Demarai Gray has crammed a lot into his football career – and he’s still only 27.
He’s represented two countries, won the Premier League, played in the Champions League and turned out for a Bayer Leverkusen side that would latterly break the European record for longest unbeaten run.
The Birmingham lad has now set off on his latest voyage in the beautiful game: a sojourn to Saudi Arabia to play for Al-Ettifaq, who are coached by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.
It’s a long way from Barnt Green…
Best of the Best
The pinnacle of the 27-year-old’s career to date has undoubtedly been winning the Premier League with Leicester City in 2016 – a triumph that handed Gray a taste of Champions League action.
He’ll be taking a watching brief for the tournament this year, with those that bet on Champions League with Paddy Power having a choice between the favourites Real Madrid (6/10) and surprise package Borussia Dortmund (4/1).
Gerrard won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, while Gray himself enjoyed a run to the quarter-finals of the competition in 2016/17 with Leicester.
They defeated the likes of FC Porto, Copenhagen and Club Brugge in the group stage, before downing Spanish giants Sevilla in the last 16.
It was another Spanish side – Atletico Madrid – that would end Gray and Leicester’s dream of a maiden Champions League title, but the winger made five appearances against some of the best players on the continent, which no doubt helped to enhance his game no end.
It’s certainly a long way from his days of breaking into the first team at Birmingham City, where he made his debut back in 2013. After establishing himself as a key figure with the Blues, Gray set up home in Barnt Green and set about helping the club back to the Premier League.
He wouldn’t get the chance – Leicester activated the release clause in his contract in 2016, where he would stay for five years until German outfit Bayer Leverkusen came calling.
A return to the Premier League with Everton in 2021 proved too tough to ignore, before Gray was selected for international duty by Jamaica – he had previously represented England at youth level.
And then Al-Ettifaq came calling – another overseas adventure for the winger to embark on.
In Good Company
Plenty of globally-renowned players have now made the switch to the Saudi Pro League, with Al-Ettifaq likely to secure a top-half finish in the table in 2023/24.
Gray had scored four goals in 20 appearances at the time of writing, while sharing a dressing room with players that need little introduction. Georginio Wijnaldum was a Premier League and Champions League winner with Liverpool, while Karl Toko-Ekambi is a former Villarreal and Lyon star who won the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon.
Former Celtic and Atletico Madrid striker Moussa Dembele has been amongst the goals, while the Scottish connection continues with Jack Hendry – the defender who has played in the Champions League for both Celtic and Club Brugge.
Gray finds himself in good company then, as well as being part of a league that seems to be on the up and up as it continues to attract players of the calibre of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
Even so, there’s surely a warm place in his heart for the Bromsgrove district even after all these years away!
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