Chris Rigg
 Rigg pictured at the 2023-24 Sunderland AFC Player Awards | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christopher John Rigg[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 18 June 2007 | ||
| Place of birth | Hebburn, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.77 m) | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Sunderland | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2017–2023 | Sunderland | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023– | Sunderland | 82 | (7) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | England U15 | 4 | (2) |
| 2022–2023 | England U16 | 9 | (1) |
| 2022–2024 | England U17 | 14 | (2) |
| 2023– | England U18 | 8 | (0) |
| 2025– | England U19 | 15 | (4) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:01, 30 August 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 12:50, 16 April 2026 (UTC) | |||
Christopher John Rigg (born 18 June 2007) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Sunderland.
Club career
[edit]Early life
[edit]Born in Hebburn,[2] Rigg joined Sunderland while still in primary school.[2]
Sunderland
[edit]With Sunderland facing numerous injuries in their squad, Rigg was named on the bench for the EFL Championship game against Blackpool on 1 January 2023.[3] Less than a week later, he was again named on the bench, alongside fellow young player Tom Watson, for an FA Cup third-round game against Shrewsbury Town, with manager Tony Mowbray saying Rigg was "really impressive", having watched him train with the first team.[4]
Rigg made his professional debut in the game against Shrewsbury Town on 7 January 2023, coming on as a substitute for Édouard Michut in a 2–1 win.[5] In doing so, he became the second youngest player in Sunderland history, behind Derek Forster.[4] Following his debut, he was promoted to the Sunderland first team, having to train with the squad only one or two days a week, as he was still in school at the time.[6] Rigg's second appearance came in the following round of the FA Cup against Fulham, replacing Patrick Roberts in the 86th minute. In injury time, with the score at 1–1, he received a cut back from Abdoullah Ba before firing a shot into the roof of the Fulham net, only to have the goal disallowed due to Ba being offside.[7]
He scored his first competitive goal for Sunderland in an EFL Cup tie against Crewe Alexandra on 8 August 2023.[8] With this goal, he not only became Sunderland's youngest ever goalscorer, but also the youngest goalscorer in the competition's history.[9] On 2 September, Rigg scored on his league debut against Southampton, netting the final goal in a 5–0 home win.[10] In doing so he became Sunderland's youngest ever league goalscorer, breaking a record held by Jimmy Hamilton for over half a century.[11]
Rigg's back-heeled goal against Middlesbrough on 21 September 2024 earned him the EFL Championship Goal of the Month award for September 2024.[12] On 27 April 2025, he was named EFL Championship Apprentice of the Season.[13] The season saw Sunderland achieve promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.
Rigg made his Premier League debut on 16 August 2025, coming on as a substitute in a 3–0 win against West Ham United. He scored his first Premier League goal on 19 April 2026, Sunderland's first goal in a 3–4 defeat to Aston Villa.[14] On 28 August 2025, Rigg signed a five-year contract extension with Sunderland, keeping him at the club until 2030.[15][16]
International career
[edit]Rigg has represented England at youth international level.[1] He captained England at under-16 level, before being promoted to the under-17 squad while still only fifteen.[2] He made his England U18 debut during a 1–1 draw with Belgium in Marbella on 11 October 2023.[17]
On 2 November 2023, Rigg was included in the England squad for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[18] He played his first game of the competition as a starter against Iran, winning the game 2–1.[19] Rigg came off the bench as a substitute in their next group game against Brazil and then started in the round of sixteen defeat against Uzbekistan.[20][21]
On 20 May 2024, Rigg was included in the England squad for the 2024 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.[22] He captained the side during the tournament including their quarter-final elimination by Italy.[23]
On 19 March 2025, Rigg made his England U19 debut as a substitute during a 2–0 2025 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification victory over Wales.[24] Six days later, on 25 March 2025, he scored his first goal at the under 19-level during the same qualification campaign against Portugal. Since making his debut, he has established himself in England's mid-tier youth setups, accumulating 15 appearances and scoring 4 goals.[25][26][27]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of match played 30 August 2026[28]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sunderland | 2022–23 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Championship | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 22 | 3 | |||
| 2024–25 | Championship | 42 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[a] | 0 | 47 | 4 | ||
| 2025–26 | Premier League | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 1 | |||
| 2026–27 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 82 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 93 | 8 | ||
- ↑ Appearances in EFL Championship play-offs
Honours
[edit]Sunderland
Individual
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Chris Rigg". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- 1 2 3 Wilson, Scott (9 January 2023). "Who is Chris Rigg - Sunderland's youngest outfield player". thenorthernecho.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ↑ Smith, Phil (2 January 2023). "The story of Chris Rigg's remarkable Sunderland call-up - and what happens next". sunderlancecho.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- 1 2 Hunter, James (5 January 2023). "Sunderland 15-year-old Chris Rigg ready for debut as Tony Mowbray makes 'impressive' statement". chroniclelive.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ↑ "Shrewsbury Town 1–2 Sunderland". BBC Sport. 7 January 2023. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ↑ Smith, Phil (8 January 2023). "'Pretty sure': Tony Mowbray explains the next steps in Chris Rigg's incredible Sunderland journey". sunderlandecho.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ↑ Hewitt, Matty (29 January 2023). "Chris Rigg denied 'incredible' Fulham moment as Sunderland earn FA Cup replay". chroniclelive.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
- ↑ "Sunderland 1-1 Crewe Alexandra (pens 3-5) - Visitors win on penalties in Carabao Cup first round". BBC Sport. 8 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ↑ EFL (9 August 2023). "Sunderland's Chris Rigg makes Carabao Cup history". EFL. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ↑ Newsum, Matt (2 September 2023). "Sunderland put five past in-form Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ↑ Hunter, James (3 September 2023). "Sunderland's teen star Chris Rigg rewrites the record books again". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ↑ EFL (18 October 2024). "Sky Bet Goal of the Month September winners". EFL. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ↑ EFL (27 April 2025). "LIVE: EFL Awards 2025". EFL. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
- ↑ "Chris Rigg reflects on his first Premier League goal for Sunderland". Sunderland AFC. 20 April 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ "Chris Rigg Signs New Long-term Contract". www.safc.com. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Sunderland Star Rejected Manchester United and Newcastle to Sign New Contract". Sunderland On SI. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Veevers, Nicholas (11 October 2023). "Report: Belgium 1–1 England MU18s". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ↑ Smith, Frank (2 November 2023). "England squad for the FIFA U-17 World Cup". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ↑ "England 2–1 Iran". ESPN. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ↑ "England 1–2 Brazil". ESPN. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ↑ "England 1–2 Uzbekistan". ESPN. 22 November 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ↑ Veevers, Nicholas (20 May 2024). "England MU17s squad named for EURO Finals". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ↑ Nottingham, Juliet (30 May 2024). "Report: England MU17s 1–1 Italy (4–5 on pens)". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ↑ Sulch, Duncan-Lee (19 March 2025). "Report: Wales 0–2 England MU19s". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ↑ "Chris Rigg - stats, career and market value". FotMob. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Chris Rigg's achievements". besoccer. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Pre-match England U19 vs Portugal U19 - U19 EC Qualifying 2025". Archived from the original on 9 February 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Chris Rigg at Soccerway
- ↑ "Sheffield United 1–2 Sunderland: Line-ups". BBC Sport. 24 May 2025. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
- ↑ "Gustavo Hamer wins Sky Bet Championship Player of the Season award". EFL. 27 April 2025. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
