Kyle Andrew Walker (born 28 May 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for club Manchester City and the England national team. Walker started his career at his boyhood club

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

which he had joined at the age of seven. He was promoted to the first-team where he made his full Sheffield United debut at 18 years old against

Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a profession ...

after a loan spell at

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...

. He impressed whilst playing for the Blades and played in the 2009 Championship play-off final in their defeat against

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...

. His performances earned him a move to Premier League club

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

, before being immediately loaned back to Sheffield United. After further loan spells at

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

and Aston Villa, he cemented his place in Tottenham's first team. His performances earned him a call-up to the England national team where he made his debut against

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. After five more seasons at Tottenham, Walker joined Manchester City for a fee of £45 million. He has since won four Premier League titles, four EFL Cup trophies and one

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

whilst at City. He has also played for England at

UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...

, the 2018 FIFA World Cup and

UEFA Euro 2020 The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...

. He has been named in the PFA Team of the Year three times in: 2011–12, 2016–17 and 2017–18.

Early life

Walker was born in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

, South Yorkshire, and is of Jamaican descent. He grew up in the

Sharrow Sharrow is a suburb of Sheffield located directly southwest of Sheffield city centre. The district lies within the Nether Edge and Sharrow ward of the City. Sharrow Ward's back to back terraced housing in ''Little Sheffield'' was redevel ...

area of the city, and attended Porter Croft Infant & Junior School, followed by High Storrs School until 2006.

Club career

Sheffield United

Walker joined boyhood club

, at the age of seven after being recommended by coach Paul Archer at Football Unites, Racism Divides and progressed through the ranks to become a regular fixture in the reserves by 2008. In November 2008, he was allowed to join

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

club

on a one-month

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that ...

to gain first-team experience, making his debut on 15 November 2008 in a defeat by

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic be ...

. His one-month loan was later extended into January, before he eventually returned to Bramall Lane having played nine matches for the Cobblers. Soon after returning to his parent club, Walker made his full debut for Sheffield United on 13 January 2009, starting in a third round

tie against

. With the Blades losing a number of players to injury in the closing weeks of the season, Walker was a surprise inclusion in the starting line up for the crucial last two matches of the season, making his full league debut for the club on 25 April 2009 against Swansea City. After two outstanding performances he retained his place as Sheffield United entered the play–offs, starting both matches against Preston North End and the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

against

at the end of May 2009. By playing in the final, Walker became the youngest Sheffield United player ever to play at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...

Tottenham Hotspur

On 22 July 2009, Walker left Sheffield United to join

along with fellow defender Kyle Naughton for a combined fee of £9 million, but was loaned back to United for the duration of the 2009–10 season as part of the deal. While at Bramall Lane he was virtually ever-present at right-back for the first half of the season but was unexpectedly recalled back to Spurs on 1 February 2010, just before the close of the January 2010

transfer window A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer wi ...

, after

Alan Hutton Alan Hutton (born 30 November 1984) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a right back. Hutton started his career with Rangers, and won the league title in 2005. He moved to English football with Tottenham Hotspur in 200 ...

was loaned out to Sunderland. Walker made his debut for Tottenham on Saturday 27 March 2010, in a 2–0 victory over

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

and went on to make one more league appearance that season. Kyle Walker Spurs USA tour 2010

At the start of the following season, Walker went out on loan once more signing an initial six-month deal with

(QPR) due to injuries at the club in the right-back position. In mid-October, his loan was extended until 3 January 2011. After he had left QPR, Walker joined Aston Villa on loan until the end of the

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

season. He scored on his debut only nine minutes into the match against former club Sheffield United in the third round of the FA Cup in January 2011. At the start of February, Walker scored his first Premier League goal and first senior league goal, a 30-yard strike low into the left corner against Fulham. He returned to his parent club at the end of the 2010–11 season after scoring two goals in 18 appearances in all competitions for Aston Villa. On leaving Villa Park, Walker suggested that he would be happy to return to the club the next season, for his first-team opportunities at Spurs were limited, but Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp had already stated that he did not wish to sell the defender. Walker subsequently agreed to a contract extension at Tottenham until 2016. Walker was chosen in the starting eleven for Tottenham's opening match of the 2011–12 season, against Manchester United at Old Trafford on 22 August 2011. On 2 October, he scored the winning goal in the

North London derby The North London derby is the meeting of the association football clubs Arsenal F.C. and Tottenham Hotspur F.C., both of which are based in North London, England. Fans of both clubs consider the other to be their main rivals, and the derby is co ...

against Arsenal from 25-yards out. Tottenham won the match 2–1. On 22 April 2012, Walker was named as the

PFA Young Player of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year (often called the PFA Young Player of the Year, or simply the Young Player of the Year) is an annual award given to the young player who is adjudged to have been the best of the s ...

