RIDGY’S DATE WITH OBAMA
Hero Brit Liam to meet President
LIAM RIDGEWELL couldn’t stop himself from having a chuckle.
“They would never let a Ridgewell in there so something has gone wrong,” the Portland Timbers captain joked.
Ridgewell was talking about his upcoming visit to the White House to meet President Barack Obama.
Having led the Timbers to MLS Cup glory last season, the defender and his teammates get the chance of a chat with one of the most powerful men in the world as part of a US sports tradition.
It’s a remarkable turnaround after he faced an uncertain future when he was released by West Brom in 2014.
He was also vilified in 2012 when a picture of him pretending to use £20 notes as toilet paper – a joke between friends – emerged on social media.
Idyllic
Ridgewell had already divided opinion in the Midlands having played for Aston Villa, Birmingham and then the Baggies.
But now he is a hero in the Oregon city far away from the Black Country and has an idyllic life living by a lake, his free time spent paddleboarding on the water.
He said: “It is a little bit different from Birmingham. You don’t get to paddleboard too many places around there. Maybe on the canal!
“It has been fantastic. It was a surprise I came here at 29. I can’t say enough about the place.
“Portland and MLS has been great. Last season was the icing on the cake. It was my first full season and I won it.”
London-born Ridgewell’s only previous silverware was the 2011 League Cup when Birmingham shocked Arsenal in the final.
But he didn’t get a beer named after him then. Now he has the “Ridgy’s Royall Boat Beer” to enjoy on his lazy days by the lake.
He added: “The perks of being out here winning the league were massive. We did the Ridgy beer here a few weeks ago and my family were here. It was a good night.
Visit
“I’m going to the White House to meet Obama, which will be fantastic. We just got our suits made up.”
The only downside it seems is being away from his two young children for long periods as they are back in the UK with their mother. But they visit regularly and keep in touch on FaceTime.
Ridgewell said: “They come out two weeks at Easter and then five in the summer – they love it.
“It is always tough for them going home. They enjoy paddleboarding and jumping in the lake.
“As long as they are happy doing it. If they say, ‘Dad I miss you’ that will be it, I will be flying home.”