Coordinates: 51°28′36″N 0°12′50″W / 51.4767°N 0.2138°W / 51.4767; -0.2138

Fulham
Fulham Palace, the former residence of the Bishop of London
Fulham  Fulham shown within Greater London
OS grid reference	TQ245765
- Charing Cross	3.7 mi (6.0 km)  NE
London borough	Hammersmith & Fulham
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	SW6
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Chelsea and Fulham
London Assembly	West Central
List of places: UK • England • London

Fulham ( /ˈfʊləm/) is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 (the successor to the Metropolitan Borough of Fulham) located 3.7 miles (6.0 km) south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.^[1] Fulham was formerly the seat of the diocese of "Fulham and Gibraltar", and Fulham Palace served as the former official home of the Bishop of London, (now a museum), the grounds of which are now divided between public allotments and an elegant botanical garden.

Having been through many transformations in its history, today it is a green London area within very close reach of many famously extravagant places such as Chelsea and Kensington and this is reflected in the high local house prices. It was included within Savills' 2007 list of "prime" London areas.^[2] Two Premier League football clubs, Fulham and Chelsea, are situated in Fulham. The former Lillie Bridge Grounds (which hosted the second FA Cup Final and the first ever amateur boxing matches) was also in Fulham.

History[link]

Putney Bridge with Fulham on the left

Fulham, or in its earliest form "Fullanham", is uncertainly stated to signify "the place" either "of fowls" or "of mud" (which probably had to do with the fact that the River Thames would flood it periodically), or alternatively, "land in the crook of a river bend belonging to a man named Fulla". The manor is said to have been given to Bishop Erkenwald about the year 691 for himself and his successors in the see of London, and Holinshed relates that the Bishop of London was lodging in his manor place in 1141 when Geoffrey de Mandeville, riding out from the Tower of London, took him prisoner. During the Commonwealth the manor was temporarily out of the bishops' hands, being sold to Colonel Edmund Harvey.

There is no record of the first erection of a parish church, but the first known rector was appointed in 1242, and a church probably existed a century before this. The earliest part of the church demolished in 1881, however, did not date farther back than the 15th century.

In 879 Danish invaders, sailing up the Thames, wintered at Fulham and Hammersmith. Near the former wooden Putney Bridge, built in 1729 and replaced in 1886, the earl of Essex threw a bridge of boats across the river in 1642 in order to march his army in pursuit of Charles I, who thereupon fell back on Oxford. Margravine Road recalls the existence of Brandenburg House, a riverside mansion built by Sir Nicholas Crispe in the time of Charles I, used as the headquarters of General Fairfax in 1647 during the civil wars, and occupied in 1792 by the margrave of Brandenburg-Anspach and Bayreuth and his wife, and in 1820 by Caroline, consort of George IV.

The Johnny Haynes stand at Craven Cottage, home of Fulham Football Club.

Fulham during the 18th century had a reputation of debauchery, becoming a sort of "Las Vegas retreat" for the wealthy of London, where there was much gambling and prostitution.

Fulham remained a working class area for the first half of the twentieth century, but was subject to extensive restoration between the Second World War and the 1980s. Today, Fulham is one of the most expensive parts of London, and therefore the United Kingdom; average actual sale price of all property (both houses and flats) sold in the SW6 area in September 2007 was £639,973.^[3]

The link with debauchery and corruption remains however. The latest edition (2008) of the Chambers Dictionary defines a fulham as 'a die loaded at the corner to ensure that certain numbers are thrown (also full'am or full'an). Prob the place name 'Fulham' in London.' The OED distinguishes between a high fulham which was loaded so as to ensure a cast of 4, 5, or 6; and a low fulham, so as to ensure a cast of 1, 2, or 3). It also cites Arthur Conan Doyle's usage in 1889 in Micah Clarke xxx. 316 "There is no loading of the dice, or throwing of fulhams."

Politics[link]

Fulham is part of the Chelsea and Fulham parliamentary seat which is currently held by Conservative Greg Hands. Fulham was formerly a part of the Hammersmith and Fulham parliamentary constituency which was dissolved in 2010 to form the current seat which is one of the most, if not the most, affluent and prestigious constituency seats in the United Kingdom.