, beating the likes of

Sergio Agüero Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo (born 2 June 1988), also known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest play ...

Danny Welbeck Daniel Nii Tackie Mensah Welbeck (born 26 November 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Brighton & Hove Albion. Welbeck made his way through the youth teams at Manchester United before making his senio ...

Daniel Sturridge Daniel Andre Sturridge (; born 1 September 1989) is an English professional footballer who last played as a striker. As well as representing England, he has played in the Premier League for Manchester City, Chelsea, Bolton Wanderers, Liverpool ...

, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and teammate Gareth Bale to the award, as well as being named in the PFA Team of the Year. On 29 April, he scored a free kick from 25 yards to help Tottenham beat

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

2–0 at

White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater it had a capacity of 36,284 before demolition. ...

. On 3 May 2012, Walker was awarded with a new five-year contract, that ran until 2017. Walker's performance against Manchester United in March 2012 saw him at fault for two of the opposition's goals in a 3–1 defeat. He began his next season in a similar vein; he was at fault for Chelsea's 4th goal in the 4–2 defeat at White Hart Lane, getting shrugged off the ball easily by Juan Mata. He was ever-present in the first half of the season in the Premier League, with the exception of the 3–0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage; this included playing 90 minutes in the 3–2 win over Manchester United, which was Tottenham's first victory at Old Trafford in 23 years. Kyle Walker 01-09-2013 1

On 28 October 2013, it was announced that Walker had signed a new contract with Tottenham, keeping him at the club until 2019. Walker was part of the team that lost 2–0 to

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

at Wembley Stadium in the 2015 League Cup Final on 1 March. On 8 August 2015, Walker was involved in an own goal which led to Tottenham suffering a defeat in the hands of Manchester United in the season opener and it also became the first goal of the new season. On 20 April 2017, Walker was named as right-back in the PFA Team of the Year for the second time.

Manchester City

On 14 July 2017, Walker signed a five-year contract with Tottenham's Premier League rivals Manchester City, in a transfer reported to be worth an initial £45 million fee, rising to £50 million with add-ons, making it one of the most expensive football transfers. He made his competitive debut for City against Brighton on 12 August 2017, a game where many media outlets labelled him as the best player. However, during Walker's home debut for Manchester City he was sent off for two yellow card offences against Everton, which was thought to be a harsh decision by referee

Bobby Madley Robert Madley (born 6 October 1985) is an English professional football referee who was on the list of Select Group Referees who officiate primarily in the Premier League between 2013 and 2018. He officiated in the Football League as a refere ...

. Walker was selected and part of the squad that beat Arsenal 3–0 at Wembley Stadium in the

2018 EFL Cup Final The 2018 EFL Cup Final (also known as the 2018 Carabao Cup Final for sponsorship reasons) was the final association football match of the 2017–18 EFL Cup that took place on 25 February 2018 at Wembley Stadium. It was the first League Cup final ...

to claim his and City's first trophy of the 2017–18 season. Walker signed a new contract with the club in June 2019. On 6 November 2019, in a Champions League away match against

Atalanta Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology ...

, Walker volunteered to go in goal for the last 10 minutes after substitute goalkeeper

Claudio Bravo Claudio Andrés Bravo Muñoz (; born 13 April 1983) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Real Betis and captains the Chile national team. He started playing with Colo-Colo and moved to Real Sociedad ...

was sent off; he did not concede as the match ended 1–1. On 5 April 2020, the club began a disciplinary procedure against Walker after it was reported that he had broken national lockdown rules and invited two sex workers to his home amid the global coronavirus pandemic. On 7 May 2020, it was again reported that he had broken lockdown rules by travelling to Sheffield to give a present to his sister and hugging her. He later admitted that he also visited his parents to pick up food. Manchester City said they would not discipline him for this, citing the trips being for personal reasons. He later tweeted that he felt he and his family were being harassed and that the reports were affecting the mental health of his whole family.

