 Gibson lining up for the Republic of Ireland in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Darron Thomas Daniel Gibson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 25 October 1987[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Derry, Northern Ireland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2004 | Institute | ||
| 2004–2005 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2012 | Manchester United | 31 | (3) |
| 2006–2007 | → Royal Antwerp (loan) | 25 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 21 | (1) |
| 2012–2017 | Everton | 51 | (2) |
| 2017–2018 | Sunderland | 27 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Wigan Athletic | 18 | (0) |
| 2020 | Salford City | 3 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Salford City | 4 | (0) |
| Total | 180 | (7) | |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2003 | Republic of Ireland U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2005 | Republic of Ireland U19 | 9 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 2006 | Republic of Ireland B | 1 | (0) |
| 2007–2016 | Republic of Ireland | 27 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:43, 19 December 2020 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16:22, 27 December 2017 (UTC) | |||
Darron Thomas Daniel Gibson (born 25 October 1987) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played for the Republic of Ireland national team.
Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, he began his club career with Institute before joining Manchester United, for whom he made his professional debut in 2005. After loans with Belgium's Royal Antwerp and the Championship's Wolverhampton Wanderers, he spent several seasons as part of the Manchester United team, where he scored 10 goals in 60 games and won a Premier League title, two League Cups and a FIFA Club World Cup. In January 2012, Gibson joined Everton for an undisclosed fee, where his appearances were limited from 2013 due to injury. He signed for Sunderland in January 2017, and left by mutual consent in March 2018. At the end of his professional career, he had spells with Wigan Athletic and Salford City.
In 2007, Gibson was at the centre of a dispute between the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and the Irish Football Association (IFA), after he opted to play for the Republic of Ireland instead of Northern Ireland.[3] The issue was referred to FIFA and was discussed in the Northern Ireland Assembly.[4][5][6] The issue was settled in 2010 when it was declared that Northern Ireland-born people are entitled to play for either the Republic or Northern Ireland.[7] Gibson represented the Republic of Ireland at UEFA Euro 2012.
- ^ "Darron Gibson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
- ^ a b "Darron Gibson". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- ^ McKinley, Stuart (31 January 2007). "Gibson can't play for Republic, says Wells". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 May 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ^ "Fifa to discuss Irish player row". BBC Sport. 11 December 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ^ "Fifa unable to clarify Irish row". BBC Sport. 16 December 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ^ "Northern Ireland minister warns of sectarian divide". RTÉ Sport. 10 December 2007. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ^ "IFA fails to halt player exodus". BBC Sport. 30 July 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2017.