Joseph Paul Gelhardt (born 4 May 2002) 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

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

for club

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...

Club career

Wigan Athletic

Born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, Gelhardt grew up in

Netherton, Merseyside Netherton is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. Description Netherton is situated in the southern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, approximately 6 miles north of Liverpool City Centre. Netherton ne ...

, where he attended

Chesterfield High School Chesterfield High School in Crosby, Merseyside, England, officially opened in 1974. The school has around 1,400 students in years 7–11. The school was created as a comprehensive school by combining Waterloo Park Grammar School for Girls, Haig ...

. He joined

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...

at the age of ten in 2013, progressing through the youth teams before being offered a scholarship deal in 2017. He made his professional debut for Wigan Athletic on 14 August 2018, appearing as a substitute against

Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional association football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after suffering relegation fr ...

in the first round of 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 ...

. On 24 August 2018, he signed his first professional contract with the club. He made his League debut on 27 April 2019, appearing as a half-time substitute against

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...

. On 14 September 2019, he scored his first senior goal for the club in a 2–2 draw against

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. They play their home ...

. Gelhardt made 19 appearances in all competitions with 18 coming in the

EFL Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, it is the highest divi ...

during the 2019–20 season, as Wigan were relegated from the Championship after a 12-point penalty saw them drop into the relegation places.

Leeds United

On 10 August 2020, Gelhardt signed a four-year contract with

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 ...

club

. He made his senior debut for Leeds United on 21 September 2021 as a second-half substitute for

Mateusz Klich Mateusz Andrzej Klich (; born 13 June 1990) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Atlanta United. Club career Cracovia Born in Tarnów, Klich debuted in the Ekstraklasa in November 2008. Dur ...

in the

third round match against

side

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

. The match ended 0–0 with Leeds winning 6–5 on penalties, Gelhardt scoring the seventh of Leeds' eight penalties. Gelhardt made his Premier League debut for Leeds on 16 October as a second-half substitute in the 1–0 defeat to

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, ...

. On 11 December 2021, Gelhardt scored his first goal for Leeds in a 2–3 away league defeat to

rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

Chelsea and he netted his second on 13 March 2022: a dramatic added-time 2–1 winner at Elland Road against

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...

. In the 2022–23 season, Gelhardt's 10 appearances through the end of October were mostly limited to late substitutions, mostly for Sinisterra and Rodrigo, allowing little time for him to impress himself on the direction of the game.

Loan to Sunderland

On 27 January 2023, Gelhardt joined Championship play-off pushing side

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season. He scored his first goal for Sunderland on 21 February 2023 in a 2–1 defeat to

Return to Leeds

Under new manager

Daniel Farke Daniel Farke (; born 30 October 1976) is a German professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Leeds United. Farke spent most of his playing career with SV Lippstadt, where he also began his management career. A ...

, Gerhardt did not feature prominently in the 2023–24 season, and even less frequently during the first five months of the 2024–25 season, making only two league appearances as a late substitute.

Loan to Hull City

On 15 January 2025, Gelhardt joined fellow Championship side

on loan until the end of the 2024–25 season. He made his debut on 18 January 2025, as a 63rd-minute substitute for Mason Burstow in the 1–0 away win against

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...

. He made his full debut on 21 January scoring Hull's goal in the 2–1 home defeat by

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 ...

International career

Gelhardt scored for the England under-16 team in a 3–3 draw against

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

at the 2018 Montaigu Tournament. In September 2018, Gelhardt scored twice for the England under-17 team against

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

and also came off the bench to score against

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. The following month saw him score against the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and twice in a game against

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. In March 2019, Gelhardt scored in a 3–2 win against

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

that confirmed qualification for the

2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship The 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-17 Euro 2019) was the 18th edition of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship (37th edition if the Under-16 era is also included), the annual international youth association fo ...

. In April 2019, Gelhardt was included in the England U17 squad for the

s and scored in a 3–1 victory over Sweden under-17s as the ''Young Lions'' bowed out of the competition at the group stage. Gelhardt made his U18 debut as a 79th-minute substitute during the 3–2 win over Australia at Hinckley Leicester Road on 6 September 2019. On 2 October 2020, Gelhardt was named in the England U19 squad. On 6 September 2021, Gelhardt made his debut for the England U20s scoring a brace during a 6–1 victory over Romania U20s at St. George's Park. Gelhardt received his first call up to the England U21s on 4 October 2021, as an injury replacement for

Noni Madueke Chukwunonso Azuka Tristan "Noni" Madueke (born 10 March 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Chelsea and the England national team. Early life Madueke is of Igbo Nigerian descent. He was born in Barn ...

Style of play

Gelhardt is left footed and plays mainly as a striker; he can also play as a second striker, wide forward or as an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

. He is known for his dribbling, power and build-up play; his style has been compared to that of

Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who was most recently the head coach of EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle F.C., Pl ...

Personal life

Gelhardt supported

growing up.

Career statistics

Club

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gelhardt, Joe 2002 births Living people Footballers from Liverpool English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Wigan Athletic F.C. players Leeds United F.C. players Sunderland A.F.C. players Hull City A.F.C. players English Football League players Premier League players England men's youth international footballers English people of German descent 21st-century English sportsmen