International career

Before having even made a league appearance for Sheffield United, Walker was called up to the England U19s in February 2009. He made his début on 10 February, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 3–0 loss to Spain U19s. Following his first run of regular Premier League starts, Walker was called up to the full

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

squad in February 2011 and again in March 2011. However, he did not feature in any of the matches played, and pulled out of the squad in March due to an injury. At the end of the 2010–11 season, Walker was named as part of the England squad that competed in the

2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *'' ...

competition in Denmark. Despite the poor showing of the team, who were knocked out in the first round, Walker was named in the Team of the Tournament. His good form in the 2011–12 season saw him make his senior England début in the 1–0 win over

, coming on for Scott Parker as a substitute in the 85th minute. He made his first start on 15 November, in a 1–0 win against Sweden, after which he was the man-of-the-match. He missed the 2012 European Championships because of a toe injury, suffered in a league match against Fulham. Walker played the first England match after Euro 2012, a 2–1 win against

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. He was named in the 23-man England national team squad for the

2018 World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...

. Walker was deployed as a centre-back in a back three by England's manager

Gareth Southgate Gareth Southgate (born 3 September 1970) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a defender and midfielder. He has been the manager of the England national team since 2016. Southgate won the League Cup ...

. In June 2019, he scored an own goal against the Netherlands national team as England went out at the semi-final stage of the 2019 UEFA Nations League. He was not selected for England's squad for the European Championship qualifiers at the start of the 2019–20 season. On 5 September 2020, he was sent off in a 1–0 Nations League win away to

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

, the first Englishman to get an international red card since

Raheem Sterling Raheem Shaquille Sterling (born 8 December 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger and attacking midfielder for club Chelsea. Born in Jamaica, he represents the England national team. Born in Jamaica to Jamaican parents, S ...

in June 2014. On 1 June 2021. Walker was named in the 26-man squad for the rescheduled

. His performances during the tournament earned him a place in the UEFA Euro 2020 Team of the Tournament as England made it to their first

in a major tournament since 1966.

Sponsorship

In December 2012, Walker signed a boot deal with

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

to wear the T90 Laser IV which were also worn by

Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in the United States. He spent much of his playing career as a forward while ...

. From 2009 to 2012, he wore the SX Valor, SX Flare, Stealth Pro, Speciali, Stealth Pro II, GT Pro, and GT Pro II boots by

Umbro Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their ''Double Diamond'' logo. Umbro products are marketed in over 10 ...

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Queens Park Rangers * Football League Championship:

Tottenham Hotspur * Football League Cup runner-up: 2014–15 Manchester City *

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22 *

: 2018–19 * EFL Cup: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21 * FA Community Shield:

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

runner-up: 2020–21 England U19 *

UEFA European Under-19 Championship The UEFA European Under-19 Championship, or simply UEFA Under-19 Championship or the UEFA Euro U-19, is an annual football competition contested by the European men's under-19 national teams of the member associations of UEFA. Spain and England ...

runner-up: 2009 England *

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA). The competition is conte ...

runner-up:

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

UEFA Nations League The UEFA Nations League is a biennial international football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The first tournament began in September 2018. The ...

third place: 2018–19 Individual *

UEFA European Under-21 Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the comp ...

Team of the Tournament: 2011 *

: 2011–12 * PFA Team of the Year:

2011–12 Premier League The 2011–12 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 20th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The season began on 13 August 2011 and ended on 13 May 2012 with Manchester Ci ...

, 2016–17 Premier League,

2017–18 Premier League The 2017–18 Premier League was the 26th season of the Premier League, the top English professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992, and the 119th season of top-flight English football overall. The season ...

* UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament:

References

External links

Profile
at the Manchester City F.C. website
Profile
at the Football Association website * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Kyle 1990 births Living people Footballers from Sheffield English footballers Association football defenders Sheffield United F.C. players Northampton Town F.C. players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Aston Villa F.C. players Manchester City F.C. players English Football League players Premier League players FA Cup Final players England youth international footballers England under-21 international footballers England international footballers UEFA Euro 2016 players 2018 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2020 players 2022 FIFA World Cup players Outfield association footballers who played in goal Black British sportspeople English people of Jamaican descent People educated at High Storrs School