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Rio Cardines

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Rio Cardines
Cardines in 2025
Personal information
Full name Rio Solomon Cardines[1]
Date of birth (2006-07-01) 1 July 2006 (age 19)
Place of birth Stevenage, England[2]
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[3]
Position Right-back/right wing-back
Team information
Current team
 Crystal Palace
Number 59
Youth career
–2022 Stevenage Borough Juniors
2022– Crystal Palace
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2025– Crystal Palace 0 (0)
International career‡
2023 Trinidad and Tobago U17 3 (1)
2024 Trinidad and Tobago U20 3 (1)
2025– Trinidad and Tobago 2 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14:37, 29 May 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 14:37, 29 May 2025 (UTC)

Rio Solomon Cardines (born 1 July 2006) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back or right wing-back for Premier League club Crystal Palace. Born in England, he plays for the Trinidad and Tobago national team.

Club career

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Cardines is a quick athletic defender who was a youth product of the successful London Colney Colts under-12 and under-15 teams based in St Albans. He went on to join Stevenage Borough Juniors.[4] Cardines joined the youth academy of Crystal Palace at under-16 level in 2022. He was part of the team who won a pre-season tournament against Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Dundee United in August 2022. Though he has played predominantly as a right-back, Cardines has also slotted in anywhere across the defence if required and has also played on the wing. Cardines made his first start for the Under-18s side against Norwich City in November 2022 and managed to get on the scoresheet in a 2-2 draw. His performances for the young Eagles saw him earn a call-up in January 2023, to Trinidad and Tobago's Under-17s team for their participation in the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship. He helped the Crystal Palace U21s win the 2023–24 Premier League International Cup.[5] On 3 July 2024, he signed his first professional contract with Crystal Palace.[6] He played for the Palace U21s in a 1–0 EFL Trophy loss to Stevenage on 20 August 2024.[7] Cardines first competitive involvement with the first-team was as an unused substitute in the 2025 FA Community Shield in August 2025,[8] with his first appearance occurring two months later when he came on as a late substitute in an away match against Dynamo Kyiv in the UEFA Conference League.[9]

International career

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Born in England, Cardines is of Trinidadian descent.[2] A dual-citizen, he gained Trinidadian citizenship on February 10th 2023.[10] He was part of the Trinidad and Tobago U17s that played at the 2023 CONCACAF U-17 Championship.[11] In 2024, he was called up to the Trinidad and Tobago U20s for a set of 2024 CONCACAF U-20 Championship qualifying matches.[10]

On 1 July 2023, Cardines was part of the preliminary 60-man squad for the senior Trinidad and Tobago national team for the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[12] He was formally called up to the senior Trinidad and Tobago national team for the 2025 Unity Cup.[13] He debuted in that tournament in a 3–2 loss to Jamaica on 27 May 2025.[14]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 29 October 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Crystal Palace U21 2024–25[15] — — — — 1[a] 0 1 0
Crystal Palace 2025–26[16] Premier League 0 0 0 0 1 0 1[b] 0 0 0 2 0
Career total 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 3 0
  1. ^ Appearance in EFL Trophy
  2. ^ Appearance in UEFA Conference League

International

[edit]
Appearances and goals by national team and year[15][16]
National team Year Apps Goals
Trinidad and Tobago 2025 6 0
Total 6 0

Honours

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Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace U21

References

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  1. ^ "2024/25 Premier League squad lists". www.premierleague.com.
  2. ^ a b Media, TTFA (10 February 2023). "CARDINES GETS T&T PASSPORT".
  3. ^ "Rio Cardines Crystal Palace U21 Midfielder, Profile & Stats | Premier League". www.premierleague.com.
  4. ^ Metcalfe, Neil (22 June 2021). "Stevenage Borough Juniors crowned national champions after tense victory". The Comet. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  5. ^ a b Smith, Dom (16 May 2024). "Crystal Palace Under-21s crowned Premier League International Cup champions". The Standard.
  6. ^ "Rio Cardines signs professional contract with Crystal Palace". Soca Warriors Online - Trinidad and Tobago Football. 24 April 2025.
  7. ^ "Stevenage vs Crystal Palace U21: EFL Trophy". BBC Sport.
  8. ^ "Crystal Palace vs Liverpool LIVE: Community Shield score, lineups, radio & updates". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  9. ^ Walcott, Roneil (3 October 2025). "'Dreams turn to reality' as Rio Cardines makes Crystal Palace debut". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Cardines bags goal and assists for Trinidad and Tobago U20s - News". Crystal Palace F.C. 27 February 2024.
  11. ^ "COOPER NAMES 20-MAN SQUAD FOR CONCACAF U-17S". thettfa.com. Trinidad & Tobago Football Association. 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  12. ^ "2023 Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary rosters announced". Gold Cup. 1 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Yorke names Cardines, 'Bongo' and Bateau in 24-man team for Unity Cup". 24 May 2025.
  14. ^ Liburd, Lasana (27 May 2025). "Molino and 'Bongo' net; but Jamaica hold off T&T 3-2 in Unity Cup".
  15. ^ a b "Games played by Rio Cardines in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  16. ^ a b "Games played by Rio Cardines in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  17. ^ "FA Cup holders Crystal Palace beat Premier League champions Liverpool 3-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw to win an enthralling Community Shield at Wembley". BBC Sport. 10 August 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
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