.jpg) Gunter withWales in 2016 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christopher Ross Gunter[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1989-07-21)21 July 1989 (age 36)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Newport, Wales | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defender | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Wales U19 (head coach) | ||||||||||||||||
| 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) | |||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Wales U17 | 11 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Wales U19 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Wales U21 | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2022 | Wales | 109 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Wales (coach) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Wales U19 | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10:39, 9 May 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 19:46, 21 March 2023 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Christopher Ross Gunter (born 21 July 1989) is a Welsh former professionalfootballer who played as adefender. An attackingfull back, he was capable of playing on both flanks but usually played on his preferred right side. Since 2023, he has been a coach for theWales national team.
He joinedCardiff City's youth system and was signed byPremier League clubTottenham Hotspur for £4 million in January 2008. Rarely used at Tottenham, he returned to the Championship withNottingham Forest, initially on loan, before joiningReading in 2012. He made 314 appearances for Reading before being released in 2020 and moving toCharlton Athletic andAFC Wimbledon.
Gunter was a Welsh international sinceunder-17 level and holds the record as the second youngest debutant for theunder-21 team. He made his full international debut in 2007, earning 109 caps in a 15-year international career. He was part of the Wales squad that reached the semi-finals atUEFA Euro 2016, also featuring atEuro 2020 and in the2022 World Cup squad. In 2017 he was namedWelsh Footballer of the Year. He beatNeville Southall's record of 92 caps in 2018, and in 2021 became the first Welshman to earn100 caps.
Gunter was born inNewport to Gerald and Sarah Gunter.[1][2] As a youngster, he attended Durham Road Junior School before moving on toSt Julian's High School as a teenager. He and his brother Marc supportCardiff City, beginning to follow the club from the age of nine,[3] and he continued to go to away games that did not clash with his own youth team fixtures on supporters' coaches until 2006. Gunter also holds aBTEC National Diploma in Sports Studies.[4]
Gunter started his career as astriker when he played for local youth sides Durham Colts andAlbion Rovers in Newport but switched to playing as afull back at a young age and signed for the Cardiff City youth side at the age of eight.[5] He signed his first professional contract with the club on 1 August 2006 along with fellow Cardiff academy graduateDarcy Blake.[6]
Primarily a right-sideddefender, Gunter made his senior debut for Cardiff on 22 August 2006 againstBarnet in theLeague Cup first round, playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–0 loss atNinian Park.[7] After being included in the first team squad on several occasions,[8] his league debut came in a 1–0 home loss toQueens Park Rangers on 17 November 2006.[9] Gunter was praised for his performance by managerDave Jones, who commented "Chris did the right things, let nobody down, and will only get stronger."[10] Gunter would later describe his second league appearance, a 4–1 defeat toHull City, as one of the lowest points of his career.[3] However, he was able to maintain his place in the squad, competing withKevin McNaughton andKerrea Gilbert.[11]
In March 2007 he won theFootball League's Apprentice of the Year award[12] after impressing in the first team squad due to injuries to some regular players and during the summer of 2007, Gunter was the subject of two bids of £500,000 and £1 million fromPremier League clubEverton.[13] Both, however, were rejected.[14] At the end of the 2006–07 season, having made sixteen appearances in all competitions,[15] he became Cardiff's youngest player to win a senior international cap after making his debut, beating the 48 year old club record held byGraham Moore.[16]
According to reports on 21 December 2007, Cardiff agreed a substantial fee withTottenham Hotspur and therefore allowed Gunter to enter into talks with the club. Cardiff also stated that Tottenham had "met their valuation of the player" which had previously been reported at £4 million.[17] On 22 December Gunter passed a medical atWhite Hart Lane with a view to a £2 million move. The move was made official on 24 December and he joined the club after the transfer window opened on 1 January 2008.[18]
Gunter made his debut for Spurs on 15 January in anFA Cup third round tie againstReading at theMadejski Stadium, playing the entirety of a 1–0 victory.[19] Fifteen days later, he made his top-flight debut for Spurs, playing 62 minutes of a goalless draw atEverton before being replaced byKevin-Prince Boateng.[20] He made only one more league appearance that season, filling in forDidier Zokora for the final 17 minutes of a 4–1 loss atBirmingham City on 1 March.[21] He was cup-tied for their win in the2008 Football League Cup Final.[22]
His second season did not see him become a regular, as he featured in only three league matches, playing the full 90 minutes in none of them. On 12 March 2009, Gunter moved on loan toNottingham Forest for the rest of the2008–09 season.[23]
