 Gray withEngland U21 in 2017 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Demarai Remelle Gray[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1996-06-28)28 June 1996 (age 28)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Birmingham,[3] England | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[4] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Al-Ettifaq | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 11 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| Cadbury Athletic | |||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2013 | Birmingham City | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2016 | Birmingham City | 72 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2021 | Leicester City | 133 | (10) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Bayer Leverkusen | 10 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Everton | 67 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Al-Ettifaq | 38 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | England U18 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | England U19 | 4 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015 | England U20[5] | 5 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2019 | England U21[6] | 26 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Jamaica | 20 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:57, 15 March 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 09:42, 19 November 2024 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Demarai Remelle Gray (born 28 June 1996) is a professionalfootballer who plays as awinger forSaudi Pro League clubAl-Ettifaq and theJamaica national team.
Gray came through the youth system ofBirmingham City, for whom he made hisFootball League debut as a 17-year-old in October 2013. In two and a half seasons, he made 78 appearances across all competitions, including 51 starts in theChampionship, and scored eight goals. He signed forLeicester City in January 2016, and was a member of their2015–16 Premier League-winning squad. In January 2021, he joinedBundesliga clubBayer Leverkusen, but returned to English football in July withEverton. He joined Al-Ettifaq in September 2023.
Internationally, Gray represented his native England fromunder-18 tounder-21 level, and was twice called up to thefull England squad but did not make a debut. Eligible to play forJamaica through family heritage, he represented them in the2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup, scoring twice.
Gray was born inBirmingham,[3] where he attendedFrankley High School and played forCadbury Athletic's junior teams. He joinedBirmingham City's Academy as an under-11,[2] and took up a two-year scholarship in July 2012.[7] In a 2013 interview, Gray assessed his strengths as "pace, dribbling and technique", felt he needed to "score more goals", described himself in three words as "bubbly, calm and happy", and namedNathan Redmond as the biggest influence on him since joining the club.[2]
After impressing BirminghammanagerLee Clark in training, he was named in the squad for theChampionship match againstMillwall on 1 October 2013,[8] and made his senior debut as a 91st-minutesubstitute forJesse Lingard in a 4–0 win.[9] He made his first start on 2 November, in a 1–0 league defeat at home toCharlton Athletic.[10] Gray signed his first professional contract, of two and a half years, on 9 December.[11] Days after his inclusion together with academy teammateReece Brown in a "Top 10 Football League stars of tomorrow" feature on theFourFourTwo website,[12] Gray scored his first senior goal. Entering the League match at home toBlackburn Rovers on 21 April 2014 as a second-half substitute with Birmingham 4–1 down, he received a pass fromFederico Macheda and shot low into the corner to score the final goal of the match.[13] His performance over the season earned him the Academy Player of the Season award for 2013–14.[14]
Gray performed well in 2014–15 pre-season, and the management suggested he was showing increased maturity.[15] He started the first two matches of the season, but for the remainder of Clark's tenure as manager, Gray was used more as substitute than starter.[16] AgainstLeeds United in September, he was denied a penalty and booked fordiving when apparentlyfouled byGiuseppe Bellusci; both managers thought it the wrong decision.[17] The following week, his first goal of the season gave Birmingham a 2–0 lead at top-of-the-tableNorwich City, but he became unwell in the second half. Norwich scored while Birmingham were attempting to substitute him, and the match ended 2–2.[18]
He made his first start under new managerGary Rowett in the 1–0 win away toRotherham United on 22 November,[19] and soon established himself as theleft midfielder in a4–2–3–1 formation as Rowett regularly named an unchanged starting eleven.[20] On his tenth league start, Gray scored three times in the first half of the match at home toReading on 14 December, which ended 6–1. It was his firsthat-trick since his under-14 days,[21][22] and Rowett praised not only his clinical finishing but also his work off the ball and tracking back to cover in defence.[23] His performances during December earned him theFootball League Young Player of the Month award.[20]
Clark had expressed concern that the club's financial difficulties would force the sale of players such as Gray,[24] and the player was offered a two-year contract extension.[25] A £500,000 bid fromPremier League clubCrystal Palace was rejected in September,[24]scouts regularly watched the player,[26] and media reports linked him with clubs includingLiverpool,Newcastle United andTottenham Hotspur.[22] The club turned down a series of offers, the highest reported as £5 million, from Championship clubAFC Bournemouth in the January 2015 transfer window. In a statement issued when the window closed, they said that "none of [those offers] reflected the ability and potential of the player", and expressed their pleasure at having retained his services.[27]
