Tyler-Jay Robert Dibling (born 17 February 2006) 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 club

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

Club career

Early career

Born in

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

, Dibling started his career with local side Axminster Town AFC, where his father Sam played for the men's team. He joined Millwey Rise FC at the age of five, spending two years with the youth side. He joined

in 2012, also spending a year with

Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third level of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...

at the age of seven, before signing a professional contract with ''The Saints'' in October 2021. In April 2022, he scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

of near-identical goals in a

Premier League 2 The Professional Development League is a system of Football in England, English youth association football, football leagues that are managed, organised and controlled by the Premier League or by the Football League. It was introduced by the Th ...

game against

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

, with a video of the goals going viral. Having been named on the bench for a

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

game against

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

, in which he did not feature, Dibling drew attention from

and Chelsea. He joined the latter in July 2022, after ten years with Southampton, with the promise of a professional contract once he turned seventeen. However, after failing to settle at Chelsea, making only two appearances for the club's under-18 side, he returned to Southampton in September 2022.

Southampton

Dibling signed a scholarship deal with Southampton on 17 September 2022, stating that the club felt like a "second home" to him. He is seen as one of the brightest prospects in Southampton's academy. On 22 February 2023, Dibling signed his first professional contract. On 18 December 2023, he signed a new contract, keeping him at the club until 2026. Dibling made his first professional appearance on 8 August 2023 in a 3–1 defeat to Gillingham in the

EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

, replacing Jayden Meghoma in the 85th minute. On 13 January 2024, he made his first league appearance for the club in a 4–0 victory against

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...

, coming on as a substitute for

Ryan Fraser Ryan Fraser (born 24 February 1994) is a Scottish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Winger (association football), left winger for club Southampton F.C., Southampton and the Scotland national football team, Scotland n ...

in the 88th minute. On 17 August 2024, Dibling made his first Premier League appearance in a 1–0 away defeat against Newcastle United after he replaced Joe Aribo in the 70th minute. On 21 September, he scored his first professional goal in a 1–1 draw against Ipswich Town.

International career

Dibling has represented England at the under-16, under-17 and under-18 levels. On 17 May 2023, Dibling was named in the

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. He made his England under-18 debut on 6 September 2023 during a 2–0 defeat to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Limoges Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...

. On 2 November 2023, Dibling was included in the England squad for the

2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup The 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the 19th edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, the biennial international men's youth association football, football tournament contested by the under-17 national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It was hel ...

. He scored in their opening group game against

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

. On 4 September 2024, Dibling made his England U19 debut during a 2–2 draw to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. On 8 November 2024, he was named in the

England U21 The England national under-21 football team, also known as England under-21s or England U21(s), is the national under-21 association football team of England, under the control of the Football Association. It is considered to be the feeder team ...

squad to face

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

in friendlies. He made his England U21 debut on 15 November 2024 in a 0–0 draw with Spain.

Career statistics

Honours

England U18 * U18 Pinatar Super Cup: 2024

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dibling, Tyler 2006 births Living people Footballers from Exeter English men's footballers England men's youth international footballers England men's under-21 international footballers Men's association football midfielders Exeter City F.C. players Southampton F.C. players Chelsea F.C. players English Football League players Premier League players 21st-century English sportsmen