Chris Gunter facts for kids
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Gunter with Wales in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 21 July 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Newport, Wales | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2006 | Cardiff City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006–2008 | Cardiff City | 28 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Tottenham Hotspur | 5 | (0) |
| 2009 | → Nottingham Forest (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2009–2012 | Nottingham Forest | 133 | (2) |
| 2012–2020 | Reading | 280 | (2) |
| 2020–2022 | Charlton Athletic | 54 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | AFC Wimbledon | 31 | (0) |
| Total | 539 | (5) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2005–2006 | Wales U17 | 11 | (2) |
| 2006 | Wales U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Wales U21 | 8 | (0) |
| 2007–2022 | Wales | 109 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2023–2024 | Wales (coach) | ||
| 2024– | Wales U19 | ||
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Chris Gunter, born on July 21, 1989, is a former Welsh professional footballer. He played as a defender, usually on the right side of the field. Since 2023, he has been a coach for the Wales national team.
Gunter started his career in the youth system at Cardiff City. He later joined Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in 2008. After not playing much at Tottenham, he moved to Nottingham Forest. In 2012, he joined Reading, where he played in 314 games. He then played for Charlton Athletic and AFC Wimbledon.
Chris Gunter played for Wales at different age levels, starting from the under-17 team. He made his full international debut in 2007 and played 109 games for his country over 15 years. He was part of the Wales team that reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016. He also played in Euro 2020 and was in the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In 2017, he was named Welsh Footballer of the Year. He holds the record for being the first Welsh player to reach 100 international caps.
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Early Life of Chris Gunter
Chris Gunter was born in Newport. His parents are Gerald and Sarah Gunter. When he was young, he went to Durham Road Junior School and then St Julian's High School. He and his brother Marc supported Cardiff City from a young age. Chris would even go to away games with supporters until 2006, as long as they didn't clash with his own youth team matches. Gunter also earned a special diploma in Sports Studies.
Chris Gunter's Club Career
Starting at Cardiff City
Gunter began his football journey as a striker for local youth teams in Newport. However, he soon changed to playing as a full back. He joined the Cardiff City youth team when he was just eight years old. On August 1, 2006, he signed his first professional contract with the club.
Chris Gunter made his first senior appearance for Cardiff on August 22, 2006. This was in a League Cup match against Barnet. He played the whole game, which Cardiff lost 2–0. His league debut came on November 17, 2006, against Queens Park Rangers. Even though Cardiff lost, his manager praised his performance. Gunter later said that a 4–1 loss to Hull City was one of the toughest moments in his early career.
In March 2007, he won the Football League's Apprentice of the Year award. This was because he played well for the first team when other players were injured. During the summer of 2007, Premier League club Everton tried to sign him, but Cardiff City turned down their offers. By the end of the 2006–07 season, Gunter had played 16 games. He became Cardiff's youngest player to play for the senior national team, breaking a record that had stood for 48 years.
Moving to Tottenham Hotspur
On December 21, 2007, Cardiff City agreed to let Gunter talk to Tottenham Hotspur. The transfer was made official on December 24, and he joined the club in January 2008.
Gunter played his first game for Tottenham on January 15, 2008, in an FA Cup match against Reading. He played the full 90 minutes in their 1–0 win. He made his Premier League debut 15 days later against Everton. He played only one more league game that season. He could not play in the 2008 Football League Cup Final because he had already played in the competition for Cardiff.
In his second season, he didn't play much, only appearing in three league matches. On March 12, 2009, Gunter moved to Nottingham Forest on loan for the rest of the 2008–09 season.
Time at Nottingham Forest
On July 17, 2009, Tottenham Hotspur accepted an offer from Nottingham Forest. Gunter officially joined Forest on July 20, signing a four-year contract.
He scored his first goal for the club, and his first senior goal ever, on September 27, 2009, in a 1–0 win against Plymouth Argyle. On March 23, 2010, Gunter played his 100th senior club game in a match against Crystal Palace. In May 2010, he was chosen for the Championship PFA Team of the Year for the 2009–10 season.
On August 15, 2010, Gunter was involved in an incident on the field during a game. Later that month, the Football Association gave him a three-match ban. He scored his only other goal for Forest on August 16, 2011, in a 1–0 win against Doncaster Rovers.
