Benjamin James Gibson (born 15 January 1993) is an English professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who plays as a
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
for club
Norwich City.
Having graduated from
Middlesbrough's Academy, Gibson enjoyed
loan
In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...
spells with
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
,
York City and
Tranmere Rovers before breaking into the club's first team in 2013. he was part of the Middlesbrough team that secured
promotion to the Premier League in 2016 and the following year earned his first call-up to the
England national team.
Early and personal life
Gibson was born in
Nunthorpe
Nunthorpe is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire, England.
It is part of the historic county of Yorkshire, North Riding. It is near to the village of Great Ayton and formerly part of the Ayton ancient ...
, Cleveland, and attended
Nunthorpe School
Nunthorpe Academy is an 11-18 Specialist Science, Business and Enterprise Academy in Nunthorpe, Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. Houses are Endeavour, Triumph, Valiant, Victory, and Invincible.
History
In September 2008 the scho ...
and
Yarm School
Yarm School is a co-educational independent day school in Yarm, North Yorkshire in the North East of England. The school accepts pupils aged 3–18 years old and has a Nursery Pre-Prep, Preparatory School, Senior School and Sixth Form. The Sch ...
. He is a nephew of Middlesbrough chairman
Steve Gibson.
Club career
Middlesbrough
Gibson joined
Middlesbrough's Academy from Marton at the age of 12.
He was a member of the Middlesbrough team that won the Nike Cup in 2008 and signed his first professional contract with the club on 1 July 2010.
He made his first-team debut as a
substitute on 25 April 2011 against
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
, coming on in the 41st minute for the injured
Andrew Davies, with Middlesbrough going on to win the game 2–1. He finished the
2010–11 season with one appearance for Middlesbrough, and having
captained the reserve team to
The Football Combination East Division title.
![Ben Gibson 07-04-2012 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Ben_Gibson_07-04-2012_1.jpg)
Gibson signed a three-month
loan
In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...
deal with
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
club
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
on 2 August 2011.
After making 13 appearances in this time, Gibson and both clubs involved agreed on 1 November 2011 to extend the loan deal until 29 January 2012.
However, the loan was cut short after Middlesbrough recalled him on 30 November 2011. He signed for
Conference Premier
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...
club
York City on loan until the end of
2011–12 on 9 February 2012. After a promising start Gibson was sent off in the 1–0 away victory to
Cambridge United. However, after missing the next four games through suspension he won the
2012 FA Trophy Final
The 2012 FA Trophy Final was the 43rd final of the Football Association's cup competition for levels 5–8 of the English football league system. The match was contested by Newport County and York City. York City were beaten finalists in 2009, b ...
with York at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
on 12 May, in which the team beat
Newport County 2–0.
Eight days later he played in the 2–1 victory over
Luton Town in the
2012 Conference Premier play-off Final
The 2012 Conference Premier play-off Final, known as the 2012 Blue Square Bet Premier play-off Final for sponsorship purposes, was a football match between Luton Town and York City on 20 May 2012 at Wembley Stadium in London. It was the tenth Con ...
at Wembley on 20 May 2012,
seeing the club return to
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
after an eight-year absence with
promotion to League Two. Gibson completed his loan at York with 11 appearances.
On 14 August 2012, Gibson joined
League One club
Tranmere Rovers on a one-month loan. The month was extended until January 2013 the following month, but in December 2012 was ruled out of action with an abductor problem, thus ending the duration of his first loan spell at Rovers. He signed a new four-year contract with Middlesbrough on 18 December 2012. On 13 March 2013, Gibson returned on loan to Rovers, until the end of the season.
The
2013–14 season saw Gibson become more involved in the first team squad for Middlesbrough; the team did not perform well, and
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
Tony Mowbray was sacked in October 2013.
Aitor Karanka replaced him, and they finished twelfth. The
following season saw the club finish fourth, qualifying for the
play-offs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
. They reached the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
, having won 5–1 on aggregate against
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
, but were defeated 2–0 by
Norwich City. In the
2015–16 season, Gibson helped Middlesbrough secure promotion to the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
, having finished as runners-up in the
Championship.
Gibson still remained as a crucial part of Middlesbrough's squad in their
2016–17 Premier League campaign, though they did not record positive results; they dropped into relegation zone in March 2017, with Karanka being sacked later that month. Their
relegation
In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...
back to the Championship was confirmed in May 2017, after a 3–0 defeat to champions
Chelsea, with the club having only been in the English top flight for one season.
Burnley
Gibson signed for Premier League club
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
on 5 August 2018 on a four-year contract for a joint club-record fee of £15 million. He made his debut on 16 August in a 1–0 win over
İstanbul Başakşehir
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, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
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in a
UEFA Europa League third qualifying round second leg match. Gibson then appeared in their next Europa League fixture the following week, a 3–1 defeat to
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...
, in which he was sent off for a second bookable offence. He made his Premier League debut for the club on 26 December, in which he scored Burnley's only goal of the match, which was a 5–1 defeat to
Everton.
Gibson made just one appearance during the 2019–20 season, starting in a 3–1 loss to
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
in the third round of the
EFL Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
. In February 2020, Gibson was permitted by the club to train with former club Middlesbrough after informing the club his desire to leave in January.
Norwich City
Gibson returned to the
Championship on 4 September 2020, signing for newly relegated team
Norwich City on a season-long loan, with the transfer becoming permanent if Norwich were to achieve promotion back to the Premier League that season. He made his debut on 3 October in a 1–0 defeat to
Derby County. Gibson was a member of the Norwich team that won the Championship title, achieving promotion back up to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Gibson signed for Norwich permanently on 1 July 2021 on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee, reported by the ''
Lancashire Telegraph'' to be £8 million.
International career
Gibson has competed for the
England under-17s, the
under-18s, the
under-20s and the
under-21s. He was part of the under-17 teams that won the 2009 Nordic Cup, where he scored in the final against
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, and the
2010 UEFA European Under-17 Championship
The 2010 UEFA European Under-17 Championship was the ninth edition of UEFA's European Under-17 Football Championship, held in Liechtenstein from 18 to 30 May 2010. The hosts decided not to field a team, fearing it would not be competitive enough ...
.
Gibson made his debut for England under-21s in the first leg of the
against
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
on the back of an impressive campaign for Middlesbrough. His performances made him a key member of the under-21 set up and he formed an effective partnership with
John Stones. Gibson scored his first goal for the under-21s in England's final friendly before the European Championships against
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
. He went on to play 90 minutes in all of England's three group stage matches in the tournament although could not stop their disappointing early departure.
Gibson received his first call-up to the
England national team on 24 March 2017, replacing the injured
Chris Smalling for the
2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
.
Career statistics
Honours
York City
*
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
:
2011–12
*
Conference Premier
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...
play-offs:
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
Norwich City
*
EFL Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...
:
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
England U17
*
UEFA European Under-17 Championship
The UEFA European Under-17 Championship or simply UEFA Under-17 Championship, is an annual football competition contested by the European men's under-17 national teams of the member associations of UEFA.
Spain is the most successful team in this ...
:
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
References
External links
Profileat the Norwich City F.C. website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Ben
1993 births
Living people
People from Nunthorpe
Footballers from North Yorkshire
English footballers
England men's youth international footballers
England men's under-21 international footballers
Men's association football defenders
Middlesbrough F.C. players
Plymouth Argyle F.C. players
York City F.C. players
Tranmere Rovers F.C. players
Burnley F.C. players
Norwich City F.C. players
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
Premier League players
People educated at Yarm School