Safia Middleton-Patel
Wales international footballer (born 2004)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Safia Middleton-Patel (born 21 September 2004) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Manchester United of the Women's Super League, and the Wales national team.[1]
.jpg)
|
Middleton-Patel with Wales in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 21 September 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Wales | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Manchester United | ||
| Number | 39 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2020 | Liverpool | ||
| 2020– | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021– | Manchester United | 1 | (0) |
| 2021 | → Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Leicester City (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2023 | → Coventry United (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2023 | → Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2024 | → Watford (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019–2021 | Wales U17 | 6 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Wales U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2023– | Wales | 8 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15 November 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 7 March 2026 | |||
Club career
Manchester United
Having made five appearances for Liverpool under-16s youth team,[2] Middleton-Patel joined Women's Super League club Manchester United in summer 2020.[3] During the 2021–22 season, she was part of the under-21 team that won the WSL Academy League and Academy Cup double.[3] She was named to her first senior matchday squad for the club on 5 February 2022, a WSL match against Arsenal.[4] She signed her first senior professional contract with the club in January 2023.[5] On 21 August 2025, Middleton-Patel signed a new contract with Manchester United, keeping her at the club until June 2028.[6]
Loan spells
In November 2021, Middleton-Patel joined Blackburn Rovers of the Women's Championship on dual registration terms.[7] She was named to two matchday squads that month but did not make a senior appearance.[1]
On 12 March 2022, she joined WSL club Leicester City on an emergency goalkeeper loan for an away trip to Everton following injuries to Demi Lambourne and Kirstie Levell.[8] She was an unused substitute behind Sophie Harris as Leicester lost 3–2.[9]
On 11 February 2023, Middleton-Patel joined Championship club Coventry United on an emergency goalkeeper loan for a home match against Blackburn Rovers.[10] She made her senior debut the following day, starting as Coventry won 3–1.[11] In total she played three matches, conceding nine goals.
On 26 April 2023, Middleton-Patel returned to Blackburn Rovers on an emergency loan deal.[12] Four days later, she kept her first clean sheet in senior football as Blackburn beat Sunderland 1–0.[13]
On 19 January 2024, she joined Championship club Watford on loan for the remainder of the 2023–24 season.[14][15] She made a total of six appearances, keeping two clean sheets and conceding eight goals, as Watford finished last and were relegated.
2024–present: First-team debut
Following the summer 2024 departure of Mary Earps, Middleton-Patel assumed the role of backup behind Phallon Tullis-Joyce. On 11 December 2024, she made her Manchester United debut in the final group stage game of the 2024–25 Women's League Cup against Championship side Newcastle United, with United securing a 5–3 victory.[16] Her next appearance for the club came in the 2025–26 season following an injury to Tullis-Joyce, in which she made her UEFA Women's Champions League debut in a 2–1 victory against Paris Saint-Germain on 12 November 2025.[17] Four days later, she made her WSL debut in a 3–0 defeat against Manchester City.[18]
International career
Youth
Middleton-Patel represented Wales at under-17 and under-19, appearing during 2020 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship qualification and 2022 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship qualification as well as 2022 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship qualification.
Senior
In September 2022, Middleton-Patel received her first senior Wales call-up for 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifiers against Greece and Slovenia but did not appear.[19] She was recalled to the squad during the next two windows, for two further qualifiers and a friendly but again did not appear for the team. On 15 February 2023, Middleton-Patel made her senior international debut, aged 18, when she started against the Philippines at the 2023 Pinatar Cup.[20] She played the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 victory for Wales.[21] She departed camp prior to the second game in order to appear for the under-19 team.[22]
During her third cap on 8 April 2025, Middleton-Patel was awarded player of the match for her performance in a 1–1 UEFA Women's Nations League draw against Sweden.[23] In June that year, she was named in Wales' squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2025.[24] By playing at the tournament, she became the first female player of Asian heritage to play for Wales at a major tournament.[25] She played in one of Wales' three matches at the tournament.[26]
Personal life
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 19 November 2025.[1]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester United | 2021–22 | WSL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022–23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2024–25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2025–26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 2021–22 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Leicester City (loan) | 2021–22 | WSL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Coventry United (loan) | 2022–23 | Championship | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 2022–23 | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| Watford (loan) | 2023–24 | Championship | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |
| Career total | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||
International
- Statistics accurate as of match played 7 March 2026.[1]
| Wales | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals | ||
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 8 | 0 | ||
Honours
Manchester United
- Women's FA Cup runner-up: 2024–25[32]
- Women's League Cup runner-up: 2025–26[33]
