Billy Gilmour
Gilmour playing for Norwich City in 2021
Personal information
Full name Billy Clifford Gilmour[1]
Date of birth (2001-06-11) 11 June 2001 (age 22)
Place of birth Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland[2]
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Brighton & Hove Albion
Number 11
Youth career
2009–2017 Rangers
2017–2019 Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2022 Chelsea 11 (0)
2021–2022 → Norwich City (loan) 24 (0)
2022– Brighton & Hove Albion 33 (0)
International career‡
2015–2016 Scotland U15 1 (0)
2016–2017 Scotland U16 1 (0)
2017–2018 Scotland U17 7 (2)
2017–2019 Scotland U19 7 (3)
2018–2021 Scotland U21 12 (1)
2021– Scotland 23 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:48, 2 January 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:26, 23 November 2023 (UTC)

Billy Clifford Gilmour (born 11 June 2001) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion and the Scotland national team.

Gilmour spent three months at a young age with Celtic before moving to Rangers,[3] where he developed in the club's academy and trained with the first-team squad at the age of 15. He joined Chelsea in 2017 after turning down a professional contract with Rangers. Gilmour made 22 appearances for the Blues and was on the bench for their UEFA Champions League and FA Cup finals in 2021. He spent a season on loan at Norwich City where the club were relegated, before he signed with Brighton & Hove Albion on a permanent basis in September 2022.

Gilmour represented Scotland at all youth level from under-15, under-16, under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels before making his senior debut in 2021. He was selected for their Euro 2020 squad later that year.

Early life

Gilmour was born on 11 June 2001 at Ayrshire Central Hospital in Irvine, Ayrshire[2] and resided in Ardrossan, North Ayrshire. His father served with the Royal Navy and played junior football for Ardrossan Winton Rovers. Gilmour attended Stanley Primary School in Ardrossan and Grange Academy in Kilmarnock,[4] where he was part of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) Performance School programme.[5][6] He listed Cesc Fàbregas, Luka Modrić and Andrés Iniesta as his football role models.[7]

Club career

Rangers

Gilmour spent three months at a young age with Celtic, before moving to Rangers due to the logistics of attending training.[3] He made his debut for the under-20 development team in December 2016 at the age of 15, and was invited to train with the first-team squad the following month by manager Mark Warburton.[8][9] Gilmour was given a squad number and, following Warburton's departure from the club, was twice included in the provisional squad for the Scottish Cup matches by Rangers caretaker manager Graeme Murty.[10]

The next Rangers manager, Pedro Caixinha, described Gilmour as a player with a "bright future" and held talks with the player's family in an attempt to persuade him to stay with the club.[11][12] Rangers, however, announced in May 2017 that they had reached an agreement for Gilmour to join Chelsea for a "significant fee".[13] Reports suggested that Chelsea would pay an initial development fee of around £500,000, with potential further payments dependent on his progress.[14] SFA Performance Director Malky Mackay had advised Gilmour and his family that he should stay at Rangers, as he would have had more chance of gaining first team experience. Mackay said, "I really hope he goes out on loan quickly to someone and keeps progressing".[15]

Chelsea

Youth

Gilmour became officially contracted to Chelsea in July 2017, following his 16th birthday.[16] He joined the club's under-18 squad, making a goalscoring debut in an Under-18 Premier League match against Arsenal during September 2017,[17] and going on to score in each of his first three appearances.[18] In July 2018, after turning 17, Gilmour signed his first professional contract with Chelsea.[19]

2019–20

Gilmour playing for Chelsea in 2019

Newly-appointed Chelsea manager Frank Lampard gave Gilmour his senior debut on 10 July 2019, in a pre-season friendly against Bohemians in Dublin.[20] His first appearance in a competitive matchday squad for the first-team came in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup against Liverpool, when he was an unused substitute.[21]

He made his Premier League debut on 31 August against Sheffield United, coming on in the 84th minute for Tammy Abraham. He made his full debut on 25 September, playing the full 90 minutes in a 7–1 EFL Cup win against Grimsby Town.[22] Gilmour was added to the Chelsea first-team squad on a permanent basis in February 2020.[23] He was widely praised for his performance in a 2–0 win against Liverpool in an FA Cup tie on 3 March.[24] Gilmour later made his first Premier League start later that week on 8 March against Everton, earning Man of the Match honours in a 4–0 win.[25] He did not play much for the next six months or so, due to the lockdown caused by COVID-19 and a knee injury.[26] Gilmour made 11 appearances for the Chelsea first team during the 2019–20 season.[27]