Fulham has in the past been a politically significant part of the country, having been the scene of two major parliamentary by-elections in the 20th century. In 1933, the Fulham East by-election became known as the "peace by-election".

In 1986, Fulham experienced another by-election following the death of Conservative MP Martin Stevens. Labour's Nick Raynsford gained the constituency on a 10% swing — one of the first elections that heralded the slick, modern campaigning New Labour techniques that would become renowned. Posters announcing that "Nick Raynsford lives here" adorned thousands of windows in the constituency — a reference to the fact that Labour's candidate was a long-time local, while the Tory was resident outside of the constituency.

Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea F.C.

Fulham voters have, however, been leaning towards the Conservatives since the 1960s as the area underwent huge demographic change: the tightly-packed terraces which had housed working-class families employed in the heavy industry that dominated Fulham's riverside being rapidly replaced with young professionals.

In the 2005 General Election, Conservative Greg Hands won the Hammersmith and Fulham Parliamentary seat from Labour, polling 45.4% against Labour's 35.2%, a 7.3% swing.

In the 2010 General Election, Greg Hands stood and was elected for the newly-formed safe Conservative Chelsea and Fulham (UK Parliament constituency).

In 2006, the voters returned 33 Conservative and 13 Labour councillors. In 2010 the voters elected 31 Conservative and 15 Labour Councillors to represent them.

Culture and entertainment[link]

There is a cinema complex as part of the Fulham Broadway Centre. Notable restaurant the River Café is in Fulham, alongside the headquarters of architect Richard Rogers and the London Oratory School. Fulham Town Hall built in 1888 in the classical renaissance is now used as a popular venue for concerts and dances, especially its Grand Hall.

The area is home to the Fulham Football Club stadium Craven Cottage and the Chelsea Football Club stadium Stamford Bridge and the various flats and entertainment centres built into it. This includes Marco's, a restaurant owned and operated by chef Marco Pierre White.

Famously exclusive sports club, the Hurlingham Club, is also located within Fulham. With members having included British monarchs, the waiting list for membership currently averages over fifteen years.^[4] There is a public swimming pool in Fulham which is attached to the Virgin Active gym complex on Lillie Road, which also hosts a number of tennis courts. Tennis can also be found on Eel Brooke Common. Hurlingham Park's tennis courts are used as netball courts and tennis nets are taken down and so restricting access to the courts for tennis. Hurlingham Park hosts the annual Polo in the Park tournament, which has become a recent feature of the area. The Hurlingham Club is the historic home of polo in the United Kingdom. Rugby is played on Eel Brooke Common and South Park.

The area, like other comparable areas of London, is home to a number of pubs and gastropubs. The White Horse in Parsons Green is colloquially known by many as the "Sloaney Pony",^[5] a reference to the "Sloane Rangers" who frequent it. Other popular pubs include the Durrell in Fulham Road, the Mitre on Bishops Road, the Duke on the Green and Aragon House both by Parsons Green.

The Harwood Arms, behind Fulham Broadway, is the only pub in London to receive a Michelin Star, this fresh entry to the Michelin Guide looks to take diners to a “rural haven in the middle of Fulham”.

Fulham Broadway has undergone considerable pedestrianisation and is home to a number of cafes, bars and salons. The largest supermarket in Fulham, Waitrose, is located by Fulham Broadway.

Fulham has an abundance of parks and open spaces of which Bishop's Park, Fulham Palace Gardens, Hurlingham Park, South Park, Eel Brook Common and Parsons Green are the largest. Most of the residential roads in Fulham are tree lined, often by houses painted in different pastel shades.

Fulham has appeared in numerous films including The Omen and The L-Shaped Room. Fulham Broadway tube station was used in Sliding Doors.

Fulham is home to a number of schools particularly independent pre-preparatory and preparatory schools.

The corner of Lillie Road by Munster Road hosts a number of boutique antique shops, which specialise in upmarket antiques. New Kings Road is host to a number of exclusive interior shops and galleries particularly as it merges with Kings Road, Chelsea and goes through Parsons Green.

