Gavin Terence Maguire (born 24 November 1967) is an English-born

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

former 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 ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

international.

Club career

Maguire began his career as a forward with Northwood, moving to

Defence Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indus ...

when the club's regular centre back suffered a broken ankle. He signed for

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

, after being recommended to one of the club's scouts, and made his debut in a 1–0 win over

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and t ...

at the age of 18 in

Division One The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...

. Maguire was taken to court later in his career for a tackle during his time with Queens Park Rangers which ultimately led to the retirement of

Danny Thomas Danny Thomas (born Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz; January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) was an American actor, singer, nightclub comedian, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in one of the most successful and long-running sitc ...

, resulting in an out-of-court settlement of £130,000. He went on to make 40 league appearances at

Loftus Road Loftus Road is a football stadium in White City, London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers. In 1981, it became the first stadium in British professional football to have an artificial pitch of Omniturf installed. This remained in ...

before moving to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

in January 1989 for a fee of £175,000. After several years at Fratton Park, Maguire suffered a serious knee injury and, after being unable to win his place back, he spent time on loan with Newcastle United before joining

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...

in March 1993. However, he struggled to return to full fitness and, after a short period on loan at

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

, retired from professional football at the age of 26.

International career

Born in England, Maguire was also eligible to represent both

and

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

through his parents. He eventually decided to play for Wales, making his international debut on 6 September 1989 in a 1–0 defeat to

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

as a substitute in place of Peter Nicholas. He played in Wales' next four matches before winning his final two caps fifteen months later, making his last appearance on 16 October 1991 in a 4–1 defeat to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

After football

Following his retirement, Maguire travelled the United States for over a year before returning to England where he worked as a personal trainer for two years. After a friend suggested moving into hairdressing, he undertook a nine-month course and now runs his own hairdressing business in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maguire, Gavin 1967 births Living people Footballers from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham People from Hammersmith Welsh men's footballers Wales men's international footballers Northwood F.C. players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Newcastle United F.C. players Millwall F.C. players Scarborough F.C. players English Football League players Isthmian League players Men's association football defenders