Billy O'Brien (born 21 November 1995) is a former professional footballer who played as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
. Born in England, he played for Wales at youth level internationally. He retired from football to become a Royal Marine Commando in 2017.
Club career
O'Brien, a fan of Manchester City, joined the team in 2006 after having taken part in trials with both them and
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
. At the club, he played for their youth teams and took part in competitions such as the
UEFA Youth League
The UEFA Youth League is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) since 2013. In its current format, it is contested by the under-19 teams of the clubs competing in the UEFA Champions Le ...
before signing a professional contract with Manchester City in July 2014.
He spent the first half of the 2014–15 season on loan at Hyde United, debuting for the club in a defeat to
Hednesford Town
Hednesford Town Football Club is a football club based in Hednesford, Staffordshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Keys Park. They won the FA Trophy in 2004.
History
The club was established in 1880 as a merger of t ...
. In the latter half of 2016, O'Brien played in the
Premier League 2
The Professional Development League is a system of Football in England, English youth association football, football leagues that are managed, organised and controlled by the Premier League or by the Football League. It was introduced by the Th ...
as part of Manchester City's squad and was also selected by manager
Pep Guardiola
Josep "Pep" Guardiola Sala (; born 18 January 1971) is a Catalans, Catalan professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player from Spain who has been the manager of club Manchester City F.C., Ma ...
to travel with the first team on a number of occasions including as a backup keeper against
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foot ...
in the Champions League. O'Brien went on loan until the end of the season to St Mirren in January 2017. He became a regular starter for the club, keeping a clean sheet on his debut against Dundee and playing in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
of the
Scottish Challenge Cup
The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,
O'Brien revealed he would leave City after his contract expired in June 2017. He joined Macclesfield Town that summer, and made his debut as a substitute in a 0–0 draw against
Bromley
Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023.
Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...
.
International career
O'Brien played in two matches of the Wales U19 team's attempt to qualify for the
2014 UEFA European Under-19 Championship
The 2014 UEFA European Under-19 Championship was the 13th edition of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship since its reclassification from an under-18 event in 2002, and the 63rd since the tournament was created in 1948. Hungary was chosen to ho ...
in 2013 and 2014. By 2015, O'Brien had moved up to the Wales U21 squad, playing for them in eight games of their campaign to qualify for the
2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
The 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-21 Euro 2017) was the 21st edition of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, a biennial international youth association football, football championship organised by UEFA for ...
. O'Brien made 15 saves while conceding 10 goals throughout all eight games.