On 17 July 2009, Tottenham Hotspur accepted a bid of £1.75 million fromNottingham Forest.[24] Forest completed the signing of Gunter on 20 July on a four-year contract.[25]He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 victory atPlymouth Argyle on 27 September 2009.[26][27] It was also Gunter's first goal in senior football. In the match between Nottingham Forest andCrystal Palace on 23 March 2010, Gunter made his 100th senior club appearance. In May 2010, he was selected in theChampionshipPFA Team of the Year for the 2009–10 season.[28]
On 15 August 2010, Gunter andSanchez Watt were booked by refereeTony Bates for an on-field altercation; however later that month the FA retrospectively gave Gunter a three-match ban when replays showed him stamping on theLeeds United player.[29]
A regular at right-back during his time at Forest, Gunter scored his only other goal for the club on 16 August 2011, the only goal of a match atDoncaster Rovers.[30]
Gunter completed a move toReading on 17 July 2012, signing a three-year deal for the club who had been promoted to the Premier League.[31] The fee was undisclosed but has been reported to have been between £2.3 million[32] and £2.5 million.[33] He scored his first goal for Reading againstPeterborough United in the League Cup on 28 August 2012, the 3–2 home victory putting the team into the third round.[34] He played 20 league matches for the Royals, who ended the season relegated. On 29 November 2013, Gunter was sent off as Reading won 3–2 at his former club Forest.[35]
On 27 March 2015, Reading took up the option in Gunter's contract to extend his stay with the Royals for an additional year.[36] In the League Cup first round on 11 August, he scored the extra-time only goal as Reading won away atColchester United.[37]
On 18 February 2016, Gunter signed a new two-year contract to keep him at Reading until the summer of 2018.[38] Gunter again extended his contract with Reading on 5 July 2017, agreeing a new three-year contract, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2020.[39] In October 2017, Gunter was namedWelsh Footballer of the Year by theFootball Association of Wales.[40]
In the 2018–19 season, a combination of the arrivals ofAndy Yiadom and managerJosé Manuel Gomes saw Gunter's first-team opportunities limited – the first time since his arrival at the club that he faced prolonged spells out of the side.[41] A combination of these factors, and injury, limited him to 22 league appearances across the season.[42]
After Gomes' departure from Reading on 9 October 2019, Gunter andGarath McCleary were recalled to the first team. Both players had been transfer listed and told they would be leaving the club in the previous summer.[43] It was not until 26 November that he made his first appearance of the season, making his 500th career appearance in club football in 1–0 home defeat to Leeds United – also his 225th league start for Reading.[44] On 1 January 2020, profiting from Yiadom's injury, he made his 300th appearance for Reading in a 2–1 win at Fulham.[45] Gunter was released by Reading in July 2020 at the completion of his contract.[46]
On 8 October 2020, Gunter joinedCharlton Athletic on a two-year deal.[47] He scored his only goal for Charlton in a 2–2 draw againstPlymouth Argyle on 26 December 2020.[48]
On 10 May 2022, it was confirmed that Gunter would leave Charlton Athletic when his contract expired.[49]
On 4 July 2022, Gunter rejoined his former managerJohnnie Jackson by signing forAFC Wimbledon on a one-year deal.[50] He made his debut inEFL League Two on 30 July in a 2–0 home win overGillingham.[51] In his fourth game on 16 August he was sent off just before half time atMansfield Town for grabbing the throat ofStephen Quinn, who had kicked the ball at his face while he was on the ground; the score was 2–2 at the time and the final result was a 5–2 win for the hosts.[52] His three-game ban was rescinded on appeal.[53]
Gunter missed two games in March 2023 due to his new commitment to coaching the Wales national team; the decision was endorsed by Jackson.[54] On 4 May, he announced his retirement after 35 games for AFC Wimbledon, and moved into a full-time coaching role for Wales.[55]
Gunter started his Wales career during the 2003–04 season, making four appearances for the Schools' under-15 development squad before moving up to the Welsh Schools under-16 squad and played in a friendly against Republic of Ireland plus threeVictory Shield internationals. He then made 11 appearances atWales under-17 level during 2005–06, including captaining tue side,[11] playing in two rounds of theUEFA Championships as Wales qualified from the opening group to reach the elite stage. His next step was playing for theWales U19 squad in theMilk Cup.[56]
At age 16 years and 299 days, Gunter became the second youngest player to play for theWales Under-21 team behindLewin Nyatanga when he played againstCyprus Under-21 in 2006.[57]
Gunter received his first call up to the senior international side at the age of seventeen for a friendly match againstNew Zealand at the end of his first season of professional football, describing himself as being "absolutely staggered".[58] He made his debut forWales in the match on 26 May 2007 at theRacecourse Ground,Wrexham, featuring for the first half of a 2–2 draw.[59] He was ever present at right back during2010 World Cup qualifying and was the only player in the squad to have played in all ten matches.
