Demarai Gray

At 27 years old, Demarai Gray has this physical status:

Demarai Remelle Gray (born 28 June 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for Leicester City in Premier League. Gray came from Birmingham City's youth system, for whom he made his Football League debut as a 17-year-old in October 2013.

He made 78 appearances in two-and-a-half years, including 51 in the Championships and 8 goals.

Gray signed for Leicester City in January 2016 and was a member of the 2015–16 Premier League's winning squad. He has represented England from under the age of 18 to under 21 years old.

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Club career

Gray was born in Birmingham, where he attended Frankley High School and competed for Cadbury Athletic's junior teams. He began attending Birmingham City's Academy as an under-11 and received a two-year scholarship in July 2012. Gray rated his strengths as "bubbly, calm, and joyful" in a 2013 interview, naming Nathan Redmond as the greatest influence on him since joining the club.

After impressing Birmingham manager Lee Clark in preparation, he was named in the squad for the Championship match against Millwall on October 1st, 2013. He made his senior debut as a 91st-minute replacement for Jesse Lingard in a 4–0 triumph. In a 1–0 league loss to Charlton Athletic on November 2nd, he got off to a promising start on November 2nd. Gray signed his first professional deal, which spanned two-and-a-kind years, on December 9th. Gray scored his first senior goal days after being included alongside academy coworker Reece Brown in a "Top 10 Football League stars of tomorrow" feature on the FourFourTwo website. With Birmingham 4–1 down as a second-half replacement, he received a pass from Federico Macheda and shot low into the corner to score the final goal of the match. For 2013–14, Kevin's success over the season earned him the Academy Player of the Season award.

Gray's season was a success in 2014-2015, and the owners believed he was showing increasing maturity. Gray started the first two games of the season as manager, but for the remainder of Clark's tenure as boss, he was more as a replacement than starter. When apparently fouled by Giuseppe Bellusci, he was denied a penalty and was fined for diving against Leeds United in September; both managers believed it was the wrong decision. Birmingham City's first goal of the season gave Birmingham a 2–0 lead, but the second half was difficult, but he became sick. Norwich scored when Birmingham were trying to substitute him, but the game ended 2–2.

He made his first appearance under new coach Gary Rowett's leadership in the 1–0 victory over Rotherham United on November 22nd and immediately established himself as the left midfielder in a 4–2–3-1 formation as Rowett routinely named an unchanged starting eleven. Gray scored three times in the first half of the game against Reading on December 14th, which ended 6–1. It was his first hat-trick since his under 14 days, and Rowett lauded not only his clinical accomplishment but also his dedication to the ball and tracking back to cover in defense. The Football League Young Player of the Month award was given to him for his efforts during December.

Clark had been worried that the club's financial constraints would force the selling of players like Gray, and the player was given a two-year contract extension. Crystal Palace's £500,000 bid was rejected in September, scouts regularly followed the player, and media reports connected him to Chelsea, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur. AFC Bournemouth's highest reported as a £5 million transfer window in January 2015. "None of [those bids] represented the talent and potential of the player," they said in a note released after the window had closed, and expressed delight at keeping his services.

Rowett used Gray more sparingly, implying that his diminished performance was a natural part of a young player's learning curve: the player must learn how to assert himself on a match amid increased interest from the opposition. Gray's potential as a matchwinner, according to the Birmingham Mail, should not be dismissed. His solo goal against Wolverham Wanderers on April 11, was his first since the Reading match and earned him the club's Goal of the Season award. "It wasn't so much the 18-year-old's speed that impressed, but also the certainty with which he slid the ball past the Wolves goalkeeper," The Guardian reported. He ended the season with 43 appearances in all leagues, two-thirds of which were as a starter, and the club's Young Player of the Season award.

Gray has agreed a new three-year deal with the club in July 2015. A release clause was included in the terms at the player's request. He went into the new season as "stronger as a player physically and mentally," as in a 2–0 victory over Leeds in October, when he exploited confusion in the defence to score what was to be his only goal of his Birmingham season, as well as a goalless draw at Preston North End in December. With a farewell goal on December 29, he almost marked his last game for the club as a replacement in a 2–0 win over Milton Keynes Dons at home. "With a single silky touch and a dramatic burst, he was on target to put the icing on a superb team effort," the ball broke to him. He gave the goalkeeper the eyes, created the hole at the near post, and then hit the ground as he went.

Gray had predicted that "right now what's going to be important for my growth is playing games here," but that "I will know when it's my time" comes. With January coming, Rowett selected Viv Solomon-Otabor to start ahead of Gray against MK Dons "fortification."