WithloaneeLloyd Dyer available as an alternative, Rowett used Gray more sparingly, suggesting that his reduced effectiveness was a normal part of a young player's learning curve: the player needed to learn how to impose himself on a match despite increased attention from the opposition.[28] TheBirmingham Mail suggested that Gray's potential as a matchwinner should not be ignored.[29] His solo goal on 11 April, in which he ran the length of the pitch to score the winner againstWolverhampton Wanderers, was his first since the Reading match and earned him the club's Goal of the Season award.[30] According toThe Guardian, "It was not so much the 18-year-old's pace that impressed as his persistence in running at and then pressurising Wolvesfull-backScott Golbourne into error, and the certainty with which he then slid the ball past the Wolves goalkeeper".[31] He finished the season with 43 appearances in all competitions, of which two-thirds were as a starter, and won the club's Young Player of the Season award.[30]
After many months of negotiation,[25][32] Gray signed a new three-year contract with the club in July 2015.[33] At the player's insistence, a release clause was included in the terms.[34] He went into the new season feeling "stronger as a player, physically and mentally",[35] and produced some fine performances, as in a 2–0 win at Leeds in October, when he took advantage of confusion in the defence to score what proved to be the only goal of his Birmingham season,[36] and in a goalless draw atPreston North End in December.[37] He nearly marked his last appearance for the club, as a substitute in a 2–0 win at home to Milton Keynes Dons on 29 December, with a farewell goal. When the ball broke to him, "with a single silky touch and devastating burst he was in on goal, ready to put the icing on an outstanding team performance. He gave the goalkeeper the eyes, created the gap at the near post – and proceeded to hit the upright."[38]
In the early part of the season, Gray had asserted that "right now what's key for my development is playing games here",[39] but that "I will know when it's my time".[40] When Rowett selectedViv Solomon-Otabor to start ahead of Gray against MK Dons "with January coming up", it was clear that his time had arrived.[38][41]
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Premier League clubLeicester City activated the release clause in Gray's Birmingham City contract, reported as £3.7 million, and he signed a four-and-a-half-year contract on 4 January 2016.[42] He made his debut on 10 January, away toTottenham Hotspur in the third round of the FA Cup. He started the match,assisted a goal byMarcin Wasilewski, and "showed glimpses of the pace that will cause Premier League defences problems" in the 2–2 draw atWhite Hart Lane.[43] Six days later he made his first appearance in England's top flight, as an 85th-minute substitute forMarc Albrighton in a 1–1 draw atAston Villa.[44]
Consistency of team selection as Leicester maintained their position at the top of the league meant Gray's chances of first-team football were limited,[45] but teammateDanny Simpson highlighted the contribution of the squad players.[46] FormerSky Sports journalist Alex Dunn wrote that Gray "proved to be incredibly adept at killing time when coming on for Leicester as a late substitute".[47] He made the assist forJamie Vardy's stoppage-time goal that secured a 2–0 win atSunderland,[48] and againstSwansea City, his run from deep, cross and parried shot set up a goal for Albrighton.[49] He had made ten appearances, all as a substitute, by 2 May when Leicester were confirmed as champions.[50][51]
On 3 November 2018, a week after the death of Leicester City's owner and chairmanVichai Srivaddhanaprabha in ahelicopter crash, Gray scored the winning goal againstCardiff City. He celebrated by removing his shirt to show an undershirt bearing the words "For Khun Vichai" written on it and then running to the away end of the ground.[52]
On 31 January 2021, Gray joinedBundesliga clubBayer Leverkusen on an 18-month contract.[53][54] He made his debut on 6 February as a 74th-minute substitute, with Leverkusen leadingVfB Stuttgart 4–1, and ten minutes later scored his first and only Bundesliga goal to make the final score 5–2.[55] Shortly after Gray's transfer to Bayer Leverkusen, the player stated "there was no contract offer [from Leicester City]", remarking upon his exit not "ending in the best way", while still feeling appreciation for the "moments I will cherish forever".[56]
Gray joined Premier League clubEverton on 22 July 2021 for an undisclosed fee, understood byBBC Sport to be £1.7 million.[57] He signed a three-year contract with an option for a fourth year.[58] Gray scored his first competitive goal for Everton "with a clinical low effort into the far corner" in his second league match, a 2–2 draw withLeeds United on 21 August.[59]
On 7 September 2023, Gray joinedSaudi Pro League clubAl-Ettifaq on a four-year deal.[60]
Gray was called up for anEngland under-18s training camp in November 2013.[61] He made his debut at that level on 18 February 2014, playing the whole of a 4–0 win against theirBelgian counterparts in afriendly match atSt George's Park.[62] Two weeks later, he was involved in England's goal as they lost 2–1 toCroatia in the first match of a double-header.[63] He received his first call-up to theunder-19s for a friendly againstGermany in September 2014,[64] and made his debut as a second-half substitute.[65] An ankle injury forced Gray's withdrawal from the squad for the2015 European Under-19 Championship first qualifying round,[66] but he was able to play his part in theelite round. He started the first match, againstDenmark, and was involved in England's second goal in a 3–2 win, when his near-post flick was deflected over the line by a Danish player. The Football Association (the FA) credit Gray with the goal, althoughUEFA record it as anown goal.[67] A substitute in the second group match, a win againstAzerbaijan,[68] he returned to the starting eleven for the final group match againstFrance, but a 2–1 defeat meant England failed to qualify forthe finals.[69]
