Gavin Terence Maguire (born 24 November 1967) is an English-born Welsh former 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 ...

and

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

international.

Club career

Maguire began his career as a forward with Northwood, moving to Defence when the club's regular centre back suffered a broken ankle. He signed for

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...

, after being recommended to one of the club's scouts, and made his debut in a 1–0 win over

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...

at the age of 18 in Division One. Maguire was taken to court later in his career for a tackle during his time with Queens Park Rangers which ultimately led to the retirement of

Danny Thomas Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz, (born January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) known professionally as Danny Thomas, was an American comedian, actor, singer, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in ''The Danny Thomas Show''. In additio ...

, resulting in an out-of-court settlement of £130,000. He went on to make 40 league appearances at

Loftus Road Loftus Road, currently known as MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, West London, Greater London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers F.C., Queens Park Rangers Football Club, w ...

before moving to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

in January 1989 for a fee of £175,000. After several years at

Fratton Park Fratton Park is a association football, football ground in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, and is the home of Portsmouth F.C., Portsmouth Football Club. Fratton Park's location on Portsea Island is unique in English professional football, as it ...

, Maguire suffered a serious knee injury and, after being unable to win his place back, he spent time on loan with

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 ...

before joining Millwall in March 1993. However, he struggled to return to full fitness and, after a short period on loan at

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

, retired from professional football at the age of 26 with a knee injury - just like Danny Thomas.

International career

Born in England, Maguire was also eligible to represent both

and

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

through his parents. He eventually decided to play for Wales, making his international debut on 6 September 1989 in a 1–0 defeat to

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

as a substitute in place of Peter Nicholas. He played in Wales' next four matches before winning his final two caps fifteen months later, making his last appearance on 16 October 1991 in a 4–1 defeat to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

After football

Following his retirement, Maguire travelled the United States for over a year before returning to England where he worked as a personal trainer for two years. After a friend suggested moving into hairdressing, he undertook a nine-month course and now runs his own hairdressing business in

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maguire, Gavin 1967 births Living people Footballers from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham People from Hammersmith Welsh men's footballers Wales men's international footballers Northwood F.C. players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Newcastle United F.C. players Millwall F.C. players Scarborough F.C. players English Football League players Isthmian League players Men's association football defenders