Rohan Ricketts first made his mark in professional football scene at Arsenal in 2000,
winning the FA Youth Cup two seasons in a row. After making only one senior appearance for the Gunners, he moved across North London to Tottenham, becoming only the fourth player to make a direct transfer between the two rival sides. This switch caused controversy for the South Londoner, with the rumour mill spurning out the bizarre accusation from fans about how he allegedly stole the phones of his Arsenal teammates, including the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry. Ricketts of course strenuously denied this. The move to Tottenham was one that was to prove to be the height of his career, with Ricketts becoming a first team regular in the 2003/4 season under the guidance of Glen Hoddle.
The midfielder was not exactly a towering presence at 5’10, so he relied more on his sharp passing and impressive dribbling ability to impact upon the game. His scoring ability presented itself with a fabulous strike against Aston Villa in 2003, but this was to be his only goal for Spurs, and he soon followed Hoddle out of the club in 2004.After unsuccessful spells at Wolves and Barnsley, Rohan moved across the Atlantic to the MLS, joining Toronto FC in 2008. His time in Canada was reasonably successful but perhaps the most notable moment was a high profile meeting with rapper 50 Cent, who was later seen wearing Ricketts number 10 shirt.
The Midfielder made the move back to Europe in 2010, signing a contract with Moldovan side Diosgyori VTK. His brief spell in Eastern Europe proved a trying experience for Ricketts. He told of seeing blatant match-fixing in the Moldovan league, along with players smoking and drinking before games. Ricketts claims that he is still owed wages from his time there. In recent years his football career has started to peter out with his most recent club being Irish side Shamrock Rovers.
Ricketts stated in an interview that he ‘love[d] to talk’, and perhaps this is why he turned his gaze to the media in recent times. Ricketts currently runs his own online magazine, ‘Column 10’, which contains articles on football, health, film and even business. The man of many clubs is currently without one, yet this venture may see the journeyman carve a niche in the media world.
