Chris Gunter
Encyclopedia
Christopher Ross "Chris" Gunter (born 21 July 1989) is a Welsh
footballer who plays for Nottingham Forest
, and the Wales national team
, as a defender
. Though a Newport native, he moved to Cardiff as a child and later joined Cardiff City
's youth system. An attacking full back, he is capable of playing on both flanks but usually plays on his preferred right side.
Gunter has been a Welsh international since the U17 level and holds the record as the second youngest debutant for the U21 team. In 2007 he became the youngest Cardiff City
player ever to play for the full Welsh team.
, Gunter started out as a striker when he played for Durham Colts and Albion Rovers but switched to full-back
at a young age and signed for the Cardiff City
youth side at the age of eight. He signed his first professional contract with the club on 1 August 2006 along with fellow Cardiff academy graduate Darcy Blake
.
Primarily a right-sided defender, Gunter made his debut for Cardiff City on 22 August 2006 against Barnet
in the League Cup
.
In March 2007 he won the Football League
's Apprentice of the Year award 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 from Premier League
club Everton
. Both, however, were rejected.
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 £4m. On 22 December, Gunter passed a medical at White 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. Gunter made his debut for Spurs in an FA Cup
3rd Round Replay against Reading
at the Madejski Stadium
.
On 12 March 2009, Gunter moved on loan to Nottingham Forest
for the rest of the 2008–09
season.
He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 victory over Plymouth Argyle
on 27 September 2009. It was also Gunter's first goal in senior football. In the recent match between Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace
on 23 March 2010, Gunter made his 100th senior club appearance. In May 2010 he was selected in the Championship
PFA Team of the Year
for the 2009–10 season. Gunter received a 3 match ban for violent conduct following an altercation with Sanchez Watt
during Forest's league game against Leeds United
. Gunter has been a regular member of the Forest team since joining the club, normally playing at right-back. Gunter scored his first goal of the 2011-12 season against Doncaster Rovers
.
internationals. He then made 11 appearances at Wales under-17
level during 2005–06, playing in two rounds of the UEFA Championships as Wales qualified from the opening group to reach the elite stage. His next step was playing for the Wales U19
squad in the Milk Cup
.
At age 16 years and 299 days, Gunter was the youngest player to play for the Wales Under-21
team when he played against Cyprus Under-21
until former club mate Aaron Ramsey
broke the record in August 2007.
in a friendly match against New Zealand on 26 May 2007 at the Racecourse Ground
, Wrexham
; in doing so he became the youngest ever Cardiff City player to play for the senior Wales team. Gunter started as a left-back in a young and inexperienced Wales team in the teams' Euro 2008 qualifiers against the Republic of Ireland
and Germany
giving very impressive performances in the games which ended 2–2 and 0–0. He was ever present at right back during 2010 World Cup qualifying
and is the only player in the squad to have played in all ten matches. He was called up for a November friendly against Scotland
but withdrew due to illness. On 8 October 2010, Gunter was sent off in the 94th minute for a last-man foul
against Dimitar Rangelov
in the 0-1 home loss against Bulgaria
in a Euro 2012 qualifying match.
|2006–07
||rowspan="2"|Cardiff City
||rowspan="2"|Championship
||15||0||0||0||1||0||16||0
|-
|rowspan="2"|2007–08
||13||0||0||0||4||0||17||0
|-
|rowspan="2"|Tottenham Hotspur
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||2||0||2||0||0||0||4||0
|-
|rowspan="2"|2008–09
||3||0||1||0||1||0||5||0
|-
|Nottingham Forest
(loan)||rowspan="4"|Championship
||8||0||0||0||0||0||8||0
|-
|2009–10||rowspan="3"|Nottingham Forest||46||1||2||0||2||0||50||1
|-
|2010–11||42||0||2||0||0||0||44||0
|-
|2011–12||4||1||0||0||0||0||4||1
129||1||5||0||8||0||144||1
129||1||5||0||8||0||144||1
as a teenager. He also followed Cardiff City
, along with his brother Marc, as a supporter and continued to go to away games on supporters coaches up until 2006. Gunter also holds a BTEC National Diploma in sports Studies. Gunter was a former flatmate of fellow Welshman Aaron Ramsey
who plays for Spurs' London rivals Arsenal
.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
footballer who plays for Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, and the Wales national team
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
, as a defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
. Though a Newport native, he moved to Cardiff as a child and later joined Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
's youth system. An attacking full back, he is capable of playing on both flanks but usually plays on his preferred right side.
