Bradley Johnson

For other people with the same name, see Brad Johnson (disambiguation).

Bradley Johnson

Johnson playing for Norwich City in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Bradley Paul Johnson [1]
Date of birth	(1987-04-28) 28 April 1987 (age 37) [2]
Place of birth	Hackney, London, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) [3]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
1997–2002	Arsenal
2003–2004	Cambridge United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2003–2004	Waltham Forest	6	(0)
2004–2005	Cambridge United	1	(0)
2005–2008	Northampton Town	53	(8)
2005–2006	→ Gravesend & Northfleet (loan)	24	(5)
2006	→ Stevenage Borough (loan)	4	(0)
2008–2011	Leeds United	117	(16)
2008–2009	→ Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)	10	(5)
2011–2015	Norwich City	142	(21)
2015–2019	Derby County	125	(14)
2019–2022	Blackburn Rovers	82	(6)
2022–2023	Milton Keynes Dons	41	(5)
2023–2024	Derby County U21	0	(0)
Total		605	(80)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Bradley Paul Johnson (born 28 April 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder.

Johnson in a 20-year senior career played for Waltham Forest, Cambridge United, Northampton Town, Gravesend & Northfleet, Stevenage Borough, Leeds United, Norwich City, Derby County, Blackburn Rovers and Milton Keynes Dons. He ended his career as player-coach for Derby County's under-21 team.

Early life

Born in Hackney, Greater London, ^[2] Johnson was a keen motorcyclist as a child. ^[4] Johnson's grandfather was originally from the United States. ^[5] He started his career at his boyhood team Arsenal but was released by the club when he was 15 years old. ^{[6] [7]}

Club career

Early career

After leaving Arsenal, he made six appearances for Waltham Forest F.C., in the Ryman Division 1 North. He then joined the youth ranks at Cambridge United and after breaking into the first team he then moved to league club Northampton Town, where he signed on 16 May 2005. During his time at the club he was sent out on loan twice, playing for Gravesend & Northfleet and Stevenage Borough. Following the appointment of Stuart Gray as Northampton manager, Johnson featured in practically every single starting eleven that he named and he signed a new two-year contract extension.^{[ citation needed ]}

Johnson began to attract attention from a host of Championship sides, including Coventry City, Colchester United and Queens Park Rangers, but was in talks to sign for Leicester City, after discussing terms at the Walkers Stadium on 2 January 2008. ^[8] However, the player returned to the Sixfields Stadium, having failed to reach an agreement with the club.^{[ citation needed ]}

Leeds United

Johnson playing for Leeds United in 2011

Two days later, Leeds United confirmed reports that they had been given permission from Northampton to speak to Johnson, regarding a contract. ^[9] He went on to sign a three-and-a-half-year deal for £250,000 after undergoing a medical at the club's Thorp Arch training ground on 8 January 2008. ^{[10] [11]}

Johnson made his first appearance for Leeds on 14 January 2008 in their league fixture against Crewe Alexandra at the Alexandra Stadium. ^[12] He scored his first goal for the club at Elland Road in a fixture against AFC Bournemouth on 8 March. ^[13] Johnson played for Leeds in the League 1 playoff final against Doncaster Rovers at Wembley, but was on the losing side as Leeds lost 1–0.

After struggling to get a first team place under manager Gary McAllister due to the emergence of Fabian Delph, Johnson joined League One rivals Brighton & Hove Albion on loan until 3 January 2009. ^[14] Johnson scored twice on his debut during the 3–2 victory over Leicester City. ^[15] Johnson scored four goals in 10 matches on loan at Brighton before returning to his parent club Leeds United, now with a new manager, Simon Grayson. Johnson found himself back in the first team picture as Leeds reached the playoff semi-finals against Millwall. ^[16]

In November 2010, Johnson turned down the offer of a new three-year deal at Leeds United. ^[17] Manager Simon Grayson initially confirmed Johnson had rejected a new contract but said that contract negotiations with Johnson would still be ongoing despite his refusal of the first contract offer. ^[18] On 18 November, Johnson was transfer listed by Leeds after rejecting a final contract offer. ^[19] Johnson was linked with Premiership clubs Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City. ^[20]