Munstervillage has been coined as a name for the tree-lined roads, in which Victorian and Edwardian houses are situated, that run off Munster Road which is a large residential road off Fulham Road in the northern end of Parsons Green. Munster Road has since become home to a number of organic food shops, coffee bars and restaurants.

Studio 106 Art Gallery holds regular exhibitions and workshops.

Transport[link]

Putney Bridge tube station entrance

Fulham nestles in a loop of the Thames across the river from Barnes and Putney. It is on the Wimbledon branch of the District Line of the tube — Fulham's tube stations are Putney Bridge, Parsons Green and Fulham Broadway.

Nearest places[link]

Fulham Railway Bridge at low tide

• Chelsea (to the east of Fulham)
• Battersea
• Hammersmith (to the north-west of Fulham)
• Earls Court
• West Brompton
• Kensington (to the north of Fulham)
• Walham Green (Moore Park Estate)
• Sands End (Imperial Wharf)
• Putney (to the south of Fulham, across the Thames)
• Roehampton
• West Kensington
• Barnes
• Shepherd's Bush
• Wandsworth
• Southfields
• Wimbledon
• Notting Hill
• Chiswick
• White City

Notable people from Fulham[link]

• Example (born June 20, 1982)

See also[link]

• Metropolitan Borough of Fulham

References[link]

External links[link]

London/Hammersmith and Fulham travel guide from Wikitravel

• FulhamSW6.com Local news and information for the Fulham area
• Fulham - 1911 Encyclopædia article
• Museum of Fulham Palace on www.aboutbritain.com
• BBC Guide to Hammersmith, Fulham and Chiswick
• Bishop of Fulham's website
• Fulham & Hammersmith Historical Society
• Hammersmith and Fulham Labour Party.
• Greg Hands MP - Website of the Member of Parliament for Hammersmith and Fulham
• Cllr. Stephen Cowan (Lab) - Leader of the Opposition
• London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham
• The Borough Guide from the Borough Council
• Hammersmith, Fulham and Putney, by Geraldine Edith Mitton and John Cunningham Geikie, 1903, from Project Gutenberg
• St John's Church Fulham Website - History

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

v t e London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Districts Brook Green College Park East Acton Fulham Hammersmith Hurlingham Old Oak Common Parsons Green Sands End Shepherd's Bush Walham Green West Kensington White City Attractions BBC Television Centre Bush Theatre Craven Cottage football stadium Fulham Palace Hammersmith Apollo Linford Christie Stadium Loftus Road (football stadium) Lyric Theatre Olympia Leighton House Museum O2 Shepherds Bush Empire Queen's Club Stamford Bridge (stadium) Parks and open spaces Bishops Park Eel Brook Common Hurlingham Park Normand Park Ravenscourt Park Shepherd's Bush Common South Park Wormholt Park Wormwood Scrubs Constituencies Chelsea and Fulham Hammersmith Bridges Battersea Railway Bridge Fulham Railway Bridge Hammersmith Bridge Putney Bridge Wandsworth Bridge Tube and rail stations Barons Court East Acton Fulham Broadway Goldhawk Road Hammersmith (Hammersmith & City and Circle lines) Hammersmith (Piccadilly and District lines) Imperial Wharf railway station Parsons Green Putney Bridge Ravenscourt Park Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush Market West Kensington White City Wood Lane Other topics People Public art Schools

This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (May 2012)

Pavel Pogrebnyak

Personal information
Full name	Pavel Viktorovich Pogrebnyak
Date of birth	(1983-11-08) 8 November 1983 (age 28)
Place of birth	Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Fulham
Number	7
Youth career
1989–2002	Spartak Moscow
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002–2005	Spartak Moscow	18	(2)
2003	→ Baltika Kaliningrad (loan)	40	(15)
2004	→ Khimki (loan)	12	(6)
2005	→ Shinnik Yaroslavl (loan)	23	(4)
2006	Tom Tomsk	26	(13)
2007–2009	Zenit St. Petersburg	58	(22)
2009–2012	VfB Stuttgart	68	(15)
2012	Fulham	12	(6)
National team‡
2006–	Russia	32	(8)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:11, 17 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18:30, 25 May 2012 (UTC)

