Joe Ralls

Joe Ralls

Ralls playing for Cardiff City in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Joseph William Ralls[1]
Date of birth	(1993-10-12) 12 October 1993 (age 31)[2]
Place of birth	Aldershot, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[3]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Cardiff City
Number	8
Youth career
	Badshot Lea
	Aldershot Town
2008–2010	Farnborough
2010–2011	Cardiff City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011–	Cardiff City	376	(32)
2013–2014	→ Yeovil Town (loan)	37	(3)
International career^‡
2012	England U19	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 January 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22 August 2012

Joseph William Ralls (born 12 October 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for and captains EFL Championship club Cardiff City.

After playing at youth level for local teams Aldershot Town and Farnborough, Ralls joined the youth academy at Cardiff City after being spotted by scouts from the club. He made his professional debut for the Bluebirds in August 2011 before joining Yeovil Town on a season-long loan deal for the 2013–14 season to gain experience.

Career

Cardiff City

Ralls began his career at Badshot Lea,^[4] before later joining Aldershot Town,^[5] where he played one game for the first-team in an Aldershot Senior Cup tie against Bagshot at the age of just 15 after a number of senior players were rested, before joining Farnborough under-16s.^[6] After he was spotted by Cardiff City scouts along with Jordan Carter, a small compensation was paid by Cardiff to sign the two players. He had previously agreed to play in a trial match for Premier League club Fulham, although this was postponed before he joined Cardiff.^[6] He also attracted interest from Everton and Notts County.^[7] Then Cardiff academy manager Neal Ardley has stated that he had to convince other staff at the club about Ralls after he declared his intention to offer him a contract.^[8] Following his departure from the club, Farnborough youth coach Aidan Whelan commented "We realised from when he first joined us that he has a real talent. He was head and shoulders above players at the same age level".^[6]

After Cardiff were left with a depleted squad due to international call-ups prior to a Football League Cup tie against Oxford United on 10 August 2011, manager Malky Mackay approached Ardley to enquire which players in the academy set-up would be ready to step into the first-team for the match. Ardley recommended Ralls, Deji Oshilaja and Mamadou Diallo to Mackay and Ralls and Oshilaja were eventually named on the substitutes bench for the match. Mackay later revealed that he knew very little about Ralls prior to his inclusion in the match.^[6] Ralls was brought on after 67 minutes in place of Andrew Taylor to make his professional debut at the age of 17 as Cardiff went on to win 3–1 in extra-time.^[9] He was handed his first start in the second round of the competition against Huddersfield Town 13 days later, playing 81 minutes before being replaced by Peter Whittingham.^[10]

His progression into the first-team saw him handed his first professional contract by the club on 30 September 2011, later commenting "It's a fantastic feeling to have signed professionally with a club like Cardiff City".^[5] Ralls made his league debut just 48 hours after signing the contract, being brought on after just 10 minutes of a match against Hull City following an injury to forward Kenny Miller, scoring a stunning volley for his first senior goal as Cardiff went on to lose 2–1.^[11] His first league start came on 10 December in a goalless draw at Millwall,^[12] going on to finish his first season in the first-team squad having made 14 appearances in all competitions.^[13]

Loan to Yeovil Town

Following Cardiff's promotion to the Premier League at the end of the 2012–13 season, Ralls was made available for loan due to the lack of first-team opportunities available in the top tier, joining newly promoted Championship club Yeovil Town on loan on 14 August until January 2014 to gain experience.^[14][15] He made his debut for the club on 17 August after coming on as a substitute in place of Kevin Dawson during a 2–0 defeat to Burnley.^[7][16] He scored his first goal for the Glovers in his fourth appearance for the club on 14 September, netting his team's only goal in a 1–1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday,^[17] the first goal the team had scored since Ed Upson's winning goal on the opening day of the season a month previously.^[7]