On 13 January 2011, despite Johnson being on the transfer list, manager Simon Grayson said that he would not be able to sell Johnson unless a replacement had been brought in beforehand. ^[21] On 18 January, Johnson scored his sixth goal of the season in an FA Cup third round replay against Arsenal at Elland Road, ^[22] a goal which later won Leeds' goal of the season award. ^[23]

Norwich City

Despite ongoing negotiations with Leeds, Johnson was unable to agree a new contract and on 1 July 2011 signed a three-year deal with Norwich City. ^[24] He was handed squad number 4, which was vacated by Matthew Gill when he was released by the club. ^[25] Johnson made his Norwich debut in the club's first home match of the Premier League season. ^[26] Johnson scored his first Norwich goal against Bolton Wanderers on 17 September 2011 at the Reebok Stadium with a "classy header". ^[27]

Johnson's second season with Norwich was successful as he managed to play regularly for the club. Johnson caught the headlines against Everton for his repeated tangles with midfielder Marouane Fellaini, most notably for cutting Fellaini's leg open with a kick. ^[28] Norwich finished the season in 11th place, and Johnson's performances in guaranteeing both survival and a mid-table finish led to him being picked 3rd for the Player of the Season, voted by the fans.

During the 2013–14 season, Johnson had a widely praised performance against Tottenham on 23 February, where he was awarded Barclays Man of the Match. ^[29] He assisted the only goal of the match with a cutting ball to Robert Snodgrass, and almost scored when his free-kick thundered against the crossbar and onto the line.

He scored his first goal of the 2014–15 Championship season on 16 August against Watford at home. It was to be one of his most successful seasons with the club: He was made vice-captain behind Russell Martin and appeared in 44 of the 46 league matches (including one appearance as a substitute). He scored fifteen goals, making him the second highest scorer behind Cameron Jerome, and was voted the fans' Player of the Year. His last two goals for Norwich came in the final match of the regular Championship season as Norwich beat Fulham 4–2 to set-up a play-off semi-final with local rivals Ipswich Town. Johnson also played in the team which beat Middlesbrough 2–0 to win the play-off final and earn promotion to the Premier League.

With Norwich now in the Premier League, Johnson played in the opening match of the 2015–16 season, a 3–1 defeat to Crystal Palace, but failed to start the next three league matches. However, he did captain the side to a 2–1 win over Rotherham United in the League Cup. His last match for the club was an appearance as a 70th-minute substitute in a 3–0 defeat to Southampton on 30 August.

Derby County

Johnson signed for Derby County for a club record £6 million on transfer deadline day on 1 September 2015. On 26 September 2015, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win over Milton Keynes Dons. ^[30] On 26 November 2016, Johnson scored against his former club Norwich City  – Derby won the match 1–0.

Blackburn Rovers

Johnson signed for Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer on 5 July 2019 after being released by Derby County. ^[31] On 26 September 2020 he scored two goals against his former club in a 0–4 win at Pride Park. ^[32] Johnson was announced to be leaving the club at the end of the 2021–22 season upon the expiry of his contract. ^[33]

Milton Keynes Dons

On 15 July 2022, Johnson joined League One club Milton Keynes Dons on a free transfer. ^[34] He made his debut on 30 July 2022 as a 37th-minute substitute in a 1–0 defeat away to Cambridge United. ^[35] On 16 August 2022, Johnson scored his first goals for the club with a brace in a 2–1 home win over Port Vale, ^[36] setting a new record as the club's oldest ever goalscorer at 35 years and 111 days old.^{[ citation needed ]} After scoring away at Portsmouth, he broke his own record at 35 years and 227 days old. On 20 December, interim manager Dean Lewington underwent surgery for a hamstring injury, and although Lewington selected the starting line-up, Johnson was in charge on the touchline for the 3–0 League Cup defeat to Leicester City. ^{[37] [38]}

Following the conclusion of the 2022–23 season, Johnson was one of nine players released by Milton Keynes Dons following their relegation to League Two. ^[39]

Return to Derby County

On 18 July 2023, Johnson returned to Derby County as a player-coach for Derby County's under-21 team. ^[40] Johnson featured in six Premier League 2 fixtures during the 2023–24 season.

