- Planet Sport writer
- 10 days ago
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Kalvin Phillips is a professional football player who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the England national team.
Born and raised in Leeds, Phillips joined United's academy in 2010, aged 14, before eventually signing his first professional contract with the club in the summer of 2014.
After impressing at Leeds, and helping the club return to the Premier League, he was made his debut for England in September 2020.
In July 2022, Phillips joined Manchester City for a fee of £45million on a six-year contract.
Academy days
Phillips started out at his local club Wortley from 2003 until 2010 before joining Leeds United's academy.
He was made captain of the development and under-18s team during the 2014/15 season, with coach Jason Blunt saying he expected Phillips to become a fan favourite in the future.
Living the boyhood dream at Leeds
As a local Leeds lad, Phillips grew up dreaming of playing for Leeds United and on 6 April, 2015, he made his professional debut for the club against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
He scored his first senior goal for Leeds one week later against Cardiff City.
The 2016/17 Championship season was the breakthrough one for Phillips after he was offered a new three-year deal by newly appointed coach Garry Monk.
He became a vital part of Leeds United's team and his fine form in the month of October earned him the Young Player of the Month award.
Despite Leeds United failing to get promoted to the Premier League, Phillips had a stellar 2018/19 campaign playing as a deep-lying midfielder and occasional central defender under Marcelo Bielsa. This was a change in style brought about by the Argentinian, with Phillips originally being a more box-to-box player.
His terrific form throughout the campaign earned him a place in the Championship Team of the Season for the first time in his career.
Promotion to the Premier League
Phillips signed a new five-year deal with the club at the beginning of the 2019/20 season, with Leeds United securing promotion to the Premier League at the end of that campaign.
He also enjoyed another excellent individual season which saw him named in the Professional Footballers' Association's 2019/20 Championship Team of the Season.
An impressive first season in the Premier League
Despite impressing in the Championship for many years, there were still doubts as to whether Phillips would be able to make the step up to the top-flight of English football.
Those questions were answered as Leeds United enjoyed a fantastic campaign, finishing ninth in the table, with Phillips playing a huge role. The defensive midfielder appeared in 30 games in all competitions and made his 200th appearance for the club in a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace on February 8, 2021.
In the last game of the season, Phillips scored his first ever Premier League goal in a 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion.
Phillips' second season in the Premier League was hampered by a hamstring injury, which didn't help the club's ongoing struggle against relegation. He returned from a four month lay-off in April, and was part of the side that did just enough to avoid the drop on the last day of the season.
The in-demand midfielder made the £45million switch to Manchester City in the summer ahead of the 2022/23 season. He had played 232 games for his boyhood club, scoring 13 goals and claiming 13 assists.
International career
Phillips has a Jamaican father and Irish mother, but was born in England. He was contacted by the Jamaican national team, but opted to play for England.
On 25 August, 2020, at the age of 24, Phillips was called up to the Three Lions squad for the first time.
He made his debut for his country on September 8, 2020, against Denmark in the UEFA Nations League.
He was also called up to Gareth Southgate's England squad for Euro 2020 and played in every game of their run to the final.
Personal life
Phillips was born and raised in Leeds, West Yorkshire. During his secondary school years, he attended The Farnley Academy.
He is currently in a relationship with Ashleigh Behan.
Net worth
Phillips' net worth is believed to be around £8million.