On 8 October 2010, Gunter received a straight red card in added time for aprofessional foul againstDimitar Rangelov in the 0–1 home loss againstBulgaria in aEuro 2012 qualifying match at theCardiff City Stadium.[60] Aged 24, he won his 50th cap for Wales in the 1–1 away draw withBelgium in2014 FIFA World Cup qualification on 15 October 2013.[61][62]
Gunter was part of Wales'UEFA Euro 201623-man squad and played every minute of their six games as they reached the semi-finals. He won his 75th cap, aged just 27 years, on 6 October 2016 in a 2–2 away draw againstAustria in2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying.[63]
He captained the side for the first time for Wales' friendly withPanama on 13 November 2017, in which he equalled his former managerGary Speed's record of 85 international caps for an outfield player.[64] The following 22 March, Gunter made the record his own when he featured in a 6–0 win overChina at the2018 China Cup.[65] On 20 November 2018, he surpassedNeville Southall's record of 92 caps for Wales in a 1–0 friendly loss away toAlbania, in which he was captain for the second time.[66] After the game, Southall tweeted: "Have a great night. Proud it was you who will now hold the record. Congratulations. Top player. Top guy. RESPECT"[67]
Gunter became the first player to attain100 caps for Wales in the 1–0 friendly win againstMexico on 27 March 2021.[68] In May 2021 he was selected for the Wales squad for the delayedUEFA Euro 2020 tournament.[69]
In November 2022, Gunter was named in the Wales squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup inQatar,[70] but did not play any of their threeGroup B games. This allowedGareth Bale, who started all three games, to overtake Gunter as the most-capped Wales player.[71]
On 9 March 2023, Gunter confirmed he had retired from international football having earned 109 caps.[72][73]
On 21 March 2023, Gunter was appointed as one of the coaches to theWales national football team under team managerRob Page.[74]
Gunter was a former flatmate of fellow WelshmanAaron Ramsey who played forArsenal, London rivals of Gunter's then teamTottenham Hotspur.[75] Gunter was alsobest man for Ramsey at his wedding.[76]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cardiff City | 2006–07[15] | Championship | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08[77] | Championship | 13 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 0 | ||||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2007–08[77] | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ="2"|— | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2008–09[78] | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7[a] | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| Total | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | |||
| Nottingham Forest (loan) | 2008–09[78] | Championship | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Nottingham Forest | 2009–10[79] | Championship | 44 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[b] | 0 | 50 | 1 | |
| 2010–11[80] | Championship | 43 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[b] | 0 | 47 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12[81] | Championship | 46 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 50 | 1 | |||
| Total | 141 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 155 | 2 | |||
| Reading | 2012–13[82] | Premier League | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 23 | 1 | ||
| 2013–14[83] | Championship | 44 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 46 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15[84] | Championship | 38 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 45 | 0 | |||
| 2015–16[85] | Championship | 44 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 52 | 1 | |||
| 2016–17[86] | Championship | 46 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 3[b] | 0 | 52 | 1 | ||
| 2017–18[87] | Championship | 46 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 52 | 1 | |||
| 2018–19[42] | Championship | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20[88] | Championship | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 0 | |||
| Total | 280 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 15 | 2 | — | 3 | 0 | 314 | 4 | |||
| Charlton Athletic | 2020–21[89] | League One | 36 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 36 | 1 | |
| 2021–22[90] | League One | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| Total | 54 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 58 | 1 | |||
| AFC Wimbledon | 2022–23[91] | League Two | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | 35 | 0 | |
| Career total | 539 | 5 | 27 | 0 | 27 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 611 | 7 | ||
.jpg)
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wales | 2007 | 3 | 0 |
| 2008 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 109 | 0 | |
Tottenham Hotspur
Individual
Wales squads | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||
