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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Clayton Rhys Lewis[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1997-02-12)12 February 1997 (age 29)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Wellington, New Zealand | ||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Wellington Olympic | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2014 | Team Wellington | 0 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Wanderers SC | 11 | (2) |
| 2015–2017 | Auckland City | 29 | (9) |
| 2016 | Onehunga Sports | 8 | (2) |
| 2017–2019 | Scunthorpe United | 19 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Auckland City | 13 | (2) |
| 2020–2023 | Wellington Phoenix | 63 | (3) |
| 2023–2024 | Macarthur FC | 26 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014–2017 | New Zealand U20 | 12 | (4) |
| 2015–2021 | New Zealand U23 | 10 | (4) |
| 2015–2024 | New Zealand | 27 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20 September 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 27 March 2024 (UTC) | |||
Clayton Rhys Lewis (born 12 February 1997 inWellington) is aNew Zealand footballer who plays as amidfielder.
Lewis attendedSt Patrick's College, Wellington from 2010 until 2014. He began his career withWellington Olympic where he played alongside his father Barry. Lewis came into prominence in the 2013 winter season where he was a key member of the Wellington Olympic team which finished second in theCentral Premier League and reached the semifinals of theChatham Cup. This exposure led his to being signed by Team Wellington for the2013–14 ASB Premiership season.[2] However, he did not make an appearance for Team Wellington.
On 1 July 2014 he was signed on afree transfer byWanderers SC. Lewis made his debut on 22 November 2014 on the fifth match of the season away atWaiBOP United in a 3–0 win in which he scored. He would go on to make 11 appearances, score 3 goals and assist another 3 for the Wanderers that season before joining reigning championsAuckland City.
In 2016, Lewis served a one month ban for an anti-doping rule violation after testing positive for unintentionally elevated levels ofsalbutamol derived from the use of his asthma medication.[3][4]
On 28 September 2017, Lewis signed a contract withLeague One clubScunthorpe United.[5] Following minimal playing time over the three seasons he spent at Scunthorpe, Lewis' contract was terminated by mutual consent and he returned to Auckland City on 4 November 2019.[6]
Lewis signed a one-year deal withA-League clubWellington Phoenix in October 2020.[7] On 18 May 2021, his contract was extended for an additional two years.[8] In March 2022, Lewis was ruled out for 12 weeks with an ankle injury obtained during a match againstPerth Glory.[9]
In March 2023, ahead of Wellington's round 19 fixture, it was announced that Lewis would depart Wellington at the end of the2022-23 A-League season.[10] Lewis went on to make 69 appearances across all competitions for Wellington, in his three seasons at the club.
3 days after Wellington Phoenix's season ended in an elimination final defeat toAdelaide United,Macarthur FC announced the signing of Lewis on a two-year contract.[11]
On 17 May 2024, Lewis, along withMacarthur FC teammatesKearyn Baccus andUlises Dávila, was arrested and charged by theNew South Wales Police Force in connection with alleged spot-fixing during the2023–24 A-League Men season. Police alleged that club captain Dávila had received instructions from a South American associate to manipulate the number of yellow cards shown in four matches. It was further alleged that he paid Lewis and another player A$10,000 each to participate in the scheme.[12][13]
Football Australia issued a no-fault suspension, preventing Lewis from participating in domestic football activities while the criminal proceedings were ongoing.[14][15] Following the guilty plea, it was revealed that Football Australia had issued Lewis with a show cause notice in relation to a potential lifetime ban from the sport.[16]
In September 2025, Lewis was sentenced at Sydney’sDowning Centre Local Court to a two-year conditional release order after pleading guilty to engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome. Court documents stated that he intentionally received a yellow card in Macarthur FC’s match againstSydney FC on 9 December 2023 as part of the scheme. He was ordered to pay a A$10,000 pecuniary penalty and to undergo psychiatric treatment for gambling addiction and depression.[15]
Lewis made his international debut forNew Zealand on 31 March 2015 againstSouth Korea, playing 54 minutes in a 1–0 defeat.
He has also made several appearances for theNew Zealand under-20 team starting in April 2015. He is part of the under-20 side for the2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. He scored his firstFIFA U-20 World Cup goal againstMyanmar in a 5–1 group stage win atWestpac Stadium inWellington.
In the2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, Lewis assistedChris Wood's goal againstMexico to put New Zealand up 1–0 inSochi; this was New Zealand's only goal in the competition.
On 25 June 2021, Lewis was called up to the New Zealand squad for the delayed2020 Summer Olympics.[17]
During New Zealand's 4–0 victory againstFiji at the2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Lewis converted a penalty kick to score his first international goal.[18]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 21 March 2022 | Suheim bin Hamad Stadium,Doha,Qatar |  Fiji | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
New Zealand squads | |||||||
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