Pavel Viktorovich Pogrebnyak (Russian: Павел Викторович Погребняк; born 8 November 1983 in Moscow) is a Russian association footballer who currently plays as a striker with the English side Fulham and with the Russian national team. He is nicknamed Pogreb ("The Cellar")^[1] or Velikiy Po ("Po the Great"),^[2] the latter was popularized by his former Zenit teammate Andrei Arshavin.^[3]

Club career[link]

Pogrebnyak started playing football at the age of six for the Spartak Moscow football school. In 2001, he made his début for the Spartak reserve team and one year later he was selected for the first team squad. Between 2001 and 2003, he scored eight goals in 23 appearances.

In 2003, Pogrebnyak played 40 matches and scored 15 goals while on loan with Baltika Kaliningrad. The following season, he returned to Spartak Moscow, appearing 16 times and scoring two goals. The same season he also scored six goals for FC Khimki in 12 appearances. In 2005, Pogrebnyak played for Shinnik Yaroslavl and scored four goals in 23 matches. Pogrebnyak made his true breakthrough during the 2006 season with Tom Tomsk scoring 13 goals in 26 matches and became one of the favorites amongst the local fans.

Zenit St. Petersburg[link]

Pogrebnyak was signed in the off-season by Zenit St. Petersburg. In 2007, Zenit won the national league, with him chipping in 13 goals. Zenit won the 2008 Russian Super Cup 2–1 over Lokomotiv Moscow, with Pogrebnyak scoring the winner in the 82nd minute.

Along with Luca Toni, Pogrebnyak was joint top-scorer in the 2007–08 UEFA Cup season, scoring 10 goals and helping Zenit reach the final to be played at the City of Manchester Stadium. However, Pogrebnyak was to miss the final because of suspension following a third tournament booking in the semifinal's second leg win over Bayern Munich. In the final, Zenit still triumphed over runners-up Rangers to add their first European silverware.^[4] In the 2008 UEFA Super Cup he scored one of the Zenit's two goals in the 2–1 over English champions Manchester United.

On 28 January 2009, Zenit officials declared that they were on the verge of accepting a bid from Blackburn Rovers which would see the player move to the English side during the January transfer window, but the transfer did not take place.^[5]

In 51 official matches for Zenit, Pogrebnyak scored 28 goals, 12 of them in the national league.

VfB Stuttgart[link]

On 1 August 2009 he agreed to join Stuttgart.^[6] Pogrebnyak made his Bundesliga debut seven days later by playing all 90 minutes in the opening day 2–0 defeat to the defending champions Wolfsburg. He scored his first goal in his second game, on 15 August 2009, in Stuttgart's 4–2 win over Freiburg, in which he also won a penalty.^[7]

He ended his first season in German football scoring eight goals (six in the league). He then started the 2010–11 season scoring four goals in the first four games including his first hat-trick in Stuttgart's historic 7–0 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Fulham[link]

On 31 January 2012, Pogrebnyak moved to Premier League side Fulham^[8] and signed a contract until the end of the season.^[9] He then scored on his debut in the 2–1 win over Stoke City on 11 February 2012.^[10] In the following game he scored again, this time against London rivals Queens Park Rangers giving Fulham a 1–0 win.^[11] He then scored a perfect hat-trick in his next game, in a 5–0 win against Wolves on 4 March, meaning he had scored five goals in his first three games for Fulham.^[12] This made him the quickest player to reach 5 goals in Premier League history. On 21 April 2012 he returned from an ankle injury to score in a 2-1 win against Wigan Athletic at Craven Cottage.^[13] He was released by Fulham on June 1 2012.

