2020–21
• EFL Trophy: 2023–24 ^[34]

England U19s

• UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2022 ^[22]

Individual

• Peterborough United Player of the Season: 2021–22 ^[11]
• EFL Young Player of the Month: January 2024 ^[12]
• EFL League One Young Player of the Season: 2023–24 ^[35]
• PFA Team of the Year: 2023–24 League One ^[36]

References

1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Peterborough United" (PDF). English Football League. p. 52. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
2. "In Profile: Ronnie Edwards (2003)". Scouted Football. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
3. House, Alfie (4 July 2024). "Who is Ronnie Edwards and why have Southampton signed him?". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
4. "Match Report: Barnet 1-1 Staines Town (P 3-4) - News - Barnet Football Club". barnetfc.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
5. "Maidenhead United 1–4 Barnet". BBC Sport. 21 December 2019. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
6. "Southampton sign defender Edwards from Peterborough". Premier League. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
7. "Ronnie Edwards joines Peterborough United". Barnet F.C. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
8. "Peterborough United sign teenager defender Ronnie Edwards from Barnet". BBC Sport. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
9. Swann, Alan (8 September 2020). "LIVE: Full-Time: Peterborough United 3, Burton Albion 3: Goalkeeper Gyollai turns from villain to hero in Posh spot-kick success". Peterborough Telegraph. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
10. "Milton Keynes Dons 1-1 Peterborough United". BBC Sport. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
11. Swann, Alan (8 May 2022). "Young England defender cleans up the Peterborough United player-of-the-season awards". www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
12. "Peterborough United's Ronnie Edwards wins the EFL's Young Player of the Month for January". www.efl.com. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
13. Long, Dan (7 April 2024). "Peterborough 2–1 Wycombe: Harrison Burrows' late double wins Bristol Street Motors Trophy for Posh". Sky Sports. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
14. "Saints swoop for defender Edwards". Southampton FC. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
15. "Ronnie Edwards: Southampton sign 21-year-old defender from Peterborough". BBC Sport. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
16. Mitchelmore, Ian (28 August 2024). "Cardiff City 3–5 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
17. Kinsella, Nizzar (4 December 2024). "Southampton 1–5 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
18. Veevers, Nicholas (21 May 2021). "England MU19 training camp scheduled". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
19. Smith, Frank (1 October 2021). "Foster names England MU19s squad for October matches". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
20. Veevers, Nicholas (6 October 2021). "Young Lions suffer defeat in their first of three internationals in Spain". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
21. Smith, Frank (17 June 2022). "Ian Foster has picked his 21-strong squad for this month's UEFA U19 EURO Finals in Slovakia". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
22. Veevers, Nicholas (1 July 2022). "England win U19 EURO title after 3–1 win against Israel". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
23. Crane, Liam (21 September 2022). "Report: England MU20s 3–0 Chile". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
24. Veevers, Nick (10 May 2023). "England MU20s squad named for World Cup in Argentina". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
25. "Fifa Under-20 World Cup: England name squad for tournament". BBC Sport. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
26. "Italy oust England at U20 World Cup thanks to late penalty". ESPN. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
27. "Ronnie Edwards". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
28. "Games played by Ronnie Edwards in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
29. "Games played by Ronnie Edwards in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
30. "Games played by Ronnie Edwards in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
31. "Games played by Ronnie Edwards in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
32. "Games played by Ronnie Edwards in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
33. "Games played by Ronnie Edwards in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
34. Harby, Chris (7 April 2024). "Peterborough United 2–1 Wycombe Wanderers: Line-ups". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
35. "Crysencio Summerville named the Sky Bet Championship Player of the Season". EFL. 14 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
36. "PFA League One Team of the Year". PFA. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.