MJ Williams

Michael Jordan Williams (born 6 November 1995) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for EFL League Two club Milton Keynes Dons. He can play either central midfield or centre-back.[4][5]

MJ Williams
Williams with Liverpool in 2016
Personal information
Full name Michael Jordan Williams[1]
Date of birth (1995-11-06) 6 November 1995[2]
Place of birth Bangor, Wales
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.87 m)[3]
Position(s) Midfielder / Defender
Team information
Current team
 Milton Keynes Dons
Number 6
Youth career
Wrexham
2009–2014 Liverpool
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2018 Liverpool 0 (0)
2015 → Notts County (loan) 8 (0)
2015–2016 → Swindon Town (loan) 9 (0)
2017 → Rochdale (loan) 12 (0)
2018–2020 Rochdale 56 (0)
2020–2021 Blackpool 10 (0)
2021–2023 Bolton Wanderers 89 (1)
2023– Milton Keynes Dons 0 (0)
International career‡
Wales U17
2014 Wales U21 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:26, 7 May 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 08:50, 3 April 2021 (UTC)

Club career

Liverpool

Williams joined Liverpool academy at U14 level, having previously been playing for Wrexham.[4][5][6]

On 23 September 2014, he made his first-team debut in a League Cup clash against Middlesbrough, coming on as a substitute in 79th minute for Jordan Rossiter. Williams scored in the penalty shootout.[7] He was an unused substitute in the game against AFC Wimbledon in the third round of the FA Cup, and against Blackburn Rovers in a quarter-final of the same tournament, as well as Premier League games against Burnley and Manchester City and a UEFA Europa League clash against Turkish side Beşiktaş J.K.[8] On 22 January 2015, he signed his first professional contract, signing a 2+1⁄2-year deal with Liverpool.[9]

In 2015 Williams picked up an injury so bad he was nearly forced to retire, however after being the first Welsh footballer to undergo a cartilage transplant he was able to recover and continue his career.[10]

In the 2016–17 season, Williams returned from his injury and was featured for the Liverpool U23 side.[11] He did appear as an unused substitute in a FA Cup fourth round replay against Plymouth Argyle, which saw Liverpool win 1–0.[12] In January transfer window of 2017, Williams was expected to leave the club on a permanent basis, with Charlton Athletic and MK Dons were among interested.[13] Although the move never happened, Williams stayed at the club for the rest of the season; eventually, signing a contract extension.[14]

He was released by Liverpool at the end of the 2017–18 season.[15]

Loan spells

On 26 March 2015, Williams was loaned out to Notts County.[16] He made his Notts County debut, where he started the whole game, in a 2–2 draw against Scunthorpe United on 28 March 2015.[17] He went on to make eight appearances for the side, as Notts County were relegated to League Two next season.[18] He returned to his parent club at the end of the 2014–15 season.[19]

On 10 July 2015, he joined Swindon Town on a season-long loan.[20] Williams made his Swindon Town debut in the opening game of the season, where he set up a goal for Nathan Byrne, who went on to score a hat–trick, in a 4–1 win over Bradford City.[21] He started out in the midfield position before moving to the defence position.[22] However, he suffered a knee injury that saw him sidelined for the most of the season.[23] Although he returned to training in early–2016, Manager Martin Ling hinted about terminating his loan with Swindon Town last month, though he resigned as Manager that month.[24] After cutting his loan spell with the club in February 2016 to allow Williams to heal from his knee injury, he went on to make ten appearances for Swindon Town.[25]

On 31 August 2017, Williams was loaned to Rochdale until 1 January 2018.[26] He made his Rochdale debut, where he started the whole game and played with teammate with the same name, in a 0–0 draw against Southend United on 2 September 2017.[27] In the EFL Trophy Group Stage against Bury, Williams set up a goal for Ian Henderson to score the fourth goal, in a 4–0 win on 19 September 2017.[28] He went on to make 14 appearances for Rochdale before suffering an injury that ended his loan spell at the club.[29]

Rochdale

On 14 June 2018, he joined Rochdale on a permanent deal, signing a two-year contract.[30]

Williams' first game after signing for the club on a permanent basis came in the opening game of the season against Burton Albion, where he started the whole game, in a 2–1 win for Rochdale.[31] A 4–0 loss against Barnsley on 21 August 2018 included three players by the name of Jordan Williams, with two of them at Rochdale and one at Barnsley.[32]

Blackpool

Williams joined Blackpool on 24 August 2020, signing a one-year contract with the option for a further year.[33]