Playing for Reading
Gunter joined Reading on July 17, 2012, signing a three-year deal. Reading had just been promoted to the Premier League. He scored his first goal for Reading in the League Cup on August 28, 2012, helping them win 3–2 against Peterborough United. He played 20 league games for Reading, but the team was relegated at the end of the season. On November 29, 2013, Gunter was sent off in a game where Reading won 3–2 against his old club, Forest.
On March 27, 2015, Reading extended Gunter's contract for another year. On August 11, in the League Cup, he scored the only goal in extra time as Reading won against Colchester United.
Gunter signed a new two-year contract with Reading on February 18, 2016, keeping him there until 2018. He extended his contract again on July 5, 2017, for another three years. In October 2017, the Football Association of Wales named Gunter the Welsh Footballer of the Year.
In the 2018–19 season, Gunter didn't play as much as before. This was partly because of new players joining and a new manager. He played in 22 league games that season.
After the manager left in October 2019, Gunter started playing for the first team again. On November 26, he played his 500th club career game, which was also his 225th league start for Reading. On January 1, 2020, he played his 300th game for Reading in a 2–1 win against Fulham. Reading released Gunter in July 2020 when his contract ended.
Time at Charlton Athletic
On October 8, 2020, Gunter joined Charlton Athletic on a two-year deal. He scored his only goal for Charlton on December 26, 2020, in a 2–2 draw against Plymouth Argyle.
On May 10, 2022, it was confirmed that Gunter would leave Charlton Athletic when his contract finished.
Playing for AFC Wimbledon
On July 4, 2022, Gunter joined AFC Wimbledon, reuniting with his former manager, Johnnie Jackson. He signed a one-year deal. He made his debut in EFL League Two on July 30, 2022, in a 2–0 home win against Gillingham. In his fourth game, on August 16, he was sent off just before half-time. However, his three-game ban was later removed after an appeal.
Gunter missed two games in March 2023 because he started coaching the Wales national team. On May 4, he announced he was retiring from playing football after 35 games for AFC Wimbledon. He then moved into a full-time coaching role for Wales.
Chris Gunter's International Career
Playing for Youth Teams
Gunter started playing for Wales in the 2003–04 season with the Schools' under-15 team. He then moved up to the Welsh Schools under-16 squad. After that, he played 11 games for the Wales under-17 team in 2005–06, even captaining the side. He also played for the Wales U19 squad.
At just 16 years and 299 days old, Gunter became the second youngest player to play for the Wales Under-21 team in 2006.
Playing for the Senior Team
Gunter was first called up to the senior Wales team when he was seventeen. This was for a friendly match against New Zealand in May 2007. He made his debut for Wales on May 26, 2007, playing the first half of a 2–2 draw. He played in every game during the 2010 World Cup qualifying matches.
On October 8, 2010, Gunter received a red card in a Euro 2012 qualifying match against Bulgaria. At 24 years old, he earned his 50th cap for Wales on October 15, 2013, in a 1–1 draw against Belgium.
Gunter was a key part of Wales' UEFA Euro 2016 team. He played every minute of their six games as they reached the semi-finals. He earned his 75th cap on October 6, 2016, in a 2–2 draw against Austria.
He captained the Wales team for the first time on November 13, 2017, in a friendly against Panama. In that game, he equaled his former manager Gary Speed's record of 85 international caps for an outfield player. On March 22, 2018, Gunter broke that record when he played in a 6–0 win against China. On November 20, 2018, he passed Neville Southall's record of 92 caps for Wales in a friendly loss to Albania. After the game, Southall congratulated him, calling him a "Top player. Top guy. RESPECT."
Gunter became the first player to reach 100 caps for Wales on March 27, 2021, in a 1–0 friendly win against Mexico. In May 2021, he was chosen for the Wales squad for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.
In November 2022, Gunter was named in the Wales squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. However, he did not play in any of their three games. This allowed Gareth Bale to become the most-capped Wales player.
On March 9, 2023, Gunter announced he was retiring from international football after earning 109 caps for Wales.
Coaching Career
On March 21, 2023, Chris Gunter was appointed as one of the coaches for the Wales national football team under manager Rob Page.
Personal Life
Chris Gunter used to share a flat with fellow Welsh footballer Aaron Ramsey. Ramsey played for Arsenal, who are rivals of Gunter's former team, Tottenham Hotspur. Gunter was also the best man at Ramsey's wedding.
Honours
Tottenham Hotspur
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2008–09
Individual
- PFA Team of the Year: 2009–10 Championship
- Welsh Footballer of the Year: 2017
Images for kids
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Gunter playing for Wales in 2016
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