Demarai Remelle Gray ( bear 28 June 1996 ) is an english professional football player who plays as a winger for Premier League club Everton. grey came through the youth system of Birmingham City, for whom he made his Football League introduction as a 17-year-old in October 2013. In two-and-a-half seasons, he made 78 appearances across all competitions, including 51 starts in the Championship, and scored 8 goals. Gray signed for Leicester City in January 2016, and was a member of their 2015–16 Premier League -winning squad. In January 2021, he joined Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen, but returned to English football with Everton in July.
Reading: Demarai Gray
He has represented England from under-18 to under-21 floor .
Club career [edit ]
Birmingham City [edit ]
early on life and career [edit ]
Gray was born in Birmingham, [ 3 ] where he attended Frankley High School and played for Cadbury Athletic ‘s junior teams. He joined Birmingham City ‘s Academy as an under-11, [ 2 ] and took up a biennial eruditeness in July 2012. [ 7 ] In a 2013 interview, Gray assessed his strengths as “ pace, dribbling and technique ”, felt he needed to “ score more goals ”, described himself in three words as “ bubbling, calm and glad ”, and named Nathan Redmond as the biggest influence on him since joining the club. [ 2 ] After impressing Birmingham director Lee Clark in coach, he was named in the team for the Championship peer against Millwall on 1 October 2013, [ 8 ] and made his elder introduction as a 91st-minute substitute for Jesse Lingard in a 4–0 gain. [ 9 ] He made his first start on 2 November, in a 1–0 league defeat at home to Charlton Athletic. [ 10 ] Gray signed his first professional contract, of two-and-a-half years, on 9 December. [ 11 ] Days after his inclusion together with academy teammate Reece Brown in a “ acme 10 Football League stars of tomorrow ” feature on the FourFourTwo web site, [ 12 ] Gray scored his foremost aged finish. Entering the League match at home to Blackburn Rovers on 21 April 2014 as a second-half substitute with Birmingham 4–1 down, he received a pass from Federico Macheda and shot low into the corner to score the final finish of the equal. [ 13 ] His performance over the season earned him the Academy Player of the Season award for 2013–14. [ 14 ]
Gray performed well in 2014–15 pre-season, and the management suggested he was showing increased adulthood. [ 15 ] He started the first two matches of the season, but for the end of Clark ‘s tenure as coach, Gray was used more as substitute than starter. [ 16 ] Against Leeds United in September, he was denied a penalty and booked for diving when obviously fouled by Giuseppe Bellusci ; both managers thought it the ill-timed decisiveness. [ 17 ] The take after week, his first goal of the season gave Birmingham a 2–0 precede at top-of-the-table Norwich City, but he became ailing in the second half. Norwich scored while Birmingham were attempting to substitute him, and the peer ended 2–2. [ 18 ]
He made his first start under new director Gary Rowett in the 1–0 win away to Rotherham United on 22 November, [ 19 ] and soon established himself as the leave midfielder in a 4–2–3–1 constitution as Rowett regularly named an unaltered starting eleven. [ 20 ] On his one-tenth league begin, Gray scored three times in the first half of the match at home to Reading on 14 December, which ended 6–1. It was his first hat-trick since his under-14 days, [ 21 ] [ 22 ] and Rowett praised not only his clinical coating but besides his study off the ball and tracking back to cover in refutation. [ 23 ] His performances during December earned him the Football League Young Player of the Month award. [ 20 ] Clark had expressed business that the club ‘s fiscal difficulties would force the sale of players such as Gray, [ 24 ] and the actor was offered a biennial abridge extension. [ 25 ] A £500,000 bid from Premier League baseball club Crystal Palace was rejected in September, [ 24 ] scouts regularly watched the player, [ 26 ] and media reports linked him with clubs including Liverpool, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur. [ 22 ] The club turned down a series of offers, the highest reported as £5 million, from Championship cabaret AFC Bournemouth in the January 2015 transfer window. In a argument issued when the window closed, they said that “ none of [ those offers ] reflected the ability and potential of the player ”, and expressed their joy at having retained his services. [ 27 ] With loanee Lloyd Dyer available as an option, Rowett used Gray more