International career[link]

Pogrebnyak debuted for the Russian national team on 16 August 2006 in a friendly match against Latvia, where he scored his first goal. He was also initially called-up as part of the Russian squad for UEFA Euro 2008, but because of a knee injury he picked up in a friendly match versus Serbia, he was replaced by Oleg Ivanov before Russia began the tournament.^[14] He was confirmed for the finalized UEFA Euro 2012 squad on May 25, 2012.^[15]

Pavel Pogrebnyak in Domodedovo airport (7 June 2007)

Career statistics[link]

Club[link]

As of 21 April 2012

International[link]

National team Club Season Apps Goals Russia Tom Tomsk 2006 5 2 Zenit St. Petersburg 2007 2 0 2008 5 3 2009 2 0 VfB Stuttgart 2009–10 3 0 2010–11 7 2 Total 24 7

International appearances and goals # Date Venue Opponent Final Score Goal Result Competition 2006 1. 16 August 2006 Moscow, Russia  Latvia 1–0 1 Win Friendly 2. 6 September 2006 Moscow, Russia  Croatia 0–0 0 Draw UEFA Euro 2008 qualification 3. 7 October 2006 Moscow, Russia  Israel 0–0 0 Draw UEFA Euro 2008 qualification 4. 11 October 2006 Saint Petersburg, Russia  Estonia 2–0 1 Win UEFA Euro 2008 qualification 5. 15 November 2006 Skopje, Macedonia  Macedonia 2–0 0 Win UEFA Euro 2008 qualification 2007 6. 22 August 2007 Moscow, Russia  Poland 2–2 0 Draw Friendly 7. 17 November 2007 Tel Aviv, Israel  Israel 1–2 0 Loss UEFA Euro 2008 qualification 2008 8. 23 May 2008 Moscow, Russia  Kazakhstan 6–0 1 Win Friendly 9. 28 May 2008 Burghausen, Germany  Serbia 2–1 1 Win Friendly 10. 10 September 2008 Moscow, Russia  Wales 2–1 1 Win 2010 World Cup qualification 11. 11 October 2008 Dortmund, Germany  Germany 1–2 0 Loss 2010 World Cup qualification 12. 15 October 2008 Moscow, Russia  Finland 3–0 0 Win 2010 World Cup qualification 2009 13. 28 March 2009 Moscow, Russia  Azerbaijan 2–0 0 Win 2010 World Cup qualification 14. 1 April 2009 Vaduz, Liechtenstein  Liechtenstein 1–0 0 Win 2010 World Cup qualification 15. 12 August 2009 Moscow, Russia  Argentina 2–3 0 Loss Friendly 16. 10 October 2009 Moscow, Russia  Germany 0–1 0 Loss 2010 World Cup qualification 17. 18 November 2009 Maribor, Slovenia  Slovenia 0–1 0 Loss 2010 World Cup qualification 2010 18. 3 March 2010 Győr, Hungary  Hungary 1–1 0 Draw Friendly 19. 11 August 2010 Saint-Petersburg, Russia  Bulgaria 1–0 0 Win Friendly 20. 3 September 2010 Andorra la Vella, Andorra  Andorra 2–0 2 Win UEFA Euro 2012 qualification 21. 7 September 2010 Moscow, Russia  Slovakia 0–1 0 Loss UEFA Euro 2012 qualification 22. 8 October 2010 Dublin, Ireland  Republic of Ireland 3–2 0 Win UEFA Euro 2012 qualification 23. 12 October 2010 Skopje, Macedonia  Macedonia 1–0 0 Win UEFA Euro 2012 qualification 24. 17 November 2010 Voronezh, Russia  Belgium 0–2 0 Loss Friendly

International goals[link]

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	16 August 2006	Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow, Russia	Latvia	1–0	1–0	Friendly
2	4 June 2006	Petrovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia	Estonia	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
3	23 May 2008	Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow, Russia	Kazakhstan	1–0	6–0	Friendly
4	28 May 2008	Wacker Sportpark, Burghausen, Germany	Serbia	0–1	1–2	Friendly
5	10 September 2008	Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow, Russia	Wales	2–1	2–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
6	3 September 2010	Estadi Comunal d'Aixovall, Andorra la Vella, Andorra	Andorra	0–1	0–2	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
7	3 September 2010	Estadi Comunal d'Aixovall, Andorra la Vella, Andorra	Andorra	0–2	0–2	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
8	10 August 2011	Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow, Russia	Serbia	1–0	1–0	Friendly

Personal life[link]

Pogrebnyak is married to Maria^[16] and they have three sons: Artyom, Pavel and Alexey.^[17]

He is the brother of Kirill Pogrebnyak and Nikolai Pogrebnyak who currently play for FC Tom.