Bolton Wanderers

On 1 February 2021, Williams joined League Two side Bolton Wanderers on an 18-month contract.[34] His debut came on 9 February in a 1–1 draw against Morecambe.[35] Bolton finished the season in third, winning promotion to League One[36] and Williams revealed there was a clause in his contract which would extend it by another year if he made a certain amount of appearances in League One during the 2021–2022 season[37] and 5 November his contract was extended to 2023.[38]

On 9 April 2022, he scored the first league goal of his career when finding the net for Bolton in the 90th minute of a 1–1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday at the University of Bolton Stadium. The only other goal of his career had come in the FA Cup for Rochdale away at Newcastle United in January 2020.[39]

On 2 April, he came on as a substitute in the 2023 EFL Trophy Final against Plymouth Argyle. Bolton went on to win 4–0.[40] At the end of the season, he had played enough matches to see his contract extended for another year.[41]

Milton Keynes Dons

On 12 July 2023, Williams joined League Two club Milton Keynes Dons for an undisclosed fee.[42] He made his debut for the club in the opening game of the 2023–24 season on 5 August 2023, in a 5–3 away win over Wrexham.[43]

International career

Having previously featured for the Wales U17 side, Williams made his Wales under-21 debut in a 1–1 draw against Lithuania on 9 September 2014.[44]

In August 2015, Williams was called up to the Wales senior squad for the first time.[45] He was an unused substitute in the 1–0 win over Cyprus on 3 September 2015.[46]

Personal life

Williams was born in Bangor, North Wales. He is a fluent Welsh speaker,[47] and attended Welsh-medium school Ysgol y Garnedd.[48]

In March 2016, during a Europa League match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford, a tweet was sent from Williams' Twitter account which was construed by many as mocking the Munich air disaster. Williams at the time claimed that his Twitter account had been hacked, he apologised and deleted his account.[49] He was later interviewed about the incident and revealed the anguish the incident had caused him and that he had thought "that Tweet could have finished me in football". He explained that he had not intended to reference the Munich air disaster but that it was a reference he and his friends had regularly made about "flying" when doing well. He admitted that his claim that his account had been hacked was borne from a naive panic and was not true.[50]

Career statistics
As of 7 May 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Liverpool 2014–15[51] Premier League 0000100010
Notts County (loan) 2014–15[51] League One 8000—0080
Swindon Town (loan) 2015–16[52] League One 90001000100
Rochdale (loan) 2017–18[53] League One 12000002[lower-alpha 1]0140
Rochdale 2018–19[54] League One 28010103[lower-alpha 1]0330
2019–20[55] League One 280512000351
Total 680613050821
Blackpool 2020–21[56] League One 10010003[lower-alpha 1]0140
Bolton Wanderers 2020–21[56] League Two 210———210
2021–22[57] League One 40110102[lower-alpha 1]0441
2022–23[58] League One 28000205[lower-alpha 1]0350
Total 8911030701001
Milton Keynes Dons 2023–24[59] League Two 0000000000
Career total 184181801502152
Notes
  1. Appearance in the EFL Trophy