2020–21

In September 2020, Gilmour took the 23 squad number for 2020–21 season after Michy Batshuayi returned to Crystal Palace on loan.[28] Gilmour returned to the Chelsea starting lineup on 8 December 2020, when he made his first Champions League start in a 1–1 draw with Krasnodar.[29] Under Thomas Tuchel, Gilmour featured periodically. He was an unused substitute as Chelsea defeated Manchester City 1–0 in the 2021 UEFA Champions League Final on 29 May.[30]

2021–22: loan to Norwich City

In July 2021, Gilmour joined fellow Premier League club Norwich City on a season-long loan.[31] Gilmour cited fellow Scotland international Grant Hanley as an influencing factor in his decision to join the club.[32] He played 28 times for Norwich during the 2021–22 season, but the team finished last in the 2021–22 Premier League and were relegated.[33]

In June 2022, Chelsea exercised an option to extend Gilmour's contract to the end of the 2023–24 season.[33]

Brighton & Hove Albion

On 1 September 2022, Gilmour transferred to fellow Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion on a four-year deal.[34] He made his debut three days later, coming on as a 90+3rd minute substitute for Moisés Caicedo in the 5–2 home win over Leicester.[35] Gilmour made his first Albion start on 9 November, playing the whole match of the 3–1 EFL Cup third round victory away at Arsenal, assisting Tariq Lamptey's goal.[36] His first Premier League start for Brighton came on his sixth appearance, playing the whole match and picking up a yellow card in the 4–2 home loss against Arsenal on 31 December.[37] After almost three months without an appearance, on 29 April Gilmour played the whole match of the 6–0 home thrashing over Wolves, Brighton's biggest Premier League victory;[38] he was also selected to start in subsequent wins over Manchester United at home and Arsenal away.[39]

On 18 May, Gilmour made his first goal involvement for the Seagulls after assisting Deniz Undav’s goal in the eventual 4-1 loss against Newcastle United.

International career

Gilmour playing for Scotland U19 in 2019

Gilmour played for the Scotland under-16s in the 2016 Victory Shield tournament.[40] He made his Scotland under-17 debut against Italy in August 2017, and scored his first international goal in a 2–1 defeat against England two days later.[41][42] Under-21 debut followed when he featured in a 1–0 win against France at the 2018 Toulon Tournament,[43] and won the Revelation of the Tournament award after helping Scotland to a fourth-placed finish.[44]

Gilmour was included in the Scotland for UEFA Euro 2020 by Steve Clarke.[45] He made his full international debut on 2 June 2021, coming off the bench in the 81st minute of a pre-tournament friendly against the Netherlands.[46] Gilmour made his first start for Scotland in a goalless draw against England on 18 June,[47] and was awarded man of the match by UEFA.[48][49][50] He then tested positive for COVID-19, meaning that he missed Scotland's final group game against Croatia.[51][52][53]

Gilmour remained in the squad for Scotland's continuing 2022 World Cup qualifiers in September, starting all five games against Denmark, Moldova, Austria, Israel and the Faroe Islands. His performances were widely acclaimed, with him winning man of the match in the 1–0 victory over Moldova at Hampden.[54]

On 17 October 2023, Gilmour scored his first career goal in a 4–1 friendly loss to France in Lille.[55]

Personal life

In May 2023, TikTok model Orla Melissa Sloan pleaded guilty to stalking Gilmour and his former Chelsea teammate Mason Mount, as well as harassing Ben Chilwell.[56][57]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 6 January 2024[58]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Chelsea U23 2018–19 – — 5[a] 0 5 0
2019–20 – — 2[a] 0 2 0
2020–21 – — 1[a] 0 1 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 8 0
Chelsea 2019–20[59] Premier League 6 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
2020–21[60] 5 0 4 0 0 0 2[b] 0 — 11 0
Total 11 0 7 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 22 0
Norwich City (loan) 2021–22[61] Premier League 24 0 2 0 2 0 — 28 0
Brighton & Hove Albion 2022–23[62] Premier League 14 0 1 0 2 0 — 17 0
2023–24[63] Premier League 19 0 1 0 1 0 6[c] 0 — 27 0
Total 33 0 2 0 3 0 6 0 0 0 44 0
Career total 68 0 11 0 7 0 8 0 8 0 102 0
  1. ^ a b c Appearances in EFL Trophy
  2. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 19 November 2023[64][65]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Scotland 2021 10 0
2022 6 0
2023 7 1
Total 23 1
Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gilmour goal.
List of international goals scored by Billy Gilmour
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 17 October 2023 Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France 22  France 1–0 1–4 Friendly