Career honours[link]

Club[link]

Zenit St. Petersburg

• Russian Premier League (1): 2007
• Russian Super Cup (1): 2008
• UEFA Cup (1): 2007–08
• UEFA Super Cup (1): 2008

Individual[link]

Zenit St. Petersburg

• UEFA Cup Top Scorer (1): 2007–08

References[link]

External links[link]

• Player profile (Russian)
• Pavel Pogrebnyak at fussballdaten.de (German)

v t e Russia squad – UEFA Euro 2012 1 Akinfeev 2 Anyukov 3 Sharonov 4 Ignashevich 5 Zhirkov 6 Shirokov 7 Denisov 8 Zyryanov 9 Izmailov 10 Arshavin (c) 11 Kerzhakov 12 A. Berezutski 13 Shunin 14 Pavlychenko 15 D. Kombarov 16 Malafeev 17 Dzagoev 18 Kokorin 19 Granat 20 Pogrebnyak 21 Nababkin 22 Glushakov 23 Semshov Coach: Advocaat

Bryan Ruiz

Personal information
Full name	Bryan Ruiz González
Date of birth	(1985-08-18) 18 August 1985 (age 26)
Place of birth	Alajuela, San José, Costa Rica
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position	Second striker
Club information
Current club	Fulham
Number	11
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2003–2006	Alajuelense	66	(21)
2006–2009	Gent	78	(26)
2009–2011	Twente	65	(35)
2011–	Fulham	27	(2)
National team‡
2005–	Costa Rica	46	(9)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:14, 17 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 February 2012

Bryan Ruiz González (born 18 August 1985 in Alajuela) is a Costa Rican footballer who plays for Fulham in the Premier League. He is a left sided forward,^[1] with good ball control, heading and passing,^[2] who can play as a second striker.

Club career[link]

Liga Deportiva Alajuelense[link]

He began his professional career at 18 playing for Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, in Costa Rica's top division. He formed a trio with 2 strikers, Rolando Fonseca and Froylan Ledezma, where he built a reputation as a goalscorer and a play maker.^{[citation needed]} In Alajuelense, Bryan was nicknamed "la comadreja" (the weasel), for his ball-control ability.^{[citation needed]} He was on the team when it won regional titles such as the UNCAF Cup and the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.^{[citation needed]}

Gent[link]

In the summer of 2006, Ruiz was signed by K.A.A. Gent in a 4-year deal along with Randall Azofeifa from Deportivo Saprissa and Roy Myrie from Liga Deportiva Alajuelense.^{[citation needed]}

He scored his first hat trick playing for the Gent on December 8, 2007 against Lokeren. In that season in the Belgian League, he was the captain and top scorer for the team.^[3]

Twente[link]

On July 15, 2009, the Dutch club FC Twente announced that they had signed Ruiz for around five million Euro and agreed to receive a percentage of a subsequent transfer. Ruiz signed a 4-year deal with the Eredivisie side.^[4] Ruiz made his debut for the new club by scoring the second goal of the match, with an assist from another newcomer, Miroslav Stoch.^[5][6] Ruiz's goal against Sporting on 12 December 2009 marked the 10th consecutive match in which he had scored.^[7] On March 27, 2010, Ruiz made one of the quickest hat tricks ever^[8] against Sparta Rotterdam, with goals in the 46th, 49th and 50th minutes.^{[citation needed]}

