Andrew Farai Rinomhota (born 21 April 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Rotherham United, on loan from fellow EFL Championship club Cardiff City. Born in England, he plays for the Zimbabwe national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andrew Farai Rinomhota[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 21 April 1997[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Leeds, England | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Rotherham United (on loan from Cardiff City) | ||
| Number | 12 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2014 | AFC Portchester | ||
| 2015–2018 | Reading | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2015 | AFC Portchester | 30 | (10) |
| 2018–2022 | Reading | 125 | (3) |
| 2022– | Cardiff City | 42 | (0) |
| 2024– | → Rotherham United (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | Zimbabwe | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15:29, 19 November 2023 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Rinomhota was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, to a Zimbabwean father and an English mother. He started his career in the youth team of AFC Portchester before he was promoted to the first team in the Wessex League due to an injury crisis.[3] After impressing for the first team, scoring ten goals in 30 league games,[4] manager Graham Rix contacted Reading to send a scout to watch Rinomhota in action, which subsequently resulted in a two-week trial.[5] In April 2015, he signed for EFL Championship side Reading on an initial two-year contract with the option of a further twelve-month extension.[6] He spent the majority of his first season with the club with under-18 and under-21 sides, moving up to the under-23 side in the 2016–17 season to play for the side in the EFL Trophy, amassing a total of thirty-nine appearances in all competitions.[7] He was promoted to the first team in the summer of 2017 and joined the side on the pre-season tour of the Netherlands.[7] In August 2017, he made his professional debut in the 2–0 EFL Cup win over Gillingham, playing the full ninety minutes.[7] On 8 December 2017, Rinomhota signed a new contract with Reading until the summer of 2021.[8] On 25 February 2019, Rinomhota signed a new three-year contract with Reading, lasting until the summer of 2022.[9] Rinomhota scored his first goal for Reading against top of the table Norwich City on 10 April 2019 in the last minute of added time (90+7') in a 2–2 draw at Carrow Road. After an exceptional debut season, Rinomhota was awarded the 2018–19 player of the season.[10]
On 24 June 2022, it was announced that Rinomhota would join Cardiff on a three-year deal from 1 July 2022.[11]
Rinomhota joined Rotherham United on loan until the end of the season on transfer deadline day, 1 February 2024.[12]
International career
In December 2017, Zimbabwe explored the option of convincing Rinomhota to represent them at international level, which he is qualified to play for through his father.[13] In May 2018, Rinomhota was named in Zimbabwe's provisional squad for the 2018 COSAFA Cup.[14] However, Zimbabwe faced difficulties in getting Rinomhota into their squad, as Zimbabwean law required him to renounce his British citizenship in order to get a local passport.[15]
Career statistics
- As of match played 2 March 2024
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Reading | 2015–16[16] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016–17[17] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017–18[18] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19[19] | Championship | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 28 | 1 | ||
| 2019–20[20] | Championship | 37 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 45 | 2 | ||
| 2020–21[21] | Championship | 42 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 43 | 1 | ||
| 2021–22[22] | Championship | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | ||
| Total | 125 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 139 | 4 | ||
| Cardiff City | 2022–23[23] | Championship | 39 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| 2023–24[24] | Championship | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 42 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 0 | ||
| Rotherham United (loan) | 2023–24[24] | Championship | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 173 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 193 | 4 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zimbabwe | 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
References
External links
- Andy Rinomhota at Soccerbase