Gunter has been a Welsh international since the U17 level and holds the record as the second youngest debutant for the U21 team. In 2007 he became the youngest Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
player ever to play for the full Welsh team.
Cardiff City
Born in NewportNewport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, Gunter started out as a striker when he played for Durham Colts and Albion Rovers but switched to full-back
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
at a young age and signed for the Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
youth side at the age of eight. He signed his first professional contract with the club on 1 August 2006 along with fellow Cardiff academy graduate Darcy Blake
Darcy Blake
Darcy James Blake is a Welsh professional footballer currently playing for Cardiff City in the Football League Championship. He is also a Welsh international, having made his debut in October 2010.-Cardiff City:...
.
Primarily a right-sided defender, Gunter made his debut for Cardiff City on 22 August 2006 against Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
.
In March 2007 he won the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
's Apprentice of the Year award 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 from Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
club Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
. Both, however, were rejected.
Tottenham Hotspur
According to reports on the 21 December, Cardiff agreed a substantial fee with Tottenham HotspurTottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
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 £4m. On 22 December, Gunter passed a medical at White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....
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. Gunter made his debut for Spurs in an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
3rd Round Replay against Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
at the Madejski Stadium
Madejski Stadium
The Madejski Stadium is a stadium in Reading, Berkshire, England. The stadium is the home of Reading Football Club and to the rugby union club London Irish as tenants. It also provides the finish for the Reading Half Marathon...
.
On 12 March 2009, Gunter moved on loan to Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
for the rest of the 2008–09
2008–09 in English football
The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...
season.
Nottingham Forest
On 17 July 2009 Tottenham Hotspur accepted a bid of £1.75 million from Nottingham Forest. Forest completed the signing of Gunter on 20 July on a four-year contract.He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 victory over Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
on 27 September 2009. It was also Gunter's first goal in senior football. In the recent match between Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
on 23 March 2010, Gunter made his 100th senior club appearance. In May 2010 he was selected in the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
PFA Team of the Year
PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year is an annual award given to a set of 44 footballers in the top four tiers of English football; the Premier League, the Championship, League One and League Two, whom are seen to be deserving of being named in a "Team of the Year".The award...
for the 2009–10 season. Gunter received a 3 match ban for violent conduct following an altercation with Sanchez Watt
Sanchez Watt
Herschel Oulio Sanchez Watt , more commonly known as Sanchez Watt, is an English footballer who plays as a winger for Arsenal, currently on loan at Sheffield Wednesday...
during Forest's league game against Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
. Gunter has been a regular member of the Forest team since joining the club, normally playing at right-back. Gunter scored his first goal of the 2011-12 season against Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
.
Youth teams
Gunter started his Wales career during the 2003–04 season, making four appearances for the schoolsunder-15 development squad before moving up to the Welsh Schools under-16 squad and played in a friendly against Republic of Ireland plus three Victory ShieldVictory Shield
The Victory Shield is an annual football tournament competed for by the under-16 teams of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The competition is broadcast live in the UK by Sky Sports who also sponsor the competition...
internationals. He then made 11 appearances at Wales under-17
Wales national under-17 football team
The Wales national under-17 football team is the national under-17 football team of Wales and is controlled by the Football Association of Wales.-Current squad:...
level during 2005–06, playing in two rounds of the UEFA Championships as Wales qualified from the opening group to reach the elite stage. His next step was playing for the Wales U19
Wales national under-19 football team
The Wales national under-19 football team is the national under-19 football team of Wales and is controlled by the Football Association of Wales. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship held every year.-Recent history:...
squad in the Milk Cup
Milk Cup
The Milk Cup is an international youth football tournament held annually in Northern Ireland. The cup matches are mainly played in the North Coast area of Northern Ireland, with matches taking place in the towns of Portrush, Portstewart, Castlerock, Limavady, Coleraine, Ballymoney, Ballymena and...
.
