Gary Neville

One of the most decorated English footballers, Neville spent his entire playing career at Manchester United and later became a pundit and manager.

Gary Alexander Neville (born 18 February 1975) is an English football pundit and former professional player. A right-back, he spent his entire career with Manchester United, serving as captain for five years. He is one of the most decorated English and European footballers of all time, winning 20 trophies, including eight Premier League titles and two UEFA Champions League titles.

Quick Facts

Full name: Gary Alexander Neville
Born: 18 February 1975
Birthplace: Bury, Greater Manchester, England
Position: Right-back

Lore & Background

Neville joined Manchester United as an apprentice in 1991 and captained the youth side to FA Youth Cup glory. He made his senior debut on 16 September 1992 against Torpedo Moscow. He emerged as part of Alex Ferguson's youth-oriented side of the 1990s (nicknamed Fergie's Fledglings) that included his brother Phil, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes. He became first-choice right-back in the 1994–95 season after Paul Parker's injury.

He scored his first career goal in 1997 against Middlesbrough and scored a total of five league goals for United. He also scored two goals in the UEFA Champions League. He formed a successful partnership with Beckham on the right wing. Following Roy Keane's departure in November 2005, Neville was appointed club captain.

He was charged with improper conduct by the FA after celebrating in front of Liverpool fans in January 2006 and was fined £5,000. He recovered from an injury suffered in March 2007 and made his comeback against Roma on 9 April 2008 in the Champions League. He started his first game in 17 months in the 2008 FA Community Shield. He was sent off on 27 October 2009 against Barnsley.

He stepped down as team captain in September 2010. He made his 600th appearance for United on 24 October 2010 against Stoke City. He announced his retirement on 2 February 2011. His testimonial was played against Juventus on 24 May 2011.

Reader's Guide

Neville made his international debut for England in 1995 and was first-choice right-back for more than 10 years, representing England at three European Championships and two FIFA World Cups. After retiring in 2011, he went into punditry and was a commentator for Sky Sports until he took the manager position at Valencia in 2015. After being sacked in 2016, he returned as a pundit for Sky Sports that year. He was also an assistant manager for the England national team from 2012 to 2016.

Did You Know?

His sister Tracey Neville is a retired netball international.
Neville scored his seventh and final United goal against Lyon on 23 November 2004 in Alex Ferguson's 1,000th game in charge.
He was the youngest first-choice player in the England first team during his debut tournament, Euro 96.