Christopher Patrick “Chris” Baird better known as Chris Baird is a football player who was born on February 25, 1982 in Rasharkin, Northern Ireland. He attended Saint Patrick’s Primary School in his hometown and got his secondary education from Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Ballymoney.
During the 2002-03 season, Chris Baird has been a part of U-21 Northern Ireland national team. In 2003, he was moved to the senior team of the national squad and made his international debut in June 2003 against Italy. This talented central defender has gained 33 international caps as of the year 2008.
Chris Baird began his club career in Ballymena United and his skills caught the attention of Southampton youth club, which took him for their team in 1998. From 2002, he represented the team as a senior player and his first match was played against Aston Villa, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
In 2003, Chris Baird was sent on a loan to play for Walsall and he played 10 matches for the team. The following year, he spent a month at the Watford club, again as a loaned player. He made effective use of all the opportunities he got to improve his defensive skills in the field.
With Chris Baird in the squad, Southampton reached the finals of Football Association (FA) Cup in 2003. Despite of appearing in only 4 league matches for Southampton in the 2003-2004 season, his solid performances for other teams won him the chance to start for Southampton in 16 league games in the 2005-2006 season. He scored his first goal on November 25, 2006, which helped the team win 2-1 against Luton Town. Having scored 3 goals in 68 matches for Southampton, he received the “Fans’ Player of the Season” in 2006-2007.
Chris Baird moved to Fulham in the 2007-2008 season and had played 8 matches for the team.
For his commendable performances in the 2006-2007 season as a Southampton player, Chris Baird was awarded “Saints Player of the Season”.