On May 2, 2010, FC Twente were crowned champions of Eredivisie for the first time in their history, with a 2–0 win at NAC Breda; Ruiz scored the first goal of the match during the 23rd minute of play.^{[citation needed]} Ruiz finished the season as top scorer for Twente with 24 goals in Eredivisie play.^{[citation needed]} In August 2011, Ruiz was being watched by scouts from Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, however on 18 August 2011 Ruiz claimed that Fulham was in talks with him. Ruiz stated to a local source "Fulham is a serious option for me. "That is also a Premier League side and it is a fantastic league. "Fulham already contacted my agent. If Fulham does become serious, we will definitely talk."^{[citation needed]}

Fulham[link]

On August 31, 2011, in the last hour of the Barclay's Premier League transfer window, Ruiz signed with Fulham for a reported £10.6 million.^[9] His debut was on Sunday, 11 September 2011 at home to Blackburn Rovers. He scored his first goal for Fulham in a 3–1 defeat against Everton on 23 October 2011. He scored his second Premier League goal of the season with a "delicate chip" over Jussi Jääskeläinen, coming in a 2-0 home win over Bolton on 17 December. Against Bolton, he also made a pass to Clint Dempsey with his left foot, and Dempsey then scored off his head. ^[10] However, in the return fixture win at the Reebok Stadium on the 7th of April, Ruiz broke a bone in his foot, leading to a stretcher taking him off, ending for him what has been a mixed debut season in the Premiership. ^[11]

International career[link]

Ruiz has played for Costa Rica's under-20 teams and has also been capped for the full Costa Rican national side on several occasions, most notably the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.^{[citation needed]} He played in the CONCACAF Gold Cup and in the qualifiers for World Cup 2006. However, at the World Cup itself, he was not part of the team. ^[12]

In the qualifiers for World Cup 2010, Ruiz was a member of the starting team and he scored six goals, which tied him with Álvaro Saborío as top scorers.^{[citation needed]} Costa Rica was defeated in the play-off against Uruguay and thus didn't qualify for the World Cup in South-Africa.

International goals[link]

Scores and results list. Costa Rica's goal tally first.

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	July 6, 2005	Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, USA	Honduras	2–3	2–3	2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2	March 24, 2007	Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, San José, Costa Rica	New Zealand	4–0	4–0	Friendly
3	June 2, 2007	Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, San José, Costa Rica	Chile	2–0	2–0	Friendly
4	June 21, 2008	Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, San José, Costa Rica	Grenada	2–0	3–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
5	September 6, 2009	Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, San José, Costa Rica	Suriname	7–0	7–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
6	September 10, 2008	Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, HAI	Haiti	0 - 1	1–3	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
7	September 10, 2008	Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, HAI	Haiti	0 - 2	1–3	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
8	October 14, 2009	Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C., USA	United States	0 -1	2 - 2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
9	October 14, 2009	Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C., USA	United States	0 -2	2 - 2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)

Honours[link]

Individual

• Player of the season at Gent: 2009
• Player of the season at FC Twente: 2010
• Goal of the Month (England): October 2011

Personal Life[link]

On 18th April 2012 Diario Extra reported that Ruiz was romantically involved with model Yolanda Arce and published an interview with Yolanda giving details of their relationship. However, Ruiz later denied that they were in a relationship via his facebook page. Diario extra then issued an apology the following day.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Bryan Ruiz career stats at Soccerbase
• Official website
• Bryan Ruiz at National-Football-Teams.com

v t e Costa Rica squad – 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup 1 Mesén 2 3 Miller 4 Umaña 5 Badilla 6 Fonseca 7 Rojas 8 López 9 Ruiz 10 Soto 11 Bolaños 12 Díaz 13 Cordero 14 Segura 15 Wallace 17 Bryce 18 Porras 19 Wright 20 Sequeira 21 Brenes 23 Grant Coach: Guimarães

v t e Costa Rica squad – 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup 1 K. Navas 2 Calvo 3 Acosta 4 Salvatierra 5 Borges 6 Mora 7 Bolaños 8 Guzmán 9 Saborío 10 Ruiz 11 Madrigal 12 Campbell 14 Oviedo 15 Díaz 16 Ureña 17 Martínez 18 Grant 19 Duarte 20 Marshall 21 Brenes 22 Cubero 23 Moreira 24 Guevara Coach: La Volpe