meagerly, suggesting that his deoxidize effectiveness was a normal partially of a young player ‘s learn arch : the player needed to learn how to impose himself on a pit despite increase attention from the opposition. [ 28 ] The Birmingham Mail suggested that Gray ‘s likely as a matchwinner should not be ignored. [ 29 ] His solo goal on 11 April, in which he ran the duration of the deliver to score the winner against Wolverhampton Wanderers, was his first since the Reading match and earned him the club ‘s Goal of the Season award. [ 30 ] According to The Guardian, “ It was not sol much the 18-year-old ‘s pace that impressed as his perseverance in running at and then pressurising Wolves full-back Scott Golbourne into error, and the certainty with which he then slid the ball past the Wolves goalkeeper ”. [ 31 ] He finished the season with 43 appearances in all competitions, of which two-thirds were as a starter, and won the club ‘s Young Player of the Season award. [ 30 ]
deviation becomes inevitable [edit ]
After many months of negotiation, [ 25 ] [ 32 ] Gray signed a newfangled three-year contract with the cabaret in July 2015. [ 33 ] At the musician ‘s insistence, a free article was included in the terms. [ 34 ] He went into the new season feeling “ stronger as a actor, physically and mentally ”, [ 35 ] and produced some fine performances, as in a 2–0 winnings at Leeds in October, when he took advantage of confusion in the defense mechanism to score what proved to be the only finish of his Birmingham season, [ 36 ] and in a scoreless draw at Preston North End in December. [ 37 ] He about marked his death appearance for the club, as a stand-in in a 2–0 gain at home to Milton Keynes Dons on 29 December, with a farewell finish. When the ball broke to him, “ with a single satiny touch and devastating break he was in on goal, ready to put the frost on an outstanding team performance. He gave the goalkeeper the eyes, created the gap at the approximate post – and proceeded to hit the upright. ” [ 38 ] In the early contribution of the season, Gray had asserted that “ good now what ‘s key for my development is playing games here ”, [ 39 ] but that “ I will know when it ‘s my time ”. [ 40 ] When Rowett selected Viv Solomon-Otabor to start ahead of Gray against MK Dons “ with January coming up ”, it was clear that his time had arrived. [ 38 ] [ 41 ]
Leicester City [edit ]
Premier League club Leicester City activated the free article in Gray ‘s Birmingham City contract, reported as £3.7 million, and he signed a four-and-a-half-year abridge on 4 January 2016. [ 42 ] He made his debut on 10 January, aside to Tottenham Hotspur in the third gear polish of the FA Cup. He started the peer, assisted a goal by Marcin Wasilewski, and “ showed glimpses of the yard that will cause Premier League defences problems ” in the 2–2 draw at White Hart Lane. [ 43 ] Six days subsequently he made his first appearance in England ‘s top fledge, as an 85th-minute stand-in for Marc Albrighton in a 1–1 draw at Aston Villa. [ 44 ]
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consistency of team choice as Leicester maintained their position at the top of the league meant Gray ‘s chances of first-team football were limited, [ 45 ] but teammate Danny Simpson highlighted the contribution of the team players. [ 46 ] Former Sky Sports diarist Alex Dunn wrote that Gray “ proved to be incredibly ace at killing time when coming on for Leicester as a belated utility ”. [ 47 ] He made the aid for Jamie Vardy ‘s stoppage-time goal that secured a 2–0 acquire at Sunderland, [ 48 ] and against Swansea City, his run from trench, traverse and parried shot set up a finish for Albrighton. [ 49 ] He had made ten-spot appearances, all as a substitute, by 2 May when Leicester were confirmed as champions. [ 50 ] [ 51 ] On 3 November 2018, a workweek after the death of Leicester City ‘s owner and president Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in a helicopter crash, Gray scored the winning goal against Cardiff City. He celebrated by removing his shirt to show an singlet hold the words “ For Khun Vichai ” written on it and then running to the away end of the ground. [ 52 ]
Bayer Leverkusen [edit ]
On 31 January 2021, Gray joined Bundesliga cabaret Bayer Leverkusen on an 18-month contract. [ 53 ] [ 54 ] He made his introduction on 6 February as a 74th-minute alternate with Leverkusen leading VfB Stuttgart 4–1, and ten minutes late scored his inaugural and only Bundesliga goal to make the final examination mark 5–2. [ 55 ]
Everton [edit ]