Retirement

Johnson announced his retirement from professional football on 26 April 2024, ending as 20-year career in which he made over 600 career appearances. ^[41]

International career

Johnson is eligible to play for the United States through his grandfather who is from there. ^[42]

Personal life

Johnson has American heritage. He has two younger brothers who, as of 2015, are footballers registered with the Norwich City academy. ^[4]

Career statistics

As of 7 May 2023

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
Cambridge United	2004–05 [43]	League Two	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Northampton Town	2005–06 [44]	League Two	3	0	0	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	4	0
	2006–07 [45]	League One	27	5	0	0	1	0	0	0	28	5
	2007–08 [46]	League One	23	3	3	1	2	1	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	29	5
	Total		53	8	3	1	3	1	2	0	61	10
Gravesend & Northfleet (loan)	2005–06 [44]	Conference Premier	24	5	0	0	—		—		24	5
Stevenage Borough (loan)	2006–07 [45]	Conference Premier	4	0	0	0	—		—		4	0
Leeds United	2007–08 [46]	League One	21	3	0	0	0	0	3 [lower-alpha 2]	0	24	3
	2008–09 [47]	League One	15	1	0	0	2	0	3 [lower-alpha 3]	0	20	1
	2009–10 [48]	League One	36	7	4	0	3	0	4 [lower-alpha 1]	0	47	7
	2010–11 [49]	Championship	45	5	2	1	2	0	—		49	6
	Total		117	16	6	1	7	0	10	0	140	17
Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)	2008–09 [47]	League One	10	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	5
Norwich City	2011–12 [50]	Premier League	28	2	1	0	0	0	—		29	2
	2012–13 [51]	Premier League	37	1	1	0	1	0	—		39	1
	2013–14 [52]	Premier League	32	3	1	0	3	0	—		36	3
	2014–15 [53]	Championship	41	15	1	0	0	0	3 [lower-alpha 4]	0	45	15
	2015–16 [54]	Premier League	4	0	0	0	1	0	—		5	0
	Total		142	21	4	0	5	0	3	0	154	21
Derby County	2015–16 [54]	Championship	31	5	1	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	33	5
	2016–17 [55]	Championship	33	3	3	0	2	0	—		38	3
	2017–18 [56]	Championship	33	4	0	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 4]	0	35	4
	2018–19 [57]	Championship	28	2	0	0	3	0	3 [lower-alpha 4]	0	34	2
	Total		125	14	4	0	5	0	6	0	140	14
Blackburn Rovers	2019–20 [58]	Championship	34	3	1	0	0	0	—		35	3
	2020–21 [59]	Championship	30	3	1	0	1	0	—		32	3
	2021–22 [60]	Championship	18	0	1	0	0	0	—		19	0
	Total		82	6	3	0	1	0	0	0	86	6
Milton Keynes Dons	2022–23 [61]	League One	41	5	1	0	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	45	5
Career total			599	80	21	2	22	1	23	0	664	83

1. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
2. Appearance(s) in League One play-offs
3. 1 appearance in Football League Trophy, 2 appearances in League One play-offs
4. Appearance(s) in Championship play-offs

Honours

Norwich City

• Football League Championship play-offs: 2015 ^[62]

Individual

• Leeds United Player of the Year: 2010–11
• Leeds United Goal of the Season: 2010–11 ^[23]
• Norwich City Player of the Year: 2014–15

