Gary Neville

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Lore & Background

Neville made his international debut for England in 1995 and was first-choice right-back for more than 10 years, representing the nation at three European Championships and two FIFA World Cups. After retiring from football in 2011, Neville 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. Neville's younger brother Phil Neville is also a former long-serving player for Manchester United, while his sister Tracey Neville is a retired netball international.

In Their Own Story

On 9 April 2008, the atmosphere at Old Trafford was electric as Gary Neville made his long-awaited comeback against Roma. Coming on in the 81st minute for Anderson, he received a standing ovation from the crowd. The moment was poignant; he was promptly handed the captain's armband for what would be his 99th Champions League appearance. Although injury prevented him from playing in the final later that May against Chelsea, he joined the post-match celebrations as United won on penalties, with Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs lifting the trophy together. His final chapter began to close shortly after; he started his first league game in nearly 18 months against Chelsea on 21 September 2008 but faced further setbacks. On 27 October 2009, he was sent off for a tackle on Adam Hammill during a League Cup win over Barnsley. By September 2010, acknowledging his sporadic appearances, Neville stepped down as team captain to allow regular starters like Rio Ferdinand or Patrice Evra to lead, though he retained the role of club captain off the pitch.

Reader's Guide

Neville joined Manchester United as an apprentice upon leaving school in 1991, and captained the youth side to FA Youth Cup glory in his first season. He made his senior debut on 16 September 1992 in a goalless home draw against Torpedo Moscow in the UEFA Cup. 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. In the 1994–95 season, he became United's first-choice right-back when Paul Parker was ruled out by injury. He scored his first career goal in 1997 against Middlesbrough in a 3–3 draw. His final league goal came on 20 April 2004, scoring the second in a 2–0 victory over Charlton Athletic. His seventh and final ever United goal came against Lyon on 23 November 2004 in Alex Ferguson's 1,000th game in charge. Following Roy Keane's departure in November 2005, Neville was appointed club captain. He stepped down as team captain in September 2010 but remained club captain off the pitch. He announced his retirement on 2 February 2011 after almost 20 years at Manchester United.

Did You Know?

• Neville scored his first career goal in 1997 against Middlesbrough in a 3–3 draw.
• His final ever United goal came on 23 November 2004 against Lyon.
• He was appointed club captain after Roy Keane's departure in November 2005.
• Neville made his 600th appearance for United on 24 October 2010 against Stoke City.