Ralls expressed his satisfaction with joining the Glovers, stating "Yeovil has worked out really well and I know I'll improve my game here before I return to Cardiff."^[7] He briefly returned to Cardiff following the expiration of his loan deal following the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjær as Cardiff manager in order for the Norwegian to assess his squad, missing Yeovil's FA Cup victory over Leyton Orient.^[18] However, with Yeovil keen on extending the loan deal,^[19] on 11 January 2014, Ralls agreed an extension to his loan with Yeovil until the end of the season.^[18]

Return to Cardiff

Ralls (in blue) attacking against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

His performances during his loan spell with Yeovil saw Cardiff manager Solskjær to offer Ralls a three-year extension to his contract at the Cardiff City Stadium on his return to the club and was awarded the man of the match award in his first appearance of the 2014–15 season, during a 2–1 victory over Coventry City in the first round of the Football League Cup.^[20] Despite the departure of Solskjær soon after, Ralls continued to thrive under newly appointed Cardiff boss Russell Slade, becoming a regular in the first team during the 2014–15 season, playing mostly as a left-sided midfielder due to intense competition for places in the centre of midfield from Peter Whittingham and Aron Gunnarsson,^[21] altogether playing 31 games and scoring 4 goals, before being handed a new five-year contract with the club set to run until 2020, to which manager Slade stated that he was "delighted" to keep Ralls at the club.^[21]

At the start of the following season, he was handed the number 8 shirt and started in the left-sided midfield role against Fulham on the opening day.^[22][23] Ralls scored his only goal of the campaign in January against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 3–1 win.^[24] Ralls effort throughout the season had earned him the Young Player of the year award, whilst Cardiff just missed out on a play-off place to Sheffield Wednesday.^[25][26]

Ralls celebrated his 100th appearance for Cardiff, by scoring a spectacular goal from 25 yards out against Fulham in August, also opening his accounts for the 2016–17 season.^[27] He was nominated for Player of the Month in January, following impressive performances scoring two against Aston Villa and Reading and seeing Cardiff rise from the relegation battle to mid-table spot.^[28]

In June 2022, Ralls signed a new two-year contract with the club.^[29]

International career

Ralls received his first international call for the England Under-19s to replace the injured Robert Hall to play Czech Republic in February 2012.^[30] Ralls came on in the games to make his English debut.^[31]

Style of play

Primarily a central midfield player, Ralls featured frequently at left midfield and left back during the early stages of his career at Cardiff and Yeovil, commenting that, although not a natural in either position, he can "do a job there" but admitted that he does "naturally tend to drift inside" when playing out of position.^[7] Ralls has described himself as a box-to-box midfielder that "likes to get forward as much as possible".^[32]

Career statistics

As of 9 January 2025^[33]

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Cardiff City	2011–12[13]	Championship	10	1	0	0	4	0	—		14	1
	2012–13[34]	Championship	4	0	1	0	1	0	—		6	0
	2013–14[35]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2014–15[36]	Championship	28	2	1	1	2	1	—		31	4
	2015–16[37]	Championship	43	1	0	0	1	0	—		44	1
	2016–17[38]	Championship	42	6	1	0	1	0	—		44	6
	2017–18[39]	Championship	37	7	2	0	1	0	—		40	7
	2018–19[40]	Premier League	28	0	1	0	0	0	—		29	0
	2019–20[41]	Championship	27	7	2	0	0	0	2[a]	0	31	7
	2020–21[42]	Championship	39	5	1	0	0	0	—		40	5
	2021–22[43]	Championship	29	1	0	0	0	0	—		29	1
	2022–23[44]	Championship	41	1	1	0	1	0	—		43	1
	2023–24[45]	Championship	35	1	0	0	0	0	—		35	1
	2024–25[46]	Championship	13	0	1	0	0	0	—		14	0
	Total		376	32	11	1	11	1	2	0	400	34
Yeovil Town (loan)	2013–14[35]	Championship	37	3	1	0	0	0	—		38	3
Career totals			413	35	12	1	11	1	2	0	438	37

1. Appearances in Championship play-offs

Honours

Cardiff City

• EFL Championship runner-up: 2017–18^[47]

Individual

• Cardiff City Young Player of the Year: 2014–15^[25]

