Andre Gray
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Andre Anthony Gray (born 26 June 1991) is a 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, rugb ...
who plays as a striker for
Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...
club
Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to: People * Aris (surname) Given name * Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer * Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player * Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano * Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter * Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...
. Born in England, he represents the Jamaica national team. A product of the
Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
youth system, Gray came to prominence after scoring 57 goals in 111 appearances in a two-season spell with
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
. He made six appearances for
England C The England national football C team (previously known as the England National Game XI and the England Semi-Pro national team) is the football team that represents England at non-league level. Formed in 1979 as the England Non-League team, it f ...
from 2012 to 2014, before being called up to the Jamaican national team and making his debut in March 2021.


Club career


Shrewsbury Town

Gray began his career in the
academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...
at hometown club
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club' ...
, but was released at age 13. Gray joined the youth system at League Two club
Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
in 2004, signing his first professional one-year contract prior to the start of the 2009–10 season. Awarded the number 20 shirt, he made his debut on the opening day of the season, coming on as an 89th-minute substitute for
Nathan Elder Nathan or Natan may refer to: People *Nathan (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name *Nathan (surname) *Nathan (prophet), a person in the Hebrew Bible *Nathan (son of David), biblical figure, son of King David and ...
in a 3–1 win over
Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home grou ...
. An injury crisis saw Gray make four further cameos, with what would be his final appearance for the club coming as a 57th-minute replacement for
Kris Bright Kris Bright (born 5 September 1986) is a retired New Zealand footballer who is the current Sporting Director of New Zealand club Auckland City. Career Born in South Auckland, New Zealand, the son of New Zealand 1982 World Cup representative D ...
in a 2–0
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL ...
second round defeat to
Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete his ...
on 20 October. He spent periods of the 2009–10 season away on loan, but competition for places meant that Gray was relegated to the reserve team substitutes' bench. Gray was released by Shrewsbury on 14 May 2010, having made just five appearances for the club. Looking back on his time at Shrewsbury, Gray said "I was at the stage in my life where I thought everything was set for me. I didn't really care about playing in Shrewsbury's reserves, which it shouldn't have been".


AFC Telford United

Gray joined
Conference North The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Syst ...
club
AFC Telford United AFC Telford United is a football club based in Telford, Shropshire, England. The club was formed in 2004 after the original Telford United, founded in 1872, folded due to financial problems. Currently members of the National League North, they ...
on 26 November 2009 on a one-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 ...
. Gray's good form meant that his loan was extended for a second month. He scored his first goal for the club with a late winner against local rivals
Stafford Rangers Stafford Rangers Football Club is a semi-professional English football team from Stafford which plays in the Northern Premier League Premier Division. The team wear black and white stripes with black shorts. Stafford Rangers' rivals include T ...
on Boxing Day. Competition for places meant that Gray gradually lost his place in the team and he returned to Shrewsbury Town on 5 February 2010. Gray played six times for the Bucks, scoring once.