After taking part in a joint training camp for theunder-20 andunder-21 teams,[70] Gray was included inAidy Boothroyd's under-20 squad for the2015 Toulon Tournament. Starting the opening match on the left of a three-man attack, Gray gave England an 8th-minute lead with a shot from 12 yards (11 m), butMorocco twice took the lead beforeChuba Akpom secured a 3–3 draw for England.[71] Gray was a second-half substitute in the next match, a win againstIvory Coast.[72] He made his third appearance as England lost toMexico,[73] but took no part in the last group game or the third-place play-off,[74][75] and later admitted he had felt tired after a full season of league football and had not been at his best.[35] He and Birmingham teammate Reece Brown were called up for the under-20s' first matches of the 2015–16 season, a double-header against theCzech Republic.[76] In the first match, both Brown and half-time substitute Gray scored as England won 5–0;[77] in the second, despite what the FA's website called a "hugely influential" attacking performance by Gray, they lost 1–0.[78]
AfterNathan Redmond withdrew through injury, Gray was called into theunder-21 squad forEuropean Championship qualifiers in November 2015.[79] An unused substitute for the first match, a goalless draw away toBosnia and Herzegovina, he was not included in the matchday squad for the second, a 3–1 win at home toSwitzerland.[80] Gray made his under-21 debut on 26 March 2016, in the reverse fixture against Switzerland, a 1–1 draw. His run led to England's goal, scored by Akpom, and according to head coachGareth Southgate, "it was a super debut. He was a threat all night and I think the work he did at the goal was exceptional but he also put a real shift in for the team and did his work off the ball."[81]
On 9 September 2018, Gray was called up for the fullEngland squad for a friendly match againstSwitzerland.[82]
On 27 May 2019, Gray was included in England's 23-man squad for the2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[83]
Gray is eligible to play forJamaica as well as his native England.[84][53] In a televised interview in March 2021,Jamaican Football Federation presidentMichael Ricketts included Gray in a list of English players with Jamaican heritage he suggested were "in the process of acquiring their Jamaican passport" as part of the nation's plan to improve their chances of qualifying for the2022 World Cup.[85][86]
In June 2023 Gray was named in Jamaica's 50-man provisional squad for the2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[87] He made the cut for the final 23-man squad,[88] and made his debut on June 24 in Jamaica's tournament opener against theUnited States, where he contributed an assist on aDamion Lowe goal in a 1–1 draw.[89] In Jamaica's next match, on June 28 againstTrinidad and Tobago, Gray scored his first goals, netting a brace in a 4–1 victory.[90] FacingGuatemala in the quarter-final, he "show[ed] his close control and awareness as he threaded a defence-splitting pass to[Amari'i] Bell, who drilled home from the inside-left channel" to score the only goal of the game.[91] Jamaica lost 3–0 toMexico in the semi-final, but Gray did enough to make the tournament Best XI.[92]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Birmingham City | 2013–14[93] | Championship | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||
| 2014–15[16] | Championship | 41 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 43 | 6 | |||
| 2015–16[50] | Championship | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 1 | |||
| Total | 72 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 78 | 8 | ||||
| Leicester City | 2015–16[50] | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17[94] | Premier League | 30 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 41 | 2 | |
| 2017–18[95] | Premier League | 35 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 44 | 4 | |||
| 2018–19[96] | Premier League | 34 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 4 | |||
| 2019–20[97] | Premier League | 21 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 29 | 3 | |||
| 2020–21[98] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 133 | 10 | 16 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 169 | 13 | ||
| Leicester City U23 | 2016–17[94] | — | — | — | — | 1[e] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Bayer Leverkusen | 2020–21[99] | Bundesliga | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[f] | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | ||
| Everton | 2021–22[100] | Premier League | 34 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 6 | ||
| 2022–23[101] | Premier League | 33 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 36 | 6 | |||
| 2023–24[99] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 67 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 75 | 12 | ||||
| Al-Ettifaq | 2023–24[99] | Saudi Pro League | 23 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 25 | 4 | |||
| 2024–25[99][102] | Saudi Pro League | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 4[g] | 1 | 20 | 1 | |||
| Total | 38 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 1 | 45 | 5 | ||||
| Career total | 319 | 32 | 25 | 2 | 22 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 380 | 39 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamaica | 2023 | 10 | 5 |
| 2024 | 10 | 2 | |
| Total | 20 | 7 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 June 2023 | CityPark,St. Louis, United States |  Trinidad and Tobago | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup | [90] |
| 2 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 3 | 8 September 2023 | Independence Park,Kingston, Jamaica |  Honduras | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League A | [105] |
| 4 | 12 October 2023 | Kirani James Athletic Stadium,St. George's, Grenada |  Grenada | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League A | [106] |
| 5 | 15 October 2023 | Hasely Crawford Stadium,Port of Spain, Trinidad |  Haiti | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League A | [107] |
| 6 | 18 November 2024 | CityPark, St. Louis, United States |  United States | 1–3 | 2–4 | 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League A | [108] |
| 7 | 2–4 |
Leicester City
Individual
Jamaica squads | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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