Ruairi McConville

Last updated
Ruairi McConville
Personal information
Date of birth (2006-05-01) 1 May 2006 (age 19)
Place of birth Belfast, Northern Ireland
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) [1]
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
Norwich City
Number 15
Youth career
–2021 Linfield
2021–2025 Brighton & Hove Albion
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2025 Brighton & Hove Albion 0 (0)
2025– Norwich City 8 (0)
International career
2021 Northern Ireland U17 3 (0)
2022–2024 Northern Ireland U19 2 (0)
2023– Northern Ireland U21 4 (0)
2024– Northern Ireland 5 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:59, 4 May 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 18:01, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

Ruairi McConville (born 1 May 2006) is a Northern Irish footballer who plays as a centre-back or right-back for EFL Championship club Norwich City and the Northern Ireland national team. [2]

Contents

Club career

Brighton

From Belfast, he joined the Brighton & Hove Albion academy in 2021 from Linfield. [3] He spent his first season with the club's under-18 side. He made the step up to the under-21s during the 2022–23 season. In December 2022, he signed a new professional contact with the club that ran into the summer of 2025. [4] [5] He made his professional debut for Brighton on 11 January 2025, appearing as a substitute in a 4-0 FA Cup third round away victory against Norwich City. [6]

Norwich

In February 2025, McConville left Brighton to join Norwich City on a five and a half-year contract for an undisclosed fee. [7] He made his debut for Norwich City in the EFL Championship in a 4-2 home win against Stoke City on 22 February 2025, appearing as a substitute late in the second half. [8]

International career

A Northern Ireland U16 and U17 international, he was captain of the Northern Ireland U19 side. [9] He made his debut for Northern Ireland U21 in November 2023 against England U21. [10] [11]

In November 2024, he was called-up for the first time to the senior team for their UEFA Nations League matches against Belarus and Luxembourg. He made his senior debut on 15 November 2024 in a 2–0 home win over Belarus. [12] [13] He started his first senior international match for Northern Ireland a few days later, in a 2-2 away draw with Luxembourg on 18 November 2024, in the UEFA Nations League. [14] [15]

Career statistics

As of match played on 3 May 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup EFL Cup OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Brighton & Hove Albion U21 2023–24 [16] 5 [a] 151
2024–25 [17] 1 [a] 010
Total0000006161
Brighton & Hove Albion 2024–25 [17] Premier League 00100010
Norwich City 2024–25 [17] Championship 8080
Career total80100061151
  1. 1 2 Appearances in EFL Trophy

International

As of match played 4 September 2025 [18]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Northern Ireland 202420
202540
Total60

References

  1. https://www.premierleague.com/players/117150/Ruairi-McConville/overview
  2. "Ruairi McConville". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  3. Fullerton, Gareth (18 December 2023). "Brighton and Hove Albion teen Ruairi McConville 'making up for lost time' this season". Belfast Live. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  4. Fullerton, Gareth (31 December 2022). "Belfast teenager on the rise after signing new pro deal with Brighton". Belfast Live. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  5. Lumey, Graham (17 June 2024). "Learning from best can take me to new levels, insists NI Under-19 captain Ruairi McConville". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  6. "Norwich vs. Brighton". Soccerway. 11 January 2025. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  7. "City complete signing of Ruairi McConville". Norwich City F.C. 3 February 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
  8. "Norwich vs Stoke 4-2". Soccerway. 22 February 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  9. "Teenager McConville called up to NI squad but McNair injured". BBC Sport. 5 November 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  10. Morton, Johnny (18 June 2024). "Former Linfield youngster 'learning so much' from Northern Ireland legend ahead of leading country into U19 European Championships". Newsletter. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  11. "England U21 Vs. Northern Ireland U21 3-0". Soccerway. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  12. McNabb, Johnny (5 November 2024). "Brighton and Hove Albion defender Ruairi McConville receives maiden Northern Ireland call-up for Nations League double-header". Newsletter. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  13. Beacom, Steve (16 November 2024). "Ex-Linfield Academy star reacts to making his Northern Ireland debut: 'Hopefully it's the first of many'". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  14. Southwell, Connor (25 March 2025). "City's McConville endures Northern Ireland baptism of fire". Pinkun. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  15. "Luxembourg vs Northern Ireland 2-2". Soccerway. 18 November 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  16. "Ruairi McConville | Football Stats | Norwich City | Season 2023/2024 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  17. 1 2 3 "Ruairi McConville | Football Stats | Norwich City | Season 2024/2025 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  18. "Ruairi McConville | Northern Ireland | National Football Teams". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 2025-03-02.