Billy Gilmour

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

For the Canadian ice hockey player, see Billy Gilmour (ice hockey).

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
Place of birth Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland[2]
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2]
Position(s) Defensive 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 21 (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 22 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:36, 30 September 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:10, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

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]

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 would later make 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 would feature 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 would make 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 5 October 2023[58]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Chelsea U23 2018–19 –—5[lower-alpha 1]050
2019–20 –—2[lower-alpha 1]020
2020–21 –—1[lower-alpha 1]010
Total 000000008080
Chelsea 2019–20[59] Premier League 6030200000110
2020–21[60] 5040002[lower-alpha 2]0—110
Total 11070202000220
Norwich City (loan) 2021–22[61] Premier League 2402020——280
Brighton & Hove Albion 2022–23[62] Premier League 1401020——170
2023–24[63] Premier League 7000102[lower-alpha 3]0—100
Total 21010302000270
Career total 560100704080850
  1. Appearances in EFL Trophy
  2. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International
As of match played 17 October 2023[64]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Scotland 2021100
202260
202361
Total221
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
117 October 2023Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France22 France1–01–4Friendly

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. "Billy Gilmour". Chelsea F.C.
  3. 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.
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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.
  12. "Gilmour set for Chelsea move – unless Gers succeed in last-ditch talks". The Independent. London. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
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  41. "Billy Gilmour – U17 squad matches". Scottish FA. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
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  56. Hunter, Ross (24 May 2023). "TikTok influencer admits to stalking Scots football star Billy Gilmour". The National.
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  67. "L'équipe type du Festival International Espoirs 2018". www.festival-foot-espoirs.com. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
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