1. Billy Clifford Gilmour was born on 12 June 2001 and is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Serie A club Napoli and the Scotland national team.
29 Facts About Billy Gilmour
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Billy Gilmour is considered one of the best players in association football for Scotland, particularly in relation to his passing skills and his style of midfield play.
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Billy Gilmour joined Chelsea in 2017 after turning down a professional contract with Rangers, made 22 appearances, and was on the bench for their UEFA Champions League and FA Cup finals in 2021.
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Billy Gilmour signed for Italian side Napoli on a permanent deal on deadline day in August 2024.
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Billy Gilmour represented Scotland at all youth level from under-15, under-16, under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels before making his senior debut in 2021.
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Billy Gilmour was selected for their Euro 2020 squad later that year.
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Billy Gilmour was born on 11 June 2001 at Ayrshire Central Hospital in Irvine, Ayrshire and resided in Ardrossan, North Ayrshire.
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Billy Gilmour attended Stanley Primary School in Ardrossan and Grange Academy in Kilmarnock, where he was part of the Scottish Football Association Performance School programme.
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Billy Gilmour listed Cesc Fabregas, Luka Modric and Andres Iniesta as his football role models.
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Billy Gilmour spent three months at an early age with Celtic, before moving to Rangers due to the logistics of attending training.
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Billy Gilmour made his debut for the under-20 development team in December 2016 at the age of 15, and was invited to train with the first-team squad the following month by manager Mark Warburton.
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Billy Gilmour was given a squad number and, following Warburton's departure from the club, was twice included in the provisional squad for the Scottish Cup matches by Rangers caretaker manager Graeme Murty.
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Rangers announced in May 2017 that they had reached an agreement for Billy Gilmour to join Chelsea for a "significant fee".
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Billy Gilmour became officially contracted to Chelsea in July 2017, following his 16th birthday.
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Billy Gilmour joined the club's under-18 squad, making a goalscoring debut in an Under-18 Premier League match against Arsenal during September 2017, and going on to score in each of his first three appearances.
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In July 2018, after turning 17, Billy Gilmour signed his first professional contract with Chelsea.
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Billy Gilmour's first appearance in a competitive matchday squad for the first-team came in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup against Liverpool, when he was an unused substitute.
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Billy Gilmour was added to the Chelsea first-team squad on a permanent basis in February 2020.
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Billy Gilmour did not play much for the next six months or so, due to the lockdown caused by COVID-19 and a knee injury.
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In July 2021, Billy Gilmour joined fellow Premier League club Norwich City on a season-long loan.
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Billy Gilmour cited fellow Scotland international Grant Hanley as an influencing factor in his decision to join the club.
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On 21 September 2023, Billy Gilmour started in Brighton's first European match in the club's history, against AEK Athens.
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Billy Gilmour played for the Scotland under-16s in the 2016 Victory Shield tournament.
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Billy Gilmour was included in the Scotland for UEFA Euro 2020 by Steve Clarke.
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Billy Gilmour made his full international debut on 2 June 2021, coming off the bench in the 81st minute of a pre-tournament friendly against the Netherlands.
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Billy Gilmour then tested positive for COVID-19, meaning that he missed Scotland's final group game against Croatia.
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Billy Gilmour remained in the squad for Scotland's continuing 2022 World Cup qualifiers in September, starting all five games against Denmark, Moldova, Austria, Israel and the Faroe Islands.
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On 7 June 2024, Billy Gilmour was named in Scotland's squad for the UEFA Euro 2024 finals in Germany.
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Billy Gilmour went on to start against both Switzerland and Hungary as Scotland finished bottom of Group A with one point from three matches.