Gray joined Premier League club Everton on 22 July 2021 for an undisclosed fee, understand by BBC Sport to be £1.7 million. [ 56 ] He signed a three-year contract with an option for a one-fourth year. [ 57 ] Gray scored his first competitive goal for Everton “ with a clinical first gear campaign into the far corner ” in his irregular league couple, a 2–2 withdraw with Leeds United on 21 August. [ 58 ]
International career [edit ]
Gray was called up for an England under-18s train camp in November 2013. [ 59 ] He made his introduction at that tied on 18 February 2014, playing the wholly of a 4–0 succeed against their belgian counterparts in a friendly pit at St George ‘s Park. [ 60 ] Two weeks former, he was involved in England ‘s goal as they lost 2–1 to Croatia in the first match of a double-header. [ 61 ] He received his foremost call-up to the under-19s for a friendly against Germany in September 2014, [ 62 ] and made his debut as a second-half substitute. [ 63 ] An ankle injury forced Gray ‘s withdrawal from the police squad for the 2015 european Under-19 Championship first base qualifying round off, [ 64 ] but he was able to play his separate in the elect round off. He started the first match, against Denmark, and was involved in England ‘s second goal in a 3–2 gain, when his near-post flick was deflected over the line by a Danish musician. The Football Association ( the FA ) credit Gray with the goal, although UEFA record it as an own goal. [ 65 ] A substitute in the moment group match, a win against Azerbaijan, [ 66 ] he returned to the starting eleven for the final examination group match against France, but a 2–1 defeat mean England failed to qualify for the finals. [ 67 ] After taking part in a joint training camp for the under-20 and under-21 teams, [ 68 ] Gray was included in Aidy Boothroyd ‘s under-20 police squad for the 2015 Toulon Tournament. Starting the opening match on the left of a three-man attack, Gray gave England an 8th-minute go with a shooting from 12 yards ( 11 thousand ), but Morocco doubly took the lead before Chuba Akpom secured a 3–3 pull for England. [ 69 ] Gray was a second-half alternate in the adjacent equal, a gain against Ivory Coast. [ 70 ] He made his third appearance as England lost to Mexico, [ 71 ] but took no part in the last group bet on or the third-place play-off, [ 72 ] [ 73 ] and by and by admitted he had felt tired after a full season of league football and had not been at his best. [ 35 ] He and Birmingham teammate Reece Brown were called up for the under-20s ‘ first base matches of the 2015–16 temper, a double-header against the Czech Republic. [ 74 ] In the first match, both Brown and half-time substitute Gray scored as England won 5–0 ; [ 75 ] in the second, despite what the FA ‘s web site called a “ enormously influential ” attacking performance by Gray, they lost 1–0. [ 76 ] After Nathan Redmond withdrew through injury, Gray was called into the under-21 squad for european Championship qualifiers in November 2015. [ 77 ] An fresh stand-in for the first match, a scoreless draw away to Bosnia and Herzegovina, he was not included in the matchday police squad for the moment, a 3–1 gain at home to Switzerland. [ 78 ] Gray made his under-21 debut on 26 March 2016, in the change by reversal fastness against Switzerland, a 1–1 draw. His run led to England ‘s goal, scored by Akpom, and according to promontory passenger car Gareth Southgate, “ it was a extremely introduction. He was a threat all night and I think the work he did at the goal was exceeding but he besides put a real switch in for the team and did his work off the ball. ” [ 79 ] On 9 September 2018, Gray was called up for the wide England police squad for a friendly meet against Switzerland. [ 80 ] On 27 May 2019, Gray was included in England ‘s 23-man team for the 2019 UEFA european Under-21 Championship. [ 81 ] Gray is eligible to play for Jamaica vitamin a well as his native England. [ 82 ] [ 53 ] In a telecast interview in March 2021, Jamaican Football Federation president of the united states Michael Ricketts included Gray in a number of English players with jamaican heritage he suggested were “ in the process of acquiring their jamaican passport ” as part of the state ‘s design to improve their chances of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. [ 83 ] [ 84 ]
career statistics [edit ]
- As of match played 6 December 2021
Honours [edit ]
Leicester City
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Individual
References [edit ]
- Profile at the Everton F.C. website
- Demarai Gray – UEFA competition record (archive)