Honours

Chelsea Youth

Chelsea

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Updated squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Billy Gilmour". Chelsea F.C.
  3. ^ a b Irvine, David (20 June 2022). "Celtic would be ideal move for Billy Gilmour, but he wouldn't go because of Rangers allegiance, claims pundit". The National. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  4. ^ Scotland players' old schools send good luck messages, Henry Hepburn, TES (magazine), 11 June 2021
  5. ^ Walker, Mark (16 October 2019). "Scotland and Chelsea's Billy Gilmour 'ahead of plan' but remains rooted in reality". The Times. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  6. ^ Malky Mackay on why 'four stone wet through and five feet high' Rangers kid was always destined to be a star, Stephen Halliday, The Scotsman, 28 May 2021
  7. ^ Prada, Jon; Chappelle, Gregor (20 June 2021). "Billy Gilmour: The Scottish kid who lit up Wembley Stadium". Marca. Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  8. ^ Bairner, Robin (9 May 2017). "Meet Rangers wonderkid Billy Gilmour: The starlet Chelsea have beaten Arsenal and Manchester United to". Goal.com. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
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  10. ^ Jack, Christopher (2 April 2017). "Graeme Murty hopes Rangers can fend off interest from Chelsea in midfield star Billy Gilmour". Glasgow Times. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  11. ^ Newport, Andy (30 March 2017). "Caixinha reveals he's met Billy Gilmour's parents in bid to keep ace at Rangers". Daily Record. Glasgow. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
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  16. ^ Amako, Uche (4 July 2017). "Billy Gilmour signs Chelsea contract two months after agreeing to leave Rangers". Daily Express. London. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  17. ^ Forbes, Craig (11 September 2017). "Billy Gilmour impresses in goalscoring Chelsea debut". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  18. ^ McDougall, Mark (30 September 2017). "Former Rangers kid Billy Gilmour scores third goal in three games for Chelsea". Daily Record. Glasgow. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
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  36. ^ "Carabao Cup: Arsenal 1-3 Brighton - Seagulls move into last 16 with win at Emirates Stadium". BBC Sport. 9 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  37. ^ "Brave Albion beaten by the leaders". Brighton & Hove Albion. 31 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  38. ^ "Back on track with six of the best". Brighton & Hove Albion. 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
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  41. ^ "Billy Gilmour – U17 squad matches". Scottish FA. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
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  43. ^ "Scotland stun hosts France to record Toulon win". Scottish Football Association. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  44. ^ "Individual awards for Billy Gilmour and Michael Johnston seal successful Toulon trip". Scottish Football Association. 10 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
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  46. ^ "Billy Gilmour makes Scotland debut in Netherlands draw". Chelsea FC. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  47. ^ Pasztor, David (19 June 2021). "Billy Gilmour 'so proud' of full debut as Scotland promise to nurture him properly". SB Nation. Archived from the original on 19 June 2021.
  48. ^ "Every Euro 2020 Star of the Match". uefa.com. UEFA. 18 June 2021. Archived from the original on 19 June 2021.
  49. ^ Murray, Ewan (18 June 2021). "Scotland's Billy Gilmour catches the eye with star turn against England". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 19 June 2021.
  50. ^ "Billy Gilmour the star of the match for Scottland against England". Football Express. 21 June 2021.
  51. ^ "Scotland Squad Update – Monday 21 June". Scottish FA. 21 June 2021.
  52. ^ "Billy Gilmour: Scotland midfielder tests positive for Covid-19". BBC. 21 June 2021.
  53. ^ "Billy Gilmour: Scotland midfielder tests positive for Covid-19". Sky Sports. 21 June 2021.
  54. ^ "Chelsea wonderkid Gilmour wins Man of the Match award with classy performance on international duty". Caught Offside. 5 September 2021. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021.
  55. ^ "France fight back from goal-down to beat Scotland comfortably in Lille". STV. 17 October 2023.
  56. ^ Hunter, Ross (24 May 2023). "TikTok influencer admits to stalking Scots football star Billy Gilmour". The National.
  57. ^ Kirk, Tristan (25 May 2023). "Premier League stars Mason Mount and Billy Gilmour stalked by model". Evening Standard.
  58. ^ B. Gilmour, Soccerway
  59. ^ "Games played by Billy Gilmour in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  60. ^ "Games played by Billy Gilmour in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  61. ^ "Games played by Billy Gilmour in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  62. ^ "Games played by Billy Gilmour in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  63. ^ "Games played by Billy Gilmour in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  64. ^ "Billy Gilmour". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  65. ^ Billy Gilmour at the Scottish Football Association
  66. ^ McNulty, Phil (15 May 2021). "Chelsea 0–1 Leicester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  67. ^ McNulty, Phil (29 May 2021). "Man. City 0–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  68. ^ "L'équipe type du Festival International Espoirs 2018". www.festival-foot-espoirs.com. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  69. ^ "Gilmour named Chelsea Academy Player of the Season". Chelsea F.C. 25 August 2020.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Billy Gilmour (footballer).
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. – current squad
Scotland squad – UEFA Euro 2020
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