Hinckley United

On 5 March 2010, Gray joined Conference North club Hinckley United on an emergency one-month loan. He made five appearances and scored no goals for the club, before returning to Shrewsbury Town. Gray returned to
De Montfort Park De Montfort Park was the first name given to a football stadium built off Leicester Road in Hinckley, Leicestershire. It was the home of Hinckley United, an English football club from the town, until it was dissolved in October 2013. The main s ...
in June 2010 and signed a permanent one-year contract with the club. His first goal for the club was a late equaliser in a 2–2 draw with
Harrogate Town Harrogate Town A.F.C. is a professional association football club in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, which competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed the Sulphurites, due to the ...
on 4 September. After two further goals that month in defeats to
Guiseley Guiseley ( ) is a town in metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Otley and Menston and is now a north-western suburb of Leeds. It sits in th ...
and
Eastwood Town Eastwood Town Football Club was an English football club based in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire. The club last participated in the Northern Premier League Division One South, the eighth tier of English football. A new club, Eastwood C.F.C., was f ...
, Gray's goalscoring form dried up. His form returned in late March 2011, when he scored a
brace Brace(s) or bracing may refer to: Medical * Orthopaedic brace, a device used to restrict or assist body movement ** Back brace, a device limiting motion of the spine *** Milwaukee brace, a kind of back brace used in the treatment of spinal c ...
in a 4–0 drubbing of Redditch United. He scored four goals in a 7–2 thrashing of
Solihull Moors Solihull Moors Football Club is a professional football club based in Solihull, England. The club currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system, after achieving promotion from the National League ...
on 23 April, before ending the 2010–11 season having made 35 appearances and scored 14 goals. Gray remained with Hinckley for the 2011–12 season and showed fine form, with his goalscoring exploits firing the Knitters to an
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...
first round proper match versus
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-professi ...
club Tamworth on 12 November 2011. He scored the opening goal in the 2–2 draw, but couldn't find the net in the replay, resulting in a 1–0 defeat. Gray also helped Hinckley reach the second round proper of the
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 com ...
, scoring a late winner against Conference Premier club
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
in the first round, though he was unable to find the net against
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
in the following round, to whom they were defeated 3–0 in a replay. His exploits garnered him attention from
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
clubs. Gray made 45 appearances and scored 23 goals during the 2011–12 season. Gray departed Hinckley in the summer of 2012, having made 85 appearances and scored 37 goals across his two spells with the club. Gray looked back on his years playing part-time with Hinckley as the point at which he regained his focus, saying "as long as I still had a job and was getting paid, it was OK. Until I started playing and realised that full-time football was the only thing I wanted to do, it kicked me into gear. Being bored all day, waiting to go training, made me really want it".


Luton Town

On 22 March 2012, Gray signed for Conference Premier club Luton Town on loan until the end of the 2011–12 season with a view to a permanent move, having impressed the club's backroom staff with his performances against the club in the FA Trophy. Going straight into the
starting lineup In sports, a starting lineup is an official list of the set of players who will participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as ''starters'', whereas the others are ''substitutes'' ...
, he scored on his debut in a 1–1 draw with
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in t ...
on 24 March and hit a goal in each of his next matches against
York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...
, Braintree Town and Hayes & Yeading United. This meant that Gray became the only player in Luton Town history to have scored in each of his first four matches for the club. He scored his fifth goal in a 2–0 win over champions
Fleetwood Town Fleetwood Town Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Fleetwood, Lancashire. Established in 1997, the current Fleetwood Town F.C. is the fourth incarnation of the club; it was originally formed in ...
in the last match of the season to secure Luton a fifth-place finish in the league and the last available remaining play-off spot. Gray scored the opening goal in the play-off semi-final first leg at home to Wrexham, which Luton won 3–2 on aggregate to set up a
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 ...
against York City 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 ...
. Luton lost the match 2–1, despite Gray scoring the opening goal after just 74 seconds. In total, he scored seven goals in 12 appearances during his loan spell. The day after the play-off final defeat, Gray signed a two-year professional contract with Luton for a fee of £30,000. Beginning the 2012–13 season in a substitute role, Gray scored his first goal of the campaign in a 4–1 win over
Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional association football, football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was liquidation, wound-up after a High Court of Justice, High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. Initially kno ...
on 1 September 2012 as he broke back into the starting lineup. Gray's performance in a 2–0 FA Cup fourth qualifying round victory over
Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on N ...
in late October saw him win the FA Cup Player of the Round award. On 1 December, he helped the Hatters into the third round proper of the FA Cup, scoring the opener in a 2–1 second round victory over
Dorchester Town Dorchester Town Football Club are a semi-professional football club, based in Dorchester, Dorset, England. They currently play in the . The club is affiliated to the Dorset County Football Association and is a FA chartered Standard club. They ...
. Luton were drawn against Gray's hometown club Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round and he played 89 minutes of the 1–0
giant killing ''Giant Killing'' (stylized as ''GIANT KILLING'') is Japanese manga series written by Masaya Tsunamoto and illustrated by Tsujitomo. It has been serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Morning'' since January 2007. A 26-episod ...
on 5 January 2013. On 14 January, following a run of ten matches in which he scored eight goals, Gray signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract, which would keep him at
Kenilworth Road Kenilworth Road is an association football stadium in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been the home ground of Luton Town F.C., Luton Town Football Club since 1905. The stadium has also hosted women's and youth international matches, includ ...
until June 2015. He played 75 minutes of Luton's shock 1–0 FA Cup fourth round giant killing of Norwich City on 26 January, but the Hatters' run was stopped by Millwall in the fifth round, who ran out 3–0 victors. Gray rounded out the 2012–13 season with a run of six goals in six matches, which included two braces in the Hatters' final two matches of the season. Gray made 54 appearances and scored 20 goals in a season which saw Luton finish two places outside the play-offs. Gray was primarily used as an impact substitute during the beginning of the 2013–14 season, with new signing Mark Cullen preferred in a starting role by new Luton manager
John Still John Still (c. 1543 – 26 February 1607/1608) was Master of two Cambridge colleges and then, from 1593, Bishop of Bath and Wells. He enjoyed considerable fame as an English preacher and disputant. He was formerly reputed to be the author of an ...
. He scored his first goal of the season on 24 September 2013, the club's eleventh league match, in a 4–0 victory over
Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...
. He then went on a goalscoring run and reclaimed his place in the team, scoring six goals in five matches, culminating with a
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
in a 4–1 victory over Hyde on 12 October. A run of 11 goals in 10 matches from November through to January helped the Hatters to the top of the Conference Premier table. Gray confirmed he had no intention of leaving the club midway through the season, stating that it would be "stupid" to with the club having a realistic chance of promotion back 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 ...
and he instructed his
agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuranc ...
to reject any approaches. After scoring a further seven goals in four matches in February, Gray was named as the Conference Premier Player of the Month. In total, Gray scored 30 goals in 45 appearances during the 2013–14 season, and won the first silverware of his career, as Luton were promoted back to the Football League as Conference Premier champions. He was recognised by the club for his performances by winning the Young Player of the Season award. Gray was the leading scorer in the Conference Premier (for which he won the league's Golden Boot award) and he was also named in the Conference Premier Team of the Season. He was the subject of reported transfer interest from League One neighbours
Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
in May 2014, but the Dons baulked at his £300,000 price tag. Gray departed the Hatters in late June 2014, having made 111 appearances and scored 57 goals during his time at Kenilworth Road.