Leicester City reported that the freedom clause in Gray's Birmingham City deal had been activated, costing him £3.7 million, and that he had agreed to a four-and-a-half-year deal on January 4, 2016. In the third round of the FA Cup, he made his debut on January 10th, away to Tottenham Hotspur. In the 2–2 draw at White Hart Lane, he started the game, assisted a goal by Marcin Wasilewski, and "showed glimpses of the pace that could cause Premier League defences problems." In a 1–1 draw at Aston Villa, he made his first appearance in England's top flight as an 85th-minute replacement for Marc Albrighton.

As Leicester maintained their position in the top of the league, consistency of team selection meant Gray's chances of first-team football were slim, but teammate Danny Simpson spoke about the squad's contributions. Gray "proved to be incredibly efficient at killing time when coming back for Leicester as a late replacement," former Sky Sports journalist Alex Dunn said. Jamie Vardy's stoppage-time win gave Sunderland a 2–0 victory and Swansea City's run from deep, cross, and parried shot set up a goal for Albrighton. By the time Leicester were announced champions on May 2, he had made ten appearances, three of whom had appeared as a replacement.

Gray scored the winning goal against Cardiff City on Sunday, a week after the death of Leicester City's owner and chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in a helicopter crash. He celebrated by removing his shirt to reveal an undershirt with the words "For Khun Vichai" drawn on it and then running to the far side of the ground.

Gray joined Bayer Leverkusen, a German club, on an 18-month deal on January 31, 2021. He made his 74th-minute appearance on February 6th, with Leverkusen leading VfB Stuttgart 4–1, and ten minutes later scored his first and only Bundesliga goal, making the final score 5–2. The player said "no contract offer [from Leicester City]" immediately after Gray's move to Bayer Leverkusen, remarking on his departure not "ending in the right way," but still feeling thankful for the "moments I will treasure forever."

Gray signed Everton for an undisclosed fee, which BBC Sport estimated at £1.7 million. He has been working for three years with the option of a fourth year. In his second league match, a 2–2 draw with Leeds United, Gray scored his first competitive goal "with a clinical low effort into the far corner."

International career

In November 2013, Gray was enrolled in an England under-18s training camp. He made his debut at that level on February 18, 2014, defeating Belgium as a whole in a friendly match at St George's Park. In the first match of a double-header, he was instrumental in England's win as they lost 2–1 to Croatia. In September 2014, he was his first call-up to the under-19s for a friendly against Germany and made his debut as a second-half replacement on his first visit to the under-19s. Gray's withdrawal from the squad for the 2015 European Under-19 Championship first qualifying round was prompted by an ankle injury, but he was able to participate in the elite round. He started his match against Denmark and was involved in England's second goal in a 3–2 victory, but he was disqualified over the line by a Danish player. Gray is credited by the Football Association (the FA), but the UEFA names it as an own goal. In the second group match, which was a victory over Azerbaijan, he returned to the starting lineup for the final group match against France, but England did not qualify for the finals because of the 2–1 defeat.

Gray was drafted into Aidy Boothroyd's Under-20 squad for the 2015 Toulon Tournament after participating in a joint training camp for the under-20 and under-21 teams. Gray led England by a shot from 12 yards (11 m), but Morocco twice took the lead before Chuba Akpom secured a 3–3 draw for England, with the first match on the left of a three-man match. In the next game, Gray was a second-half replacement, defeating Ivory Coast. He made his third appearance as England lost to Mexico but later said he was drained after a full season of league football and wasn't quite at his best. Reece Brown, a Birmingham teammate, was called up to the Under 20s' first matches of the 2015–16 season, a double-header against the Czech Republic. Both Brown and half-time substitute Gray scored in the second game as England defeated 5–0; in the second, despite Gray's "highly influential" attacking effort, they lost 1–0, according to FA's website.

Gray was selected into the Under-21 squad for the European Championship qualifiers in November 2015 after Nathan Redmond suffered through injury. He was not included in the matchday squad for the second, a 3–1 victory at home to Switzerland, as an unused substitute for the first match, a goalless draw away to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Gray's under-21 debut was on March 26, 2016, in the reverse fixture against Switzerland, a 1–1 draw. England's goal, scored by Akpom, was a success, and head coach Gareth Southgate said, "it was a brilliant debut." He was a threat all night, and I believe the work he did at the goal was outstanding, but he also did his best work for the team and did his job off the field."

Gray was called up to the full England squad for a friendly match against Switzerland on September 9th.

Gray was selected in England's 23-man squad for the 2019 European Under-21 Championship on May 27th.

Gray is able to play for Jamaica as well as England. In a televised interview in March 2021, Jamaican Football Federation president Michael Ricketts said Gray was "in the process of acquiring their Jamaican passport" as part of the country's effort to increase their odds of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.

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