Kyle Walker
Kyle Andrew Walker is an English professional footballer who plays as a right-back for club Burnley and the England national team. Known for his exceptional speed, he is widely regarded to be among the best full-backs of his generation.
Walker started his career at his boyhood club Sheffield United at the age of seven. He made his first-team debut aged 18 after a loan spell at Northampton Town. He impressed whilst playing for United and played in the 2009 Championship play-off final. His performances earned him a move to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, before being immediately loaned back to Sheffield United. After further loan spells at Queens Park Rangers and Aston Villa, Walker cemented his place in Tottenham's first team. He was part of the Tottenham team coached by Mauricio Pochettino that finished runner-ups in the 2016–17 Premier League and 2014–15 League Cup.
Walker joined Manchester City in 2017 for a fee of £45 million. Throughout his City career, he was coached by Pep Guardiola. With City, he won six Premier League titles, four EFL Cups, two FA Cups, and a UEFA Champions League in 2023 as part of a continental treble. He has been named in the PFA Team of the Year four times, in the 2011–12, 2016–17, 2017–18 and 2023–24 seasons. He spent the second half of the 2024–25 season on loan at AC Milan, before moving to Burnley in July 2025 on a permanent deal.
Walker played for England at under-19 and under-21 levels before making his debut for the senior national team in September 2011. He has represented England at three UEFA European Championships, in 2016, 2020 and 2024, and at two FIFA World Cups, in 2018 and 2022.
Early life
Kyle Andrew Walker was born on 28 May 1990 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and is of Jamaican descent on his father's side. He grew up in the Sharrow area of the city, and attended Porter Croft Infant & Junior School, followed by High Storrs School until 2006.Club career
Sheffield United
Walker joined boyhood club Sheffield United at the age of seven after being recommended by coach Paul Archer at Football Unites, Racism Divides. Walker progressed through the ranks to become a regular fixture in the reserve team by 2008. In November 2008, he was allowed to join League One club Northampton Town on a one-month loan to gain first-team experience, making his debut on 15 November in a defeat to Oldham Athletic. His one-month loan was later extended into January 2009, before he returned to United, having played nine matches for Northampton.Soon after returning to United, Walker made his first-team debut for the club on 13 January 2009, starting in a third round FA Cup tie against Leyton Orient. With United losing a number of players to injury in the closing weeks of the season, Walker was included in the starting line-up for the last two matches of the season, making his full league debut for the club on 25 April 2009 against Swansea City. After two outstanding performances he retained his place as Sheffield United entered the Championship play-offs, starting both matches against Preston North End and the final against Burnley at the end of May 2009. By playing in the final, Walker became the youngest Sheffield United player ever to play at Wembley Stadium.
Tottenham Hotspur
2009–2011: Transfer and loans
On 22 July 2009, Walker signed for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, along with Sheffield United teammate Kyle Naughton, for a combined fee of £9 million. Walker was loaned back to United for the duration of the 2009–10 season as part of the deal. While at Sheffield United, he was virtually ever-present at right-back for the first half of the season, but was unexpectedly recalled by Tottenham on 1 February 2010, just before the close of the January 2010 transfer window, after Alan Hutton was loaned out to Sunderland. Walker made his debut for Tottenham on 27 March, in a 2–0 victory over Portsmouth and went on to make one more league appearance that season.At the start of the following season, Walker went out on loan once more signing an initial one-month deal with Queens Park Rangers due to injuries at the club in the right-back position. In mid-October, his loan at QPR was extended until 3 January 2011.
After leaving QPR, Walker joined Premier League club Aston Villa on loan until the end of the 2010–11 season. He scored on his debut only nine minutes into the match against former club Sheffield United in the third round of the FA Cup in January 2011. At the start of February, Walker scored his first Premier League goal and first senior league goal, a 30-yard shot into the bottom left corner of the goal against Fulham. He returned to Tottenham at the end of the 2010–11 season after scoring two goals in 18 appearances for Villa.
2011–2017: Rise to prominence
On leaving Villa Park, Walker suggested that he would be happy to return to the club the next season, for his first-team opportunities at Tottenham were limited. However, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp had already stated that he did not wish to sell Walker. Walker subsequently agreed to a contract extension at Tottenham until 2016. Walker was chosen in the starting eleven for Tottenham's opening match of the 2011–12 season, away to Manchester United on 22 August 2011. On 2 October, he scored the winning goal in the North London derby against Arsenal from 25-yards out. Tottenham won the match 2–1.On 22 April 2012, Walker was named as the PFA Young Player of the Year, beating the likes of Sergio Agüero, Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and teammate Gareth Bale to the award, as well as being named in the PFA Team of the Year. On 3 May 2012, Walker was awarded with a new five-year contract, that ran until 2017.