Brentford

On 27 June 2014, Gray signed a three-year deal at Championship club
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 ...
for an undisclosed fee and was given the number 19 shirt. After joining, he said "the fact that the manager wanted me was a big part in selling me on Brentford. They had a vision of how they wanted me to play and also they have a vision for this club. As soon as Brentford came along I knew it was a good opportunity for me". After scoring in friendlies versus
Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) * Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...
and
Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
in July 2014, Gray made his competitive debut for the club on the opening day of the 2014–15 season against
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...
, making the first Football League start of his career. He lasted 67 minutes of the 1–1 draw before being replaced by fellow new signing
Nick Proschwitz Nick Proschwitz (born 28 November 1986) is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward for Hoffenheim II. He began his career in Germany and Switzerland, before moving to England in 2012 where he spent the next three years. Club ca ...
. Gray scored his first competitive goal for the club in the following match, a 6–6 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge in the
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
first round, which Brentford won 4–2 in a
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...
. He scored the first Football League goal of his career on the stroke of half-time in a 2–0 win over
Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1 ...
on 30 August. After a long goalless run, Gray regained form in November, scoring five goals in four of five successive wins and receiving the
Championship Player of the Month The EFL Championship Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the player adjudged the best for each month of the season in the EFL Championship, the English football league system, second tier of English football. ...
award. He also earned a place in the Football League Team of the Week for his goalscoring performances in wins over
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
and Millwall in mid-November. Gray's goal in a 3–2 win over Cardiff City on 20 December was the last of a run of seven goals in eight matches. A sparse goal return in the early months of 2015 saw manager
Mark Warburton Mark Warburton (born 6 September 1962) is an English professional football manager and former player who is a first-team coach at West Ham United. As a player, Warburton was a right back at non-League level with Enfield and Boreham Wood. He beg ...
drop Gray to the bench in favour of
Chris Long Christopher Howard Long (born March 28, 1985) is a former American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. The son of Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long and older brother of NFL guard Kyle Lon ...
for the visit of
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
to Griffin Park on 3 March. He quickly regained his starting berth and finished the regular season with four goals in his last 10 appearances, helping Brentford to fifth position and a matchup with
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...
in the play-off semi-finals. He scored in the first leg, but a successful first full league season ended after a 5–1 aggregate defeat. Gray made 50 appearances and scored 18 goals during the 2014–15 season. Amidst three transfer bids from
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...
, Gray's two goals in his first two appearances of the 2015–16 season prompted Brentford to offer him a new, improved contract, but he left the club on 21 August 2015. Gray finished his time at Griffin Park having scored 20 goals in 52 appearances and departed for a club-record fee.


