Name Robert Ford | ||
Robert 'Rob' Ford (born 9 December 1993) is a professional football player who is currently a free agent.
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Early life
Ford was born in Cardiff, Wales in 1993. He moved to Dortmund, Germany at age 10 after being scouted by Borussia Dortmund.
Cardiff City and Borussia Dortmund
Ford began playing football at his hometown club, Cardiff City. Seen as one of Welsh football's hottest prospects, he moved to Germany with his mother in 2003 after being scouted by German club Borussia Dortmund. Cardiff City received a fee of £18,000, which at the time was considered huge for a child.
Aston Villa
On 2 January 2005, Ford joined the Centre of Excellence at Premier League club Aston Villa
Ford signed his first professional contract on his 16th birthday in December 2009, on a 4-year deal reportedly worth £1.4 million. He tweeted that it was a dream come true playing professional football. Over the next 3 years, Ford played over 60 games for Villa's U17, U18 and U20 teams, notably scoring 14 goals in 13 games at Under-18 level.
In December 2012, Ford signed a 2-year contract extension which would see him remain at the club until 2014. He featured in 5 friendly matches (including one start) for Villa at first-team level, scoring once against Standard Liege. He also played in 3 Carling Cup matches, also scoring one goal, this time against Sheffield Wednesday. The 25-yard volley came second in the Carling Cup "Goal of the round" competition, as voted for by fans.
At the end of his contract, Ford rejected a one-year contract extension stating he wanted to "take a break from football and explore other things".