At age 16 years and 299 days, Gunter was the youngest player to play for the Wales Under-21
Wales national under-21 football team
The Wales national under-21 football team, also known as the Wales U21s, is the national under-21 football team of Wales and is controlled by the Football Association of Wales. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...
team when he played against Cyprus Under-21
Cyprus national under-21 football team
The Cyprus national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team for Cyprus and like the senior team, is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association....
until former club mate Aaron Ramsey
Aaron Ramsey
Aaron James Ramsey is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for the premier league club Arsenal and is the captain of the Wales national football team...
broke the record in August 2007.
Senior team
He eventually made his full international debut for WalesWales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
in a friendly match against New Zealand on 26 May 2007 at the Racecourse Ground
Racecourse Ground
The Glyndŵr University Racecourse Stadium AKA The Racecourse Ground is a stadium located in Wrexham, North Wales. It is the home of Wrexham F.C. and, since 2010, the Crusaders Rugby League team who play in the engage Super League...
, Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
; in doing so he became the youngest ever Cardiff City player to play for the senior Wales team. Gunter started as a left-back in a young and inexperienced Wales team in the teams' Euro 2008 qualifiers against the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
and Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
giving very impressive performances in the games which ended 2–2 and 0–0. He was ever present at right back during 2010 World Cup qualifying
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The European zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, after UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of...
and is the only player in the squad to have played in all ten matches. He was called up for a November friendly against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
but withdrew due to illness. On 8 October 2010, Gunter was sent off in the 94th minute for a last-man foul
Last man (football)
In Football , the last man is defined as being the last member of the defending side in a position to stop an attacking player having an obvious goal-scoring opportunity...
against Dimitar Rangelov
Dimitar Rangelov
Dimitar Rangelov is a Bulgarian football striker who plays for Energie Cottbus on loan from Borussia Dortmund and the Bulgarian national team.In 2007 he made his debut for Bulgaria.-Slavia Sofia:...
in the 0-1 home loss against Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
in a Euro 2012 qualifying match.
Career statistics
|-|2006–07
The Football League 2006-07
The 2006–2007 season was the 107th completed season of the Football League.-Overview:The Football League was contested through three Divisions in England and Wales. The divisions were the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League Two...
||rowspan="2"|Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
||rowspan="2"|Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||15||0||0||0||1||0||16||0
|-
|rowspan="2"|2007–08
The Football League 2007-08
The Football League is contested through three divisions in England and Wales. The divisions are the League Championship, League One and League Two. The winner and the runner up of the League Championship will be automatically promoted to the Premier League and they will be joined by the winner of...
||13||0||0||0||4||0||17||0
|-
|rowspan="2"|Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||2||0||2||0||0||0||4||0
|-
|rowspan="2"|2008–09
The Football League 2008-09
The Football League 2008–09, titled the Coca-Cola Football League, was the 109th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2008 and concluded in May 2009, with the promotion play-off finals....
||3||0||1||0||1||0||5||0
|-
|Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
(loan)||rowspan="4"|Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||8||0||0||0||0||0||8||0
|-
|2009–10||rowspan="3"|Nottingham Forest||46||1||2||0||2||0||50||1
|-
|2010–11||42||0||2||0||0||0||44||0
|-
|2011–12||4||1||0||0||0||0||4||1
129||1||5||0||8||0||144||1
129||1||5||0||8||0||144||1
Personal life
As a youngster Gunter attended Durham Road Junior School before moving on to St Julian's High SchoolSt. Julian's, Newport
St Julians is an electoral district and coterminous community of the City of Newport, South Wales.The ward is bounded by the River Usk to the west and north, The Moorings, Badminton Road, Reynolds Close, Rembrandt Way, Constable Drive, Heather Road, Kelly Road, Merlin Crescent, Avalon Drive,...
as a teenager. He also followed Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
, along with his brother Marc, as a supporter and continued to go to away games on supporters coaches up until 2006. Gunter also holds a BTEC National Diploma in sports Studies. Gunter was a former flatmate of fellow Welshman Aaron Ramsey
Aaron Ramsey
Aaron James Ramsey is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for the premier league club Arsenal and is the captain of the Wales national football team...
who plays for Spurs' London rivals Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
.
External links
- Chris Gunter player profile at Nottingham Forest website
- Chris Gunter player profile at Tottenham Hotspur website
- Wales profile