Burnley

On 21 August 2015, Gray joined Championship 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 a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee – believed to be a club-record £6 million deal – double the previous record jointly held by George Boyd and Steven Fletcher. Gray signed on the eve of Brentford's Championship clash at Turf Moor but wasn't eligible to make his debut against his former club, having signed too late. Gray's former club Luton Town revealed their financial windfall after the striker's transfer to Burnley. A club statement read: "We are guaranteed to receive a shade over £1.1 million from the fee which will be spread over three seasons; an initial figure approaching £300,000 followed by two of just over £400,000 each". On 29 August 2015, Gray made his Burnley debut in a 2–1 away victory over
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
. He followed up his debut by scoring his first goal for the club in second half stoppage time to complete a 3–1 home win over
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
two weeks later. Gray's goalscoring run of eight goals in eight matches during October and November helped Burnley keep pace with the league leaders. A further seven goals in nine matches from late December to early February, including a hat-trick in a 4–0 win over Bristol City increased his goalscoring tally to 15, as Burnley chased the automatic promotion positions in the Championship table. Gray scored eight goals in Burnley's remaining matches to help them reach the Championship summit, including one on the final day of the 2015–16 season as Burnley secured the Championship title after a 3–0 away win over Charlton Athletic. During this time, Gray was named Championship Player of the Year and won the Golden Boot award after finishing as Championship top scorer with 25 goals, including the two he scored in his appearances for Brentford. Gray made his
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 ...
debut on the opening day of the 2016–17 season in a 1–0 home defeat to Swansea City. One week later, he followed up his Premier League debut by scoring his first Premier League goal in a 2–0 home win over
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
. Gray scored his first Premier League hat-trick in a 4–1 victory over
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 ...
on 31 December 2016 to become the first Burnley player to score a Premier League hat-trick and the first Burnley player to score a top flight hat-trick since
Peter Noble Peter Noble (19 August 1944 – 6 May 2017) was an English footballer who played forward. Noble began his career with Consett where he combined a career in painting and decorating with football. After an impressive season with a record breaki ...
in 1975. Gray finished the 2016–17 season with 36 appearances and 10 goals, helping Burnley to finish 16th in the Premier League.


Watford

On 9 August 2017, Gray signed for Premier League club
Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
on a five-year contract for an undisclosed club record fee, after he rejected the offer of a new contract at Burnley, having entered the final year of his contract. He made his debut for Watford three days later as a 63rd-minute substitute for Stefano Okaka in a 3–3 home draw with Liverpool and scored his first goal on 23 September in a 2–1 victory away to Swansea City. Gray finished his first season with five goals in 33 appearances, competing with
Richarlison Richarlison de Andrade (born 10 May 1997), known mononymously as Richarlison (), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Tottenham Hotspur and the Brazil national team. He began his professional career with A ...
and Troy Deeney for a starting position. Gray made 34 appearances and scored nine goals in 2018–19 Watford F.C. season, 2018–19. On 31 August 2021, Gray joined Championship club Queens Park Rangers F.C., Queens Park Rangers on a season-long loan. He scored on his debut for QPR in a 3–3 draw with Reading F.C., Reading on 11 September 2021. Gray was released by Watford at the end of the 2021–22 Watford F.C. season, 2021–22 season.


Aris

On 3 July 2022, Gray moved abroad for the first time in his career, signing a four-year contract with
Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...
club
Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to: People * Aris (surname) Given name * Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer * Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player * Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano * Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter * Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...
.


