Ethan Ampadu is a professional football player who competes for the Welsh national team and Chelsea of the English Premier League. He is a versatile player who spent most of his time in the middle of the field for his club’s youth team, but he is also a strong candidate for defense because of his good tackle skills, ability to win the ball, and good anticipation. It is interesting to note that Exeter City was where the highly regarded midfielder for the Welsh national youth team made his club debut. He was chosen as the game’s Man of the Match for his outstanding effort in keeping the opponents from the two divisions higher scoreless. He gained notoriety in the summer of 2016 for pre-tournament training with Wales’ Euro squad, and as a result, he was frequently spotted playing for Exeter’s first team in preseason. He is frequently compared to Wales’ Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen as a player. He has a higher vertical jump than most of his competitors, which enables him to head the ball better than his rivals, which is one of the reasons he is regarded as a hot center-back. Ashley Williams, the captain of Wales, asserts that Ampadu can succeed him in the team’s defense after he retires.
Early Childhood & Life
Colm Ethan Kwame On September 14, 2000, Raymond Ampadu was born in Exeter, Devon, to former footballer Kwame Ampadu. His father was a former midfielder for teams like Arsenal, Swansea City, Leyton Orient, and Exeter City in the lower leagues.
Ethan Ampadu started attending the Exeter City youth academy in 2008, where his father had previously coached the U18 team before relocating to Arsenal. Ethan started playing at the senior level while still in school, but his GCSE exams at the beginning of 2017 limited his time on the field.
League Career of Ethan Ampadu
At the age of 15 years, 10 months, and 26 days, Ethan Ampadu made his senior club debut on August 9, 2016, against Brentford at St. James Park. He broke Cliff Bastin’s 87-year-old club record for most minutes played for Exeter City by playing the full 120 minutes as the club’s youngest player.
By winning the Man of the Match award in his first game, he set a new record. A number of prestigious clubs, including Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City, all sought to sign the youngster to their roster as a result of his performance.
One week later, he made his league debut against Crawley Town in EFL League Two, and despite his team’s 1-0 loss, he was praised for his performance. He later participated in 13 games for the team throughout the season.
He shone in their Checkatrade Trophy home game against Chelsea in October 2016, when Exeter stunned the Blues with a quick 3-0 lead and won 3-2. The 16-year-old Exeter youngster was the best player on the field despite Chelsea having a team full of their promising U-21 players, which reportedly persuaded the club to sign him the following year.
Chelsea FC was the front-runner in the race to sign him, and in January 2017 they made Exeter a formal offer of compensation to sign him. Exeter declined the offer. The Blues were reportedly unwilling to pay the club’s asking price of up to £3 million.
Despite the dispute over the payment, it was revealed that he had signed with the Premier League team on July 1st, 2017. Long-lasting discussions between the two clubs about the player’s valuation continued well into November of that year, at which point Exeter City chairman Julian Tagg floated the idea of taking the matter before a tribunal.
On September 20, 2017, Ethan Ampadu made his debut for Chelsea as a 55th-minute replacement for Cesc Fàbregas in a third-round EFL Cup match against Nottingham Forest. He made his club debut at the age of 17, making history as the club’s youngest player to make a senior team appearance in more than ten years.
On December 12, with 10 minutes left in the game against Huddersfield Town, he entered the game as a substitute and made his Premier League debut for Chelsea. After Jody Morris in 1996, he was the second-youngest player to play for the club in the Premier League at the age of 17 years and 89 days.
Worldwide Career of Ethan Ampadu
During his formative years, Ethan Ampadu played for the Wales national football team’s U-14, U-15, U-16, and U-17 squads. He served as the team’s captain as Wales’ U-16 team defeated England to win the Victory Shield for the first time in 66 years.
He was quickly promoted to the U-17 team despite still being eligible for the U-16 group because he was a highly regarded player. He displayed class in the new squad as well, assisting Wales in its first-ever victory over France.
His father, who was born in Britain and played for Ireland Under-21 as well as 144 games for the Welsh club Swansea between 1994 and 1998, was eligible for the Welsh team because Wales is where his mother was born. Ethan’s outstanding performance earned him a spot on the English national youth team, as well as eligibility to play for Ghana and Ireland teams because his father has Irish and Ghanaian roots.
Prior to Euro 2016, Wales invited him to train with Gareth Bale and the rest of the senior team in an effort to encourage the young player to continue playing for the Welsh team at the senior level. Chris Coleman, the manager of Welsh professional football, also gave him access to the dressing room at Cardiff City Stadium before games so he could mingle with star national players.
Additionally, he had participated in a few English age-grade camps, which fueled speculation that he might decide to play for England. He ultimately chose to remain with the Welsh national team, though, because he enjoyed the “atmosphere” there.
On May 26, 2017, he was called up to the senior Welsh team but did not participate in the match against Serbia. Later, on November 10, he made his debut for his country by replacing Joe Ledley in the 63rd minute of a 2-0 loss to France at the Stade de France.
Recognition & Achievements
When Ethan Ampadu played for Exeter City against Brentford in his first game, he was named Man of the Match. He broke the club’s record for the youngest player ever when he made his club debut at 15 years, 10 months, and 26 days old.
Estimated net worth
The estimated net worth of Ethan Ampadu is about $2 million.
Trivia
Due to his familial heritage, Ethan Ampadu was qualified to play for four teams at the national level. His father was born in England to an Irish mother and a Ghanaian father, while his mother is from Wales.
It was once believed that Ethan Ampadu might sign with the club and train under his father since the latter is currently the coach of the U18s team of Arsenal at the club’s Academy. The reason he did not end up there is unknown, despite the fact that the team was once interested in signing him.