Eliot Goldthorp (born 3 November 2001) is an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for FC Tulsa on loan from

Lexington SC Lexington Sporting Club is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 2021 as an expansion side in USL League One (the third division of the United States soccer league system), the clu ...

Early life

Goldthorp was born in

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

and played youth football for

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...

and

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...

Club career

England

Goldthorp made his senior debut for Bradford City on 25 September 2018 in the

EFL Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Motors, Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football, football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and ...

in a 1–1 draw against Everton U21s, scoring the winning penalty. On 9 October 2018, manager

David Hopkin David Isaac Hopkin (born 21 August 1970) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player who was most recently the manager of Ayr United. As a player he was a midfielder from 1989 until 2003, notably in the English Premier League ...

stated that Goldthorp would make his first senior start, also in the EFL Trophy. He was praised by Hopkin for his performance in the match, which was a 4–1 home defeat. On 1 October 2019 he moved on loan to

Mossley Mossley (/ˈmɒzli/) is a town and civil parish in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, in the upper River Tame, Greater Manchester, Tame Valley and the foothills of the Pennines, south-east of Oldham and east of Manchester. The town grew ...

. He scored 3 goals in 5 games before being recalled by Bradford City later that month. His 5 games for Mossley included 3 in the league, 1 in the Manchester Premier Cup, and 1 in the FA Trophy Preliminary Round where he scored a hat-trick.

He moved on loan to Radcliffe in December 2019. On 8 January 2020 the loan deal was ended early. In February 2020 he moved on loan to

Matlock Town Matlock Town Football Club is a association football, football club based in Matlock, Derbyshire, Matlock, Derbyshire, England. Nicknamed 'the Gladiators', they are currently members of the and play at Causeway Lane. History The club was esta ...

until the end of the season. Goldthorp was released by Bradford City at the end of the 2019–20 season. He signed for Farsley Celtic in October 2020. In December 2020, Goldthorp and teammate Joe West signed for

Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...

side

Frickley Athletic Frickley Athletic Football Club is a football club based in South Elmsall, West Yorkshire, England. They are members of the and play at Westfield Lane. History The club was formed on 30 July 1908, and became a member of the South Yorkshire Lea ...

on a dual registration deal.

North America

College career

In May 2021, Goldthorp signed to play collegiate soccer in the United States at

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (ODU) is a Public university, public research university in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. Established in 1930 as the two-year Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary, it began by educating people with fewer ...

. In his freshman season, Goldthrop made 13 appearances, scoring four goals, and providing two assists, leading the team in total points. After his freshman season, he transferred to

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a Private university, private research university in Hempstead, New York, United States. It originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University and became an independent college in 1939. Comprising ten schools, includ ...

. During his first year at Hofstra he made 21 appearances, scoring 17 goals. He helped Hosftra qualify for the

2022 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament The 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament was the 64th edition of the NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, a postseason tournament to determine the national champion of the 2022 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The tournament sta ...

. There, he scored twice for the Pride before they were eliminated in the first round. During the 2022 college offseason, he played for the

Des Moines Menace Des Moines Menace is an American soccer team based in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system. The Menace have had sustained success in USL Lea ...

USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

making 12 appearances, scoring nine goals and providing two assists.

Professional career

In December 2023, he was drafted by the

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The MLS ite ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

. In March 2024, he signed with the second team,

Whitecaps FC 2 Whitecaps FC 2 is a professional association football, soccer team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada that serves as the reserve team of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer. History Prior to the MLS Next Pro iteratio ...

, in

MLS Next Pro MLS Next Pro (MLSNP) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer (MLS). It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and now comprises 27 reserve sides of MLS clu ...

. During the 2024 season, he twice signed short-term loans with the first team. In August 2024, he made his debut for the first team as a late substitute in a 3–1 victory over

Tijuana Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...

in the

Leagues Cup The Leagues Cup is an annual soccer competition between clubs from Major League Soccer (MLS), the main soccer league in the United States, and Liga MX, the main soccer league in Mexico. It is hosted in Canada and the United States. It began in ...

. On 10 December 2024, Goldthorp joined

ahead of their debut season in the

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...

. On 6 June 2025, he joined FC Tulsa on loan for the remainder of the season.

Personal life

His sister Francesca plays rugby league and rugby union.

Career statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldthorp, Eliot 2001 births Living people English men's footballers Footballers from Leeds Men's association football midfielders Manchester United F.C. players Leeds United F.C. players Bradford City A.F.C. players Mossley A.F.C. players Radcliffe F.C. players Matlock Town F.C. players Des Moines Menace players Farsley Celtic F.C. players Frickley Athletic F.C. players Old Dominion Monarchs men's soccer players Hofstra Pride men's soccer players Whitecaps FC 2 players English Football League players Northern Premier League players USL League Two players Vancouver Whitecaps FC draft picks All-American college men's soccer players English expatriate men's footballers English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States English expatriate sportspeople in Canada Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada 21st-century English sportsmen Lexington SC players MLS Next Pro players Vancouver Whitecaps FC players FC Tulsa players