International career

Born in England, Gray is of Jamaican descent and was eligible to represent either country internationally. Gray's goalscoring record for Luton in the final months of the 2011–12 season raised the attention of the
England C The England national football C team (previously known as the England National Game XI and the England Semi-Pro national team) is the football team that represents England at non-league level. Formed in 1979 as the England Non-League team, it f ...
team and he was named in the squad for an International Challenge Trophy match against Russia national football team, Russia U23 in June 2012. He made his debut in a 4–0 defeat, playing the full 90 minutes. He was later called into the squad to face Belgium national football team, Belgium U23 in September 2012. He came on as a half-time substitute for Stephen Brogan and scored his first international goal with the winner in a 2–1 victory. The win saw England C qualify for the semi-final of the International Challenge Trophy. He played in the semi-final on 5 February 2013 against Turkey national football B team, Turkey B, which England C lost 1–0. Gray Captain (association football), captained England C in the second half of a 6–1 friendly win over Bermuda national football team, Bermuda on 5 June 2013, scoring the team's sixth goal. He appeared again in a 2–2 friendly draw with Czech Republic national under-21 football team, Czech Republic U21 in November 2013, starting the match and lasting 70 minutes before being replaced by Dan Fitchett. Gray played in a friendly against Jordan national under-23 football team, Jordan U23 at the King Abdullah II Stadium in Amman on 4 March 2014, starting in a 1–0 victory and was replaced by Dan Fitchett at half-time. Gray's return to the Football League in June 2014 meant that he was no longer eligible for England C. He made six appearances and scored two goals for the team. In March 2021, Gray was one of six English-born players to receive their first call-up to the Jamaica national team; on 25 March 2021, he made his debut against the United States men's national soccer team, United States.


Personal life

Gray was born in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. He was introduced to football by his grandfather and suffered heartbreak at 13-years-old when his grandfather died. Acting as a mentor and father figure for his younger half-brother Cody, Gray said "I know what my grandad wants me to do and that's look after my family. It's driving me to work harder". He is an Arsenal F.C., Arsenal supporter. Gray has a four-inch scar on his left cheek having been stabbed in the face in Wolverhampton in a Gang, gang-related incident in 2011. He spoke in May 2015 of having started to grow out of the gang lifestyle around the time of the incident and credited his mother, close friends and Luton Town for turning his life around. In May 2016, Gray began a relationship with Leigh-Anne Pinnock of the pop group Little Mix. On 28 May 2020, Gray proposed to Pinnock on their four-year anniversary. They announced Pinnock's pregnancy in May 2021, and she gave birth to twins on 16 August 2021. On 23 August 2016, Gray was charged with misconduct by the FA after a series of homophobic tweets he posted on Twitter in 2012 came to light. Four days later, it was reported that the FA were also investigating another tweet posted by Gray in 2014 which included a derogatory racial term. On 23 September, Gray was suspended for four matches and fined £25,000.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Scores and results list Jamaica's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gray goal''


Honours

Luton Town *
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-professi ...
: 2013–14 Football Conference#Conference Premier, 2013–14 Burnley *Football League Championship: 2015–16 Football League Championship, 2015–16 Watford *
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...
runner-up: 2018–19 FA Cup, 2018–19 Individual *Conference Premier Player of the Month: February 2014 *Luton Town F.C. Player of the season#Young Player of the Season, Luton Town Young Player of the Season: 2013–14 Luton Town F.C. season, 2013–14 *Conference Premier Golden Boot: 2013–14 *Conference Premier Team of the Season: 2013–14 *Football League Championship Player of the Month: November 2014 *EFL Awards, Football League Championship Player of the Year: 2015–16 *Football League Team of the Season: 2015–16 *Football League Championship Golden Boot: 2015–16 *PFA Team of the Year: PFA Team of the Year (2010s)#Championship 7, 2015–16 Championship *EFL Championship Goal of the Month: 2021–22 EFL Championship, November 2021


References


External links


Profile
at the Aris F.C. website {{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Andre 1991 births Living people Footballers from Wolverhampton English footballers Jamaican footballers Association football forwards Shrewsbury Town F.C. players AFC Telford United players Hinckley United F.C. players Luton Town F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Burnley F.C. players Watford F.C. players Aris Thessaloniki F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players Premier League players Super League Greece players FA Cup Final players England semi-pro international footballers Jamaica international footballers English expatriate footballers Jamaican expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Greece English expatriate sportspeople in Greece Jamaican expatriate sportspeople in Greece Black British sportsmen English people of Jamaican descent Stabbing survivors