References

1. "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2018: Derby County" (PDF). English Football League. p. 14. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
2. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 221. ISBN   978-1-84596-601-0.
3. "Bradley Johnson". Milton Keynes Dons F.C. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
4. "Norwich City". Eastern Daily Press. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
5. "Bradley Johnson not eligible to play for USA". SBI. 21 October 2009. Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
6. "Brad on Promotion and Inspiration". 7 October 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
7. "Exclusive – Johnson: I'll dump Arsenal out of the Cup despite being a fan". Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
8. "Leicester target back at Cobblers". BBC Sport. 4 January 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
9. "Talking To Brad". Leeds United A.F.C. 4 January 2008. Archived from the original on 7 January 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
10. "Brad Signs Up". Leeds United A.F.C. 8 January 2008. Archived from the original on 12 January 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
11. "Johnson completes switch to Leeds". BBC Sport. 8 January 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2008.
12. "Crewe Alexandra v Leeds United Match Report". Leeds United A.F.C. 14 January 2008. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
13. "Cherries Picked". Leeds United A.F.C. 8 March 2008. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
14. "Johnson to Join on Loan until January". Seagulls World. 27 October 2008. Archived from the original on 30 October 2008. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
15. "Brighton 3–2 Leicester". BBC Football. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
16. "Leeds United 1 Millwall 1: Match report". The Daily Telegraph . London. 14 May 2009.
17. "Rangers line up bid for Leeds midfielder Brad". Mirror Football. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
18. "Leeds United: Simon Grayson warns Bradley Johnson". Yorkshire Evening Post . Retrieved 6 May 2012.
19. "Midfielder Transfer Listed". 18 November 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
20. "Leeds United keen on O'Brien deal – Bates". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
21. "Leeds United: I just can't let Johnson go – Grayson". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
22. "A Goal Never to be Forgotten!". 20 January 2011. Archived from the original on 23 January 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
23. "Max Scoops up the Gongs". 2 May 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
24. "Official: Norwich City sign Bradley Johnson on three-year deal". Goal.com. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
25. "Bradley Johnson". Soccerbase. 16 July 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
26. "Norwich 1–1 Stoke". BBC. 21 August 2011.
27. "Bolton 1–2 Norwich". BBC Sport. 17 September 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
28. "Referees do not protect Marouane Fellaini, says angry Everton manager David Moyes". The Daily Telegraph. 24 February 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
29. "Great team effort!!! Chuffed to bits with being awarded this..." Twitter. 23 February 2014. Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
30. "MK Dons 1–3 Derby". BBC Sport. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
31. "Bradley Johnson: Blackburn Rovers sign Derby County midfielder on free transfer". BBC Sport. 5 July 2019.
32. "Derby County 0 Blackburn Rovers 4". BBC Sport. 26 September 2020.
33. "Rovers duo to depart". www.rovers.co.uk. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
34. "Bradley Johnson becomes a Don". Milton Keynes Dons. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
35. "Cambridge United 1-0 Milton Keynes Dons". BBC. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
36. "Milton Keynes Dons 2-1 Port Vale". BBC. 16 August 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
37. "Bradley Johnson to lead MK Dons on Tuesday". MK Dons. 19 December 2022. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022.
38. Shread, Joe (20 December 2022). "MK Dons 0-3 Leicester: Premier League side return to action with comfortable Carabao Cup win". Sky Sports. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
39. "Retained list". Milton Keynes Dons. 20 May 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
40. "FORMER MIDFIELDER JOHNSON RETURNS TO TAKE UP ACADEMY COACHING ROLE". Derby County. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
41. "Norwich City: Bradley Johnson retires from football". Eastern Daily Press. 26 April 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
42. "Leeds' Johnson has American dream". BBC. 23 October 2009.
43. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
44. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
45. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
46. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
47. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
48. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
49. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
50. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
51. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
52. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
53. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
54. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
55. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
56. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
57. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
58. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
59. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
60. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
61. "Games played by Bradley Johnson in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
62. Shepka, Phil (25 May 2015). "Middlesbrough 0–2 Norwich City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 December 2018.

External links

• Bradley Johnson at Soccerbase