A centre-back, he started his playing career with Heart of Midlothian, making 133 league appearances for the club and helping it win the Scottish Cup in 1998.

However, Rangers manager Dick Advocaat then elected to sell Ritchie to Manchester City for a fee of £500,000 just two months later, without him ever playing a first team match for the club.

Ritchie spent three years with City, but struggled throughout to earn a regular place in their team, spending time out on loan with Portsmouth and Derby County.

[3] In August 2003 he left on a free transfer and joined Walsall, where despite suffering relegation he was at least able to play regular first team football again, forcing himself back into the international reckoning with some inspirational performances, scoring once against Rotherham United.

[4] However, whilst at Walsall he was caught up in a contract dispute with owner Jeff Bonser, indirectly leading to the dismissal of Saddler's manager Colin Lee.

For a while he was regularly captaining the team, but in April 2006 United manager Craig Brewster announced Ritchie was free to leave the club at the end of the season, despite having a year of his contract left to run.