Kalvin Phillips

Biography

Kalvin Mark Phillips (born 2 December 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for EFL Championship club Sheffield United on loan from Premier League club Manchester City. An academy graduate of hometown club Leeds United, Phillips made his senior debut in 2015. In the 2019–20 season, he was a member of the Leeds team coached by Marcelo Bielsa that won the Championship. Phillips signed for Manchester City in 2022 and was part of the squad that won a continental treble of the Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League in his debut season. He struggled for playing time at City, spending time on loan with West Ham United and Ipswich Town. Phillips made his international debut for the England national team in 2020, and represented the country at UEFA Euro 2020, where England were runners-up, and the 2022 International Football Cup. Kalvin Mark Phillips was born on 2 December 1995 in Leeds, West Yorkshire. He attended the Farnley Academy during his secondary school years. Phillips was one of four children and was raised in poverty while his mother worked two jobs and his father was in prison. Phillips was eligible to play for his country of birth, England, as well as Jamaica and the Republic of Ireland through his heritage. He ultimately chose to represent England and was called up by Gareth Southgate for the first time in August 2020, before receiving his first cap on 8 September versus Denmark in the UEFA Nations League. He was only the third player in the 21st century to represent England prior to making an appearance in the top division of a country, after Jack Butland and Wilfried Zaha. In an interview after being called up, Phillips spoke of his intention to give his first England shirt to Marcelo Bielsa after the Leeds United manager handed him a playing shirt from his old club Newell's Old Boys, along with a message to him and his family to commemorate his first international call-up. Phillips was chosen to represent England at UEFA Euro 2020, where he won praise from pundits, fans and the world's press for his combative, dynamic displays. He started every game that England played during the tournament all the way up to the final, where they were eventually beaten on penalties by tournament winners Italy. Phillips was named England's 2020–21 Men's Player of the Year. He made two substitute appearances at the 2022 International Football Cup in Qatar. Phillips scored his only international goal on 19 June 2023 during a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match against North Macedonia at Old Trafford, scoring England's sixth goal after coming on as a substitute in a 7–0 victory. Leading up to Euro 2024, Phillips was dropped from the England squad in March 2024, for friendlies against Brazil and Belgium, due to a loss of form at the start of his loan to West Ham United.