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Lewis Orford (footballer)
Lewis William Orford (born 18 February 2006) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club West Ham United. He is an England youth international.[3] Club careerOrford joined the academy system at West Ham United at five years old. During his early years at West Ham, Orford also played for Upminster Park Rovers, before formally registering for West Ham at the age of eight.[4] He worked through the age groups and began playing for the under-18's under Kevin Keen during the 2021–22 season. He signed scholarship terms with West Ham in June 2022.[5] Orford signed his first professional contract with West Ham shortly after his seventeenth birthday in February 2023.[6] He was included in a West Ham first team match day squad for the first time in November 2022, being an unused substitute as West Ham beat FCSB 3-0 in the UEFA Europa Conference League. That season he was part of the West Ham under-18 side that won the final of the FA Youth Cup defeating Arsenal 5–1 at the Emirates Stadium in April 2023.[7][8] He was promoted to the West Ham under-21 side for the 2023-24 season, despite still being only 17 years old. He scored two goals and was credited four assists from his first ten games in the Premier League 2 and EFL Trophy. He was called up to first-team training in November 2023.[9] He subsequently travelled with the first-team squad for a UEFA Europa League fixture against Serbian side FK TSC on 30 November 2023.[10] On 18 January 2025, Orford made his senior debut for West Ham in a 2–0 loss against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.[11] International careerIn May 2024, he was called-up to the England national under-18 football team.[12] After winning the U18 Pinatar Super Cup in March 2024, Orford went on to captain the side to another trophy with a 2–1 win over Morocco to lift the U18 Tri-Nations Trophy.[13] Style of playOrford has been compared with former West Ham United captain Declan Rice.[14] He was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best first-year scholars in the Premier League in September 2022 with John Brewin drawing a comparison with Frank Lampard "in his ability to arrive late on the scene for scoring opportunities."[15] Career statistics
HonoursWest Ham United U18 England U18s References
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