Darron Gibson facts for kids
Gibson lining up for the Republic of Ireland in 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Darron Thomas Daniel Gibson | ||
| Date of birth | 25 October 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Derry, Northern Ireland | ||
| Height | 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2004 | Institute | ||
| 2004–2005 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2005–2012 | Manchester United | 31 | (3) |
| 2006–2007 | → Royal Antwerp (loan) | 25 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 21 | (1) |
| 2012–2017 | Everton | 51 | (2) |
| 2017–2018 | Sunderland | 27 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Wigan Athletic | 18 | (0) |
| 2020 | Salford City | 3 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Salford City | 4 | (0) |
| Total | 180 | (7) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2003 | Republic of Ireland U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2005 | Republic of Ireland U19 | 9 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 2006 | Republic of Ireland B | 1 | (0) |
| 2007–2016 | Republic of Ireland | 27 | (1) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Darron Thomas Daniel Gibson (born 25 October 1987) is an Irish former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder and was known for his powerful long-range shots. Gibson also represented the Republic of Ireland national team.
Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, Darron Gibson started his football journey with Institute. He then joined one of the biggest clubs in the world, Manchester United, in 2004. He made his first professional appearance for them in 2005.
After gaining experience on loan at Royal Antwerp in Belgium and Wolverhampton Wanderers in England, he became a regular player for Manchester United. During his time there, he won several important trophies. In 2012, Gibson moved to Everton. Later in his career, he also played for Sunderland, Wigan Athletic, and Salford City.
Darron Gibson also played for the Republic of Ireland national team. He was part of the squad that played in the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament.
Contents
Club career
Playing for Manchester United
Darron Gibson was born in Derry, Northern Ireland. He went to St Columb's College and played junior football before joining Manchester United in 2004. He made his first senior appearance for United in a League Cup match in October 2005.
During the 2005–06 season, he played often for Manchester United's reserve team. He helped them win three trophies that season. In May 2006, he won the Jimmy Murphy Award for being United's best youth player. He then played for the senior team in their summer matches.
Gibson spent the 2006–07 season on loan at Royal Antwerp in Belgium. In October 2007, he was loaned again to Wolverhampton Wanderers. He played most of the 2007–08 season there and scored one goal.
He made his first Premier League appearance in November 2008. Ten days later, he played in his first UEFA Champions League match. In December 2008, he traveled with the team to Japan for the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. Even though he didn't play, he received a winner's medal.
In January 2009, Gibson scored his first goal for Manchester United in an FA Cup game. He also started in the 2009 Football League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. Manchester United won the match after a penalty shootout. In May, he scored his first league goal for the club. Because of his good performances, he signed a new contract with Manchester United until 2012.
In December 2009, Gibson scored two goals in a League Cup match against Tottenham. This helped United reach the semi-finals. He also scored his first goal in a UEFA competition against Bayern Munich.
He scored his first goal of the 2010–11 season in a League Cup win against Scunthorpe United. Gibson scored again in the Champions League semi-final as United beat Schalke. However, he didn't play in the Champions League final, which United lost to Barcelona. He left Manchester United in January 2012.
Moving to Everton
On 13 January 2012, Gibson joined Everton. He made his debut the very next day in a match against Aston Villa. Later that month, he scored his first goal for Everton in a 1–0 win against Manchester City.
During his first season with Everton, Gibson played 11 league games. His team did not lose any of those matches. This meant he had a long streak of 28 league matches without a defeat, including his time at Manchester United.
This winning streak ended in the 2012–13 season. Gibson was sent off for the first time in his career in a match against West Ham United. However, this red card was later removed by the Football Association. In April 2013, he scored his first goal of the season for Everton. He was seen as a very important player, connecting the team's attack and defense.
Gibson's playing time was limited in the 2013–14 season due to a serious knee injury. This injury happened while he was playing for his national team.
Time at Sunderland
Gibson joined Sunderland in January 2017. He signed an 18-month contract. He made his debut in February and played 12 games that season. Sunderland was relegated to the Championship that year. He left Sunderland in March 2018.
Playing for Wigan Athletic
On 3 August 2018, Wigan Athletic signed Gibson as a free agent. He made his first appearance for them the next day in a winning match. In October, he received a red card in a game against Preston North End. He left Wigan at the end of the 2018–19 season.
Joining Salford City
Gibson signed a six-month contract with Salford City in February 2020. He made his debut in a Football League Trophy semi-final match. He played the whole game and scored a penalty in the shootout. He left Salford in May 2020 but rejoined the club for the 2020–21 season. In October, Gibson suffered a broken leg during a match. He left Salford City at the end of the 2020–21 season.
International career
Playing for Ireland
Darron Gibson first played for the Republic of Ireland at the under-17 level. In the 2005–06 season, he was the captain for both the Republic of Ireland under-19 and under-21 teams. He also played for the Republic of Ireland B team in 2006.
In 2007, Gibson was called up to the senior Republic of Ireland squad. He made his debut in a 4–0 win against Denmark. In that game, his shot led to another goal for Ireland. He earned his second cap in a match against Slovakia.
Gibson made his first start for the Republic of Ireland in a 1–0 win against Cyprus in October 2008. The manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, chose him for his confidence on the field. On 8 February 2011, Gibson scored his first goal for his country. It was a long-range shot in a 3–0 victory over Wales in the 2011 Nations Cup.
Gibson was chosen for the Ireland squad for UEFA Euro 2012. He was a substitute in all of Ireland's matches, but he did not play. Ireland was knocked out in the group stage.
In 2012 and 2013, Gibson withdrew from some Ireland squads, sometimes due to injury. On 3 September 2014, he started a match for the Republic of Ireland after recovering from his long-term knee injury. His team beat Oman 2–0. In October, he played his first competitive game for Ireland in over a year, helping them win 7–0 against Gibraltar in a Euro 2016 qualifier.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester United | 2005–06 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | |
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 5 | |
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 | |
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 31 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 10 | ||
| Royal Antwerp (loan) | 2006–07 | Belgian Second Division | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | 33 | 1 | ||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 2007–08 | Championship | 21 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 24 | 1 | |||
| Everton | 2011–12 | Premier League | 11 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 15 | 1 | |||
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 23 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 1 | |||
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 51 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 69 | 2 | |||
| Everton U23 | 2016–17 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Sunderland | 2016–17 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||
| 2017–18 | Championship | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| Total | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 0 | ||||
| Wigan Athletic | 2018–19 | Championship | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| Salford City | 2019–20 | League Two | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21 | League Two | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 180 | 7 | 22 | 2 | 22 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 245 | 14 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland | 2007 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 27 | 1 | |
International goals
- As of match played 31 May 2016. Republic of Ireland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Gibson goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 February 2011 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland | 14 |  Wales |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2011 Nations Cup |
Honours
Manchester United
- Premier League: 2010–11
- Football League Cup: 2008–09, 2009–10
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2008
Republic of Ireland
- Nations Cup: 2011
Individual
- Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year: 2005–06
- FAI Young International Player of the Year: 2009
- FAI International Goal of the Year: 2011 vs. Wales
See also
In Spanish: Darron Gibson para niños
- List of Republic of Ireland international footballers born outside the Republic of Ireland
