Chris Rigg: 'I thought Sunderland was the right place to develop - it’s turned out well so far'

Chris Rigg has opened up on his historic debut and why he chose Sunderland.

Michael Graham | Jan 26, 2023

Chris Rigg: 'I thought Sunderland was the right place to develop - it’s turned out well so far' /

Chris Rigg says he chose Sunderland because he felt they were his best bet to develop him as a player, and he is very happy with his choice so far.

Rigg is one of the most highly-rated young footballers in the country, with Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle all hoping to tempt him away from Sunderland.

He made his senior debut for the club earlier this month, coming on as a substitute in the FA Cup win at Shrewsbury. At just 15 years and 203 days old, it made him the youngest outfield player in Sunderland history.

Sunderland are certainly developing a reputation for developing young players and fellow academy players Ben Middlemas, Tommy Watson and Mason Cotcher were also on the bench at New Meadow.

“To have the other lads there made it even more special – especially Mason,” Rigg told safc.com.

“The two of us have been everywhere together – we both picked Sunderland because we thought it was the right place to develop, and it’s turned out well so far.

“Before the game we looked at each other, and we were like ‘wow’. It felt like last week we were nine years old, and now we’re on the bench together in a first-team game.

“It felt more comfortable with the other boys there as well, Ben and Tommy. They’ve done really well training with the first team.

“All the senior boys have been good with us young players – in training, I want to stand out, not just make up the numbers.

“On my first session with them I was looking to play the way I would with my own age group – throwing tackles in, dribbling past players and playing riskier passes. The first-team boys have advised me to keep doing what I’m doing, which is such a great push for me.”

Rigg certainly stood out at Shrewsbury. He won the corner from which Sunderland equalised through Ross Stewart after he took on a man down the left-hand side.

He, though, said he was worried his debut would be postponed because Shrewsbury took the lead just as he was due to come on.

“I was about to come on, and then we went 1-0 down – I thought ‘no way,’” Rigg recalled. “I was in a blanket on the bench, but then the gaffer said ‘Riggy, go and get ready’. The whole moment was surreal.

“Straight away he called me over. He was talking to me about tactics, and I remember just trying to keep my head level as I was thinking ‘wow, this is actually happening’.

“The craziest thing when I came on was that the first person I spotted in the crowd was my dad. All the noise was amazing, but then Dan Neil gave me the ball – it felt so much more comfortable after my first touch.”

If his debut was a high, he had the unusual situation of going to school on Monday morning. It’s not a situation many players have to deal with two days after their debut.

“School? That’s been mad,” he said. “On the Monday after Shrewsbury I walked into the hall, and there was a big assembly for me.

“Kids at school were asking for photos, it was surreal. At the end of the day, that mentality as a player… you want to give something back to the fans who pay to watch you and be entertained.

“All the teachers have asked me the same question, just generally about how it was. I’ve just told them it’s a dream come true.”

Read more Sunderland coverage