Kyle Walker started his football career at his boyhood club Sheffield United at the age of just seven.
The defender made his way up the youth ranks before making his senior debut during a loan spell at Northampton Town.
After impressing with the Cobblers, Walker made his breakthrough into the Blades’ first team, making 7 appearances prior to being signed by Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2009.
Walker’s Spurs career
The fullback was initially loaned back to Sheffield United for six months so he could get more first-team experience, and he then went on two further loan spells to QPR and Aston Villa.
Walker began to turn heads with his performances at Villa Park and, on his return to Tottenham, he became a regular starter for the North London club.
From 2011 to 2017, the defender made 229 appearances, finishing runners-up in the Carabao Cup during the 2014/2015 season and the Premier League a couple of years later.
Joining City
The Cityzens paid £50m (including add-ons) for Walker in the summer of 2017 but it was an inauspicious start for the player. Despite impressing on his debut against Brighton, he was sent off during his first appearance at the Etihad versus Everton.
Walker found his feet pretty quickly, though, and he ended his first season with the club having won the Premier League and the Carabao Cup.
Over the next 7 years, the right-back established himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League, having also become first-choice for England.
After signing a new two-year contract at the start of the 2023/24 season, Walker became the club’s de facto captain, having replaced Ilkay Gundogan. It was initially assumed that Kevin De Bruyne would take the armband but the veteran fullback has led out his team when fit over the past two seasons.
Walker’s achievements with City and Tottenham
- He has won 17 major honours during his time at the club, including six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four Carabao Cups, two Community Shields, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
- Walker has been named in the PFA Team of the Year on four occasions (2011/12, 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2023/24).
- The defender won the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2011/12 after his breakthrough year at Tottenham.
- He was named in the UEFA Champions League Team of the Season in 2023/24 after helping City win their first-ever Champions League/European Cup.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