References

1. "Professional retain list & free transfers 2012/13" (PDF). The Football League. 18 May 2013. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
2. "Joe Ralls". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
3. Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2012). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2012–2013 (43rd ed.). London: Headline. p. 448. ISBN 978-0-7553-6356-8.
4. "Why I Love the Game | Joe Ralls". Cardiff City F.C. 14 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
5. "Ralls signs professional terms". Cardiff City F.C. 30 September 2011. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
6. Terry Phillips (31 August 2011). "How Cardiff City snatched starlet Joe Ralls away from Fulham". South Wales Echo. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
7. "GREEN & WHITE LOOKING BACK – JOE RALLS". Yeovil Town F.C. 26 May 2014. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
8. "Neal Ardley reveals stunned response from Cardiff City coaches when he declared: 'I'm going to sign Joe Ralls'". WalesOnline. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
9. "Oxford Utd 1 – 3 Cardiff". BBC Sport. 10 August 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
10. "Cardiff City 5–3 Huddersfield Town". BBC Sport. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
11. "Hull 2–1 Cardiff". BBC Sport. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
12. "Millwall 0–0 Cardiff". BBC Sport. 10 December 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
13. "Games played by Joe Ralls in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
14. "Cardiff City midfielder Joe Ralls joins Yeovil Town on loan". WalesOnline. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
15. "Wayne Hennessey: Wolves keeper's injury halts Yeovil loan". BBC Sport. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
16. "Burnley 2–0 Yeovil Town". BBC Sport. 17 August 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
17. "Sheffield Wednesday 1–1 Yeovil Town". BBC Sport. 14 September 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
18. "Transfer window: Yeovil Town extend Joe Ralls loan from Cardiff". BBC Sport. 11 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
19. "Yeovil Town play waiting game in pursuit of Cardiff City midfielder Joe Ralls and Nottingham Forest striker Ishmael Miller while ruling out move for Plymouth Argyle skipper Conor Hourihane". Western Morning News. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
20. "Cardiff City starlet Joe Ralls keen to make a big impact after impressing at Coventry City". WalesOnline. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
21. "Joe Ralls now a real asset says Russell Slade after midfielder signs new Cardiff City contract". WalesOnline. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
22. "Squad number 2015/16". BBC Sport. 6 August 2015. Archived from the original on 8 May 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
23. "Cardiff 1–1 Fulham". BBC Sport. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
24. "Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–3 Cardiff City". BBC Sport. 16 January 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
25. Tucker, S, Smith, P (7 May 2016). "Cardiff City end of season awards RECAP: Matthew Connolly named Player of the Year". South Wales Echo. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
26. "Joe Ralls signs fresh Cardiff City contract". BBC Sport. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
27. "Fulham 2 – 2 Cardiff". Sky Sports Football. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
28. "Ralls nominated for Player of the Month". Cardiff City Official Sit. 9 February 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
29. "Joe Ralls signs a new deal". cardiffcityfc.co.uk. 25 June 2022.
30. "Squad named for Czech test". The Football Association. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
31. Terry Phillips (3 March 2012). "Malky Mackay thrilled with Joe Ralls' England call-up". South Wales Echo. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
32. "Ralls is enjoying every moment of his time with the Glovers". Somerset Live. 27 August 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
33. "Joe Ralls". Soccerbase. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
34. "Games played by Joe Ralls in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
35. "Games played by Joe Ralls in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
36. "Games played by Joe Ralls in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
37. "Games played by Joe Ralls in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
38. "Games played by Joe Ralls in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
39. "Games played by Joe Ralls in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
40. "Games played by Joe Ralls in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
41. "Games played by Joe Ralls in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
42. "Games played by Joe Ralls in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
43. "Games played by Joe Ralls in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
44. "Games played by Joe Ralls in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
45. "Games played by Joe Ralls in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
46. "Games played by Joe Ralls in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
47. Anderson, John, ed. (2018). Football Yearbook 2018–2019. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 106–107. ISBN 978-1-4722-6106-9.

External links

• Joe Ralls at Soccerbase