Honours
Bolton Wanderers

References
  1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Blackpool" (PDF). English Football League. p. 9. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  2. "Jordan M. Williams". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  3. "Jordan Williams: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  4. "Jordan Williams". Liverpool F.C. Archived from the original on 26 September 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  5. "Who is Liverpool FC youngster Jordan Williams - the teenager called up by Wales for the two biggest games of a generation?". Wales Online. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  6. "Five Facts About Jordan Williams". Rochdale A.F.C. 1 September 2017. Archived from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  7. "Liverpool 2-2 Middlesbrough". BBC Sport.
  8. "AFC Wimbledon 1–2 Liverpool". BBC Football. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
    "Jordan Williams aiming to hold-down permanent place with Liverpool first-team". Empire of the Kop. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  9. "Liverpool FC starlet Jordan Williams signs new contract". Liverpool Echo. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  10. The Bolton News: "Ex-Liverpool prospect MJ Williams on saving career and Bolton Wanderers future"
  11. "Returning Liverpool FC loan stars on a mission to impress Klopp". Liverpool Echo. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
    "Forgotten man of Liverpool relaunching his career". Liverpool Echo. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  12. "Plymouth Argyle 0 – 1 Liverpool". BBC Sport. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  13. "Liverpool midfielder Jordan Williams on the move". Liverpool Echo. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  14. "Liverpool release seven players as they submit retained squad list to Premier League". Liverpool Echo. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  15. James Pearce (18 May 2018). "Liverpool set to release three players as they close in on the signing of Chelsea star". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  16. "Notts County Snap Up Premier League Duo On Loan". Notts County F.C. 26 March 2015. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015.
  17. "Notts County 2 – 2 Scunthorpe United". BBC Sport. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  18. "Gillingham 3–1 Notts County". BBC Sport. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
    "Williams: With The Fans On Our Side We Will Get Out Of This Struggle". Notts County F.C. 14 April 2015. Archived from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  19. "The Retained List". Notts County F.C. 7 May 2015. Archived from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  20. "Liverpool midfielder Jordan Williams joins Swindon on loan". BBC Sport. 10 July 2015.
    "Liverpool midfielder Jordan Williams joins Swindon on loan". Liverpool F.C. 10 July 2015. Archived from the original on 24 August 2018.
  21. "FULL-TIME REPORT: Swindon Town 4 Bradford City 1". Swindon Advertiser. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  22. "Lawrence is right behind pal Jordan". Swindon Advertiser. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
    "PLAYER RATINGS: Southend United v Swindon Town". Swindon Advertiser. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
    "PLAYER RATINGS: Swindon Town v Colchester United". Swindon Advertiser. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  23. "Williams joins Town's injury list". Swindon Advertiser. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  24. "Lawrence Vigouroux returns to Liverpool for progress report". Swindon Advertiser. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
    "New Year resolutions for Swindon Town captain Nathan Thompson and Liverpool loanee Jordan Williams". Swindon Advertiser. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  25. "Liverpool FC youngster steps up recovery from knee injury". Liverpool Echo. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  26. "Jordan Williams joins Rochdale until January". Liverpool FC. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018.
  27. "Southend United 0 – 0 Rochdale". BBC Sport. 2 September 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  28. "Bury 0–4 Rochdale". Rochdale Online. 19 September 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  29. "It's A Brilliant Move For Me - Jordan Williams". Rochdale A.F.C. 14 June 2018. Archived from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  30. "Jordan Williams: Rochdale sign Liverpool midfielder". BBC Sport. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  31. "Burton Albion 1 – 2 Rochdale". BBC Sport. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  32. "'There's only, err, three Jordan Williams'". BT Sport. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
    "Huddersfield Town product Jordan Williams hits the headlines - three times!". The Huddersfield Examiner. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  33. "Jordan Williams signs for Blackpool". Blackpool F.C. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  34. "Wanderers swoop for MJ Williams". Bolton Wanderers FC. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  35. BBC Sport: Bolton Wanderers 1–1 Morecambe
  36. Media, P. A. (13 May 2021). "League Two: Bolton and Cambridge earn promotion, Cheltenham take title". The Guardian.
  37. The Bolton News: Ex-Liverpool man MJ Williams on being smuggled into Bolton by police after promotion: "Williams also said there was a clause in his contract which will trigger another year if he plays a certain number of games in League One next season."
  38. BWFC: "New Deals For Key Quartet"
  39. https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/2022/april/report-wanderers-v-sheffield-wednesday/, Report: Bolton Wanderers 1 Sheffield Wednesday 1, Bolton Wanderers FC, 9 April 2022
  40. "Bolton Wanderers 4-0 Plymouth Argyle". BBC Sport.
  41. "Wanderers Confirm Retained List". bwfc.co.uk. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  42. "Don Deal: MK Dons complete move for MJ Williams". Milton Keynes Dons. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  43. "Wrexham 3-5 Milton Keynes Dons: Dragons' EFL return spoiled by Dons". BBC. 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  44. "Lithuania U21 1-1 Wales U21". faw.org.
  45. Williams senior call up
  46. "Williams on the bench as Bale takes Wales close to historic qualification". The Swindon Advertiser. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
    "Cyprus 0 – 1 Wales". BBC Sport. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  47. "Ar y Marc". BBC Radio Cymru. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  48. "Cymro 19 oed yn sgorio i Lerpwl". Golwg 360. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  49. "Liverpool investigating alleged Munich air disaster tweet by youth team player Jordan Williams". The Guardian. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
    "Liverpool's Jordan Williams accused of mocking Munich air disaster in tweet". Metro. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  50. "Football Journeys Podcast - MJ Williams". YouTube. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  51. "Games played by MJ Williams in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  52. "Games played by MJ Williams in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  53. "Games played by MJ Williams in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  54. "MJ Williams | Football Stats | Bolton Wanderers | Season 2018/2019 | Soccer Base".
  55. "MJ Williams | Football Stats | Bolton Wanderers | Season 2019/2020 | Soccer Base".
  56. "Games played by MJ Williams in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  57. "Games played by MJ Williams in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  58. "Games played by MJ Williams in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  59. "Games played by MJ Williams in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  60. Soccerbase: League Two 2020/21 Table
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