English Premier League - Player Profile: Kieran Gibbs
Kieran whose full name is Kieran Ricardo Gibbs, was born on 26th of September 1989 in London, England, he started his football career with Wimbledon F.C but moved to Arsenal along with youth team mates Abu Ogogo and James Dunne when, Wimbledon disbanded as a football club and became Milton Keynes Dons.
At the start of his career Gibbs usually played in central midfield or the left wing but as his career has progressed at Arsenal, Kieran has been molded into a quick left wing back. Gibbs soon started featuring regularly for Arsenals youth side and the reserve team, he played important pre-season fixtures for the London club against Barnet and Inter Milan.
In the 2007-2008 season, Gibbs was offered his first professional contract with Arsenal as a footballer, he signed the contract and was given the 34 shirt number at the club. Arsene Wenger, displayed great trust in the youngster as he included him in Arsenal’s UEFA Champions League squad. His debut for Arsenal came in a league cup match against Sheffield United on 31st of October, 2007 and his second appearance for Arsenal was in shape of a substitute as he replaced Eduardo da Silva during Arsenal’s league cup quarter final tie against Blackburn on 18th of December 2007.
In the early months of 2008, Norwich City took the young English left wing back on loan till the end of the 2007-2008 season from Arsenal but Gibbs made an early return to Arsenal at the end of April because of several injuries in the Gunners squad. He made it to the substitute’s bench in Arsenal’s first team encounter against Everton on 4th of May 2008 but failed to make it onto the pitch.
Arsenal employed Kieran’s services as a footballer more frequently in the 2008-2009 season. His first full appearance for the season at Arsenal came in their third round league cup game, despite missing out on regular first team action during the opening months of the season, Gibbs was an integral part of Arsenal’s league cup squad. His debut in European Competitions for Arsenal came on 10th of December, 2008 when he played against F.C Porto in Portugal. During the match, he came on as a substitute in place of Abou Diaby.
The young Englishman made his Premier League debut for Arsenal in a London derby match against Tottenham Hotspur on 8th of February 2009, as he came on the field to replace the injured left back Gael Clichy. Clichy’s injury paved way for Gibbs to participate more consistently in Arsenal’s starting eleven. His first start in the UEFA Champions League for Arsenal came at the quarter final stage of the tournament against Villarreal C.F on 15th of April, 2009. He also started Arsenal’s F.A Cup semi-final against Chelsea, a match that eventually ended in a defeat for the Gunners.
However, the young defender’s biggest game for Arsenal to this date has to be the UEFA Champions League semi-final match against Manchester United. A match in which, he slipped in his own penalty area at the start of the encounter, his mistake allowed Park Ji Sung to give United a one nil lead, which they built on eventually to win the match by three goals to one.
The 2009-2010 season was plagued by injuries for Gibbs, as he broke a bone in his right foot during a UEFA Champions League match against Standard Liege. This injury caused Kieran Gibbs to miss the rest of the season with Arsenal. Kieran is now well on his way to recovery from his foot fracture and will be looking to make a steady impact for Arsenal in their opening encounter of the 2010-2011 season against Liverpool on 15th of August, 2010.
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