Charlton Athletic were a Premier League fixture in the early 2000s, finishing as high as seventh in 2003-04.
Their starting right back throughout that time was Luke Young, a former seven-time England international who not only broke into the Three Lions’ senior team while playing at The Valley, but also made more appearances there than he did the remainder of his career.
Young had a genuinely extraordinary career, playing top-flight football for 14 years in a row, making 378 Premier League games and only playing one league game outside the division – his farewell game for QPR in April 2014.
| Luke Young’s appearances by club, per Transfermarkt | |
| Charlton Athletic | 207 |
| Aston Villa | 89 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 76 |
| Middlesbrough | 42 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 27 |
Many clubs will remember him warmly, but Charlton Athletic is where he is best known.
Luke Young’s £3 million Charlton transfer from Tottenham Hotspur
Luke Young began his career in the Tottenham Hotspur youth and made his first-team debut in November 1998.
That season, the 19-year-old Young appeared in 22 games across all competitions, starting in Spurs’ League Cup quarter-final triumph over Manchester United (which they went on to win) and playing all 120 minutes of their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Newcastle United.
Young would spend another two of seasons at White Hart Lane, playing at least 20 league games each season, before moving to the Valley for £3 million a week after his 22nd birthday.
Charlton had placed ninth in their first season back in the Premier League and were aiming to make an impact in the summer transfer market to maintain their top-flight position, and in doing so, they signed a right-back who would become a cult icon at the club.
Young would spend six seasons with the Addicks, making over 200 appearances throughout that time. Immediately, he was the first-choice right back, and his starts per season increased from the high teens at Tottenham to the early 30s at the Valley, starting 34 of the 38 Premier League games in his debut season.
Charlton’s greatest season during that run saw Young suffer his first serious injury setback, appearing in only 24 league games in 2003/04. The Addicks went on a good run without him, and when he returned in January after nearly three months out, they were in fourth place. Charlton ultimately plummeted to seventh place, seven points behind Liverpool, who finished fourth.
Young’s best productive season was in 2004/05, when he started 36 of 38 Premier League games and helped his side finish 11th. That season, he also scored his first goals with the Addicks, with two in the first six games.
Gary Neville was called up to the England senior squad for the first time in May 2005, at the end of that campaign, after suffering an injury. He made his first two England appearances off the bench, in friendly victories over the United States and Colombia.
Unfortunately, an ankle injury prevented him from competing in the 2006 World Cup, and he failed to keep Charlton up the following season. That season, he too missed some time due to injury, but the Addicks went on a six-game unbeaten streak, lifting them out of the bottom three when he returned. With no wins in the next five games, their seven-year tenure in the top division came to an end.
At 28 years old, he saw his future outside of the Championship and left the club in July 2007.
Luke Young may have stayed at Charlton if they had not been relegated from the Premier League
Then-Charlton manager Alan Pardew stated that Luke Young left the Addicks with his complete approval, acknowledging that he wanted to continue his Premier League career, and that view was shared by the Charlton crowd, since he was clearly good enough to stay in the top division.
Young signed for Middlesbrough for £2.5 million, although he only stayed for a season before moving to Aston Villa, who were enjoying a run of top-six finishes and European campaigns between 2005 and 2008.
His first season at Villa Park saw him play seven times in the UEFA Cup as Aston Villa advanced to the Round of 32. Young even captained the team in their 2-0 defeat to CSKA Moscow, which eliminated them from the competition.
He played two more seasons at Aston Villa before joining QPR after they were promoted to the Premier League.
Young was clearly driven by the desire to play in the Premier League, and he retired after 378 games in England’s top level. Perhaps Young would have stayed with Charlton in the 2006/07 season.
Nonetheless, his time at the Valley is cherished, and he will be remembered as a Charlton Athletic hero.
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