Walker was ever-present in the first half of the 2012–13 season in the Premier League, with the exception of a 3–0 away victory over Fulham, in which he was an unused substitute. This included playing 90 minutes in the 3–2 win over Manchester United, which was Tottenham's first victory at Old Trafford in 23 years.
On 28 October 2013, Walker signed a new contract with Tottenham, keeping him at the club until June 2019. Walker was part of the Tottenham team that lost 2–0 to Chelsea on 1 March at Wembley Stadium in the 2015 League Cup final. On 20 April 2017, Walker was named at right-back in the PFA Team of the Year for the second time.
Manchester City
2017–2020: First major silverware
On 14 July 2017, Walker signed a five-year contract with Tottenham's Premier League rivals Manchester City, in a transfer reported to be worth an initial £45 million fee, rising to £50 million with add-ons, making it one of the most expensive football transfers. He made his debut on 12 August against Brighton & Hove Albion, with several media outlets labelled him as the best player in the match. However, during Walker's home debut against Everton, he was sent off for two bookable offences. On 25 February, Walker started in the 2018 EFL Cup final against Arsenal, and played the whole 90 minutes, with Manchester City winning 3–0 to obtain their first piece of silverware of the 2017–18 season, and their first trophy overall under Pep Guardiola. Walker also received his first trophy with Manchester City and his first trophy as a Premier League player.Walker started in the 2019 FA Cup final against Watford on 18 May as City won the first domestic treble in English men's football. Walker signed a new contract with City in June 2019. On 6 November, in a UEFA Champions League away match against Atalanta, Walker volunteered to go in goal for the last 10 minutes after substitute goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was sent off; he did not concede and saved a free-kick as the match ended 1–1.
2020–2022: Consecutive Premier League titles
On 31 October 2020, Walker scored a long-range goal against Sheffield United to mark his 100th league appearance for City. Walker did not celebrate, explaining later that he did not do so as he is a "Sheffield United fan". On 10 February 2021, Walker scored a goal against Swansea City in the fifth round of the 2020–21 FA Cup. City were later knocked out by Chelsea in the semi-finals on 17 April. On 11 May, Walker won the 2020–21 Premier League as contenders Manchester United lost to Leicester City. On 29 May, Walker was in the starting lineup for the 2021 Champions League final, which City lost 1–0 to Chelsea.On 19 October 2021, Walker scored his first Champions League goal in a 5–1 away win over Club Brugge. City won the 2021–22 Premier League on 22 May 2022 as teammate İlkay Gündoğan scored two goals in a 3–2 home victory against Aston Villa to overturn a two-goal deficit.
2022–2023: Further success and continental treble
Walker suffered a groin injury in October which rendered him unable to play for six Premier League games. On 8 January 2023, he assisted Phil Foden for City's second goal in a 4–0 victory against Chelsea in the third round of the 2022–23 FA Cup. In April 2023, Pep Guardiola shifted the tactics of City in the middle of the 2022–23 season, resulting in a decrease of starts and game time for Walker. Questioned on this in a press conference, Guardiola stated that Walker did not in his opinion have "every one of the characteristics" required for a new role in a 3–2–4–1 formation, but also mentioned that he had not "lost faith" in him. During the 2022–23 Champions League season, Walker displayed incredible performances over two legs against Real Madrid in the semi-finals, being praised by analysts especially for nullifying the threat of Vinícius Júnior. The embrace the two players shared enthusiastically after the first leg was cited as an example of good sportsmanship.On 20 May 2023, Walker won the 2022–23 Premier League after Arsenal lost 1–0 in a defeat to Nottingham Forest. On 3 June, Walker won the FA Cup, beating Manchester United in the final, in which he started and played for 95 minutes. On 7 June, Walker stated that City's treble bid was being driven by the desire to match United's treble in the 1998–99 season, claiming also that the City and Liverpool teams of the present era should be considered as two of the best teams in Premier League history. On 10 June, Walker was benched in the Champions League final against Inter Milan. It was speculated by critics and fans that this omission was because of "a disturbance in his back", a problem which was revealed to the media by Guardiola. However, Guardiola later stated that it was because he needed "another type of player" for his game plan, despite the decision being "really tough". Walker came on as an 82nd-minute substitute in the final, a match which ended in a 1–0 victory, completing City's continental treble. He was selected in the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League team of the tournament. Following the 2022–23 season, Walker was identified as a potential target for Bayern Munich by manager Thomas Tuchel.