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Kyle Walker’s iconic moments for Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and England

Very much a player that doesn’t play at a walking pace, Walker has risen through the ranks to become an international regular and a Premier League champion.

As a Premier League centurion, domestic treble winner, and an England regular, Kyle Walker has certainly come a long way from his humble beginnings in Sheffield.

After joining local side Sheffield United aged seven, Walker spent almost a decade progressing through the youth system before making his way into the senior team.

With only a handful of appearances under his belt, Walker made the switch to Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. He initially returned to the Blades on loan before an outstanding six years at Tottenham during which Walker was named in the PFA Team of the Year twice.

His eyecatching displays persuaded Pep Guardiola to make him part of his defensive rebuild at Manchester City in 2017 and he has remained there ever since.

From the Cobblers to the Champions League, Planet Sport recalls the most memorable moments from Walker's fascinating career.

Wembley record breaker

Before breaking through to the Sheffield United senior team, Walker was sent on loan to League One side Northampton Town where he managed nine appearances.

With vital experience now under his belt, Walker returned to Sheffield United and was a surprise addition to the side's promotion push towards the end of the season.

After two standout performances in the final games of the season, Walker retained his position for the Blades' play-off games.

Walker was named as the starting right-back in the final against Burnley, and although Sheffield United ended up on the wrong side of a 1-0 result, 18-year-old Walker broke the record as the youngest Sheffield United player to appear at Wembley.

Villainous debut

Following his impressive performances for Sheffield United, Walker formed part of a £9million move to Tottenham Hotspur, which also included fellow defender Kyle Naughton.

Tottenham then opted to loan Walker out, initially to his hometown club before a six-month stint at Queens Park Rangers.

But he had to wait until a subsequent loan move to Aston Villa to make a head-turning debut.

Walker was handed a debut on his old stomping ground when Villa drew Sheffield United in the third round of the FA Cup.

Just nine minutes in, Walker's trademark driving run from the right cut open his former side, and he calmly slotted the ball home on his left foot to give the visitors the lead, sparking frenzied celebrations from the Villa faithful if not the man himself.

North London winner

Kyle Walker, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Premier League

Following his return from the Aston Villa loan, Walker suggested he would be happy to return to the Midlands club if first-team opportunities were still going to be sparse at Tottenham.

However, manager Harry Redknapp insisted Walker stayed and that he was a key part of the first-team squad. As promised, Redknapp named Walker in Tottenham's opening day match against Manchester United and continued to field the right-back regularly.

In what proved to be his breakthrough season, Walker's most iconic moment came in Tottenham's fierce north London derby match against Arsenal.

With the tie neatly poised at 1-1, Walker stepped up to the plate in the 73rd minute, latching on to a rebounded cross and lacing home the winner from 25 yards out.
There's a few ways to win over the fans on your debut season, and that certainly is one of them.

Debut dismissal

After being named at right-back in the 2017 PFA Team of the Year, Walker continued to draw the attention of bigger clubs. And, with Guardiola looking to bolster his new-look Manchester City side, Walker was a main target.

In an initial £45million deal, Walker made the switch to Manchester. He has remained at City since, but has recently faced a fight for a starting berth from 2019 signing Joao Cancelo.

However, it was to prove an inauspicious home debut against Everton after referee Bobby Madley deemed two tackles to be yellow-card offences.

Walker recovered well, while Guardiola kept faith in his new right-back as he guided his side to the historic 'centurion season', where they were crowned Premier League champions with 100 points.

A stint between the sticks

Manchester City reignited their pursuit of Champions League glory in 2019/20, and Walker proved that he was willing to go above and beyond to help his side to victory.

After three games in the group stages, Manchester City boasted a perfect record after a 3-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk, a 2-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb, and a 5-1 dismantling of Atalanta.

With Manchester City next travelling to Bergamo for the reverse fixture against Atalanta, many anticipated a similar result, and it looked that way when Raheem Sterling opened the scoring after just seven minutes.

But the Italian outfit remained resolute, and even levelled the scoring after half-time, courtesy of Mario Pasalic's finish.

With the tie hanging in the balance, Pep Guardiola's side went a man down after goalkeeper Claudio Bravo's rash challenge was immediately met with a red card. But to make matters worse, Bravo had already come on as a substitute for the injured Ederson.

Following a lengthy discussion between players and coaches, Walker seemingly volunteered himself to don the gloves and see out the game, coming on in place of Riyad Mahrez to do so.

Remarkably, with a man down and a right-back in goal, Manchester City held on for a 1-1 draw, leaving Walker with another clean sheet - although this one may stick out more than the others.

A roaring summer in 2018

Kyle Walker, England, World Cup 2018

Since making his international debut in 2011, Walker has racked up close to 60 caps for England and is now one of the more experienced members of Gareth Southgate's squad.

He was in line for a call-up to the Euro 2012 squad before he was ruled out by an injury to his toe.

After playing second fiddle to the likes of Glen Johnson in World Cup 2014, Walker was handed the right-back spot for England's hugely disappointing Euro 2016 campaign, which saw them knocked out by competition newcomers Iceland.

But Walker's best moments in an England shirt came two years after, when he was named as part of Southgate's 2018 World Cup squad.

Walker started in all of England's matches bar the dead-rubber tie against Belgium in the group stages, and shone in his role as a centre-back alongside fellow Yorkshiremen Harry Maguire and John Stones.

After showing his versatility in an England shirt, Walker has again been selected for England's Euro 2020 squad, playing as both a centre-back and right-back on the Three Lions' march to the last four. 

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