1. Early life and youth career
Gary Gardner's early life saw him develop through the youth ranks of Aston Villa, alongside his elder brother, Craig. His journey was marked by significant injury setbacks but also notable achievements in youth competitions.
1.1. Birth and early life
Gary Gardner was born on 29 June 1992, in Solihull, England. He is the younger brother of Craig Gardner, who is also a professional footballer and a product of the Aston Villa youth system. Both siblings began their football careers at Aston Villa.
1.2. Aston Villa youth career
Gardner started his career at Aston Villa within their academy system. His development was temporarily halted in December 2009 when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Upon his return from injury, Gardner became a crucial player for Aston Villa's under-18 and reserve sides.
A notable performance came on 10 January 2011, when Gardner scored twice in Aston Villa reserves' dominant 10-1 victory over Arsenal. His first goal came from catching the Gunners' goalkeeper James Shea off guard, and he later added another from a penalty spot. He also provided assists for goals scored by Andreas Weimann and Jonathan Hogg.
Gardner first appeared for Aston Villa's first team in a pre-season friendly, coming on as a substitute for captain Stiliyan Petrov during the 2011 Barclays Asia Trophy final, which Villa lost to Chelsea. He also represented Aston Villa in the inaugural season of the NextGen Series, a European competition designed for younger footballers. During the group stage, Gardner scored single goals against Fenerbahçe and Rosenborg. In Villa's final group match, Gardner scored all three goals in a 3-0 victory over Ajax. In the quarter-final against Marseille, Gardner scored a last-minute equalizer, though Villa ultimately lost the tie 2-1 in extra time. His six goals in the competition left him one short of the joint-highest goalscorers, Jean Marie Dongou of Barcelona and Viktor Fischer of Ajax, who both scored seven.
2. Club career
Gary Gardner's professional club career has seen him spend a significant period at Aston Villa, interspersed with numerous loan spells, before making a permanent move to Birmingham City and later Cambridge United.
2.1. Aston Villa and various loan spells (2011-2019)
Gardner's time at Aston Villa was characterized by his attempts to establish himself in the first team, which were often punctuated by injuries and a series of loan moves to gain experience.
2.1.1. Senior debut and initial loans
In late November 2011, Gardner joined Coventry City on a month-long loan. He made an immediate impact, scoring just 9 minutes into his debut in a 2-1 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion on 26 November. After making four appearances for Coventry in the Championship within 28 days, Gardner was recalled by Aston Villa due to their own injury problems.
On 31 December 2011, Gardner made his first senior appearance for Aston Villa in a 3-1 away win at Chelsea, coming on as a 78th-minute substitute for Marc Albrighton. A week later, he came off the bench again as Villa defeated Bristol Rovers in the third round of the FA Cup. His first start for Aston Villa came on 21 January 2012, in a 3-2 away victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
2.1.2. Subsequent loan spells and injuries
Gardner suffered another ACL injury in August 2012, this time to his right knee, which led to a significant period of rehabilitation. He returned to the Aston Villa first team as an unused substitute against Chelsea on 11 May 2013, making his playing comeback on the final day of the season against Wigan Athletic.
He subsequently undertook a series of loan spells at Championship clubs. He made four starts for Sheffield Wednesday during a month-long loan in February and March 2014, and at the end of that season, he signed a new two-year contract with Aston Villa.
Over the next two years, Gardner made no further appearances for Aston Villa but spent three more periods on loan in the Championship. He played 20 matches across all competitions for Brighton & Hove Albion during the first half of the 2014-15 season, scoring two goals: a winning goal against Wigan Athletic in early November that ended a 12-match winless streak and lifted Brighton out of the relegation zone, and another goal in a 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers a few days later. Gardner then spent the second half of the 2014-15 season at Nottingham Forest, where he scored 4 goals from 18 league appearances, including a notable "thundering 30-yard drive via the bar" against Reading in February 2015, which was voted Sky Sports News' #goaloftheday. Upon his return to Villa, he was offered and signed a new three-year contract. Gardner returned to Nottingham Forest for the second half of the 2015-16 season, adding two goals from 22 appearances.
2.1.3. Return to Villa and final loan period
Following Aston Villa's relegation from the Premier League, Gardner became a regular member of their first-team squad. He made 26 Championship appearances for the club during the 2016-17 season. He scored his first senior goal for Villa on 30 October 2016, opening the scoring against local rivals Birmingham City in the Second City derby. He notably ran the length of the field to celebrate with the away fans after his superb header, in a match that ultimately ended in a 1-1 draw.
However, the arrival of several new midfielders at Villa pushed him out of contention for the first team. At the end of August 2017, he joined Championship club Barnsley on loan for the remainder of the 2017-18 season. He made 29 league appearances for Barnsley, scoring twice - in a 3-2 win against Sheffield United on 7 April and a 2-2 draw with Bolton Wanderers a week later - but Barnsley ultimately could not avoid relegation.
Gardner joined another Championship club, Birmingham City, on 9 August 2018, for the 2018-19 season loan. He made his debut in the starting eleven for the 2-0 defeat away to Reading in the EFL Cup first round, and maintained his place for the majority of the season. He missed only four matches: two against his parent club (for which he was ineligible, despite Birmingham's request to Villa), the 3-3 draw with Hull City in November due to suspension, and the final match of the season where several first-team regulars were rested.
2.2. Birmingham City (2019-2024)
Gardner signed a permanent three-year contract with Birmingham City on 5 June 2019. This transfer was part of a deal that saw Jota move in the opposite direction to Aston Villa, with undisclosed fees for both players. Gardner spent five seasons at Birmingham City, becoming a key midfielder. He made a total of 171 appearances and scored 15 goals for the club across all competitions during his permanent spell. Gardner was released by Birmingham City at the end of the 2023-24 season.
2.3. Cambridge United (2024-)
On 14 July 2024, Gardner signed a two-year deal with EFL League One side Cambridge United, marking his next step in professional football.
3. International career
Gary Gardner has represented England at various youth international levels, showcasing his talent on the national stage.
3.1. England youth teams
Gardner has played for England at numerous under-age levels, including the under-17s, under-18s, under-20s, and the under-21s. His youth international career included participation in major tournaments such as the UEFA European Under-17 Championship. On 10 November 2011, Gardner came on as a substitute, replacing Jason Lowe in the 62nd minute, and scored his first two goals for the England under-21s against Iceland under-21s.
4. Personal life
Outside of his professional football career, Gary Gardner maintains close ties with his family and has an interest in supporting community initiatives.
4.1. Family and interests
Gary Gardner is the younger brother of fellow professional footballer Craig Gardner, who also came through the Aston Villa youth system. The two siblings collaborate by contributing funds to a boxing gym located in their hometown of Birmingham. This initiative received public attention when it was featured on an episode of the football show Soccer AM in 2011.
5. Honours
Gary Gardner has received individual recognition for his contributions to his clubs during his career.
5.1. Individual honours
- Birmingham City Players' Player of the Season: 2021-22
6. Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aston Villa | 2011-12 | Premier League | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 16 | 0 | |
| 2012-13 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2016-17 | Championship | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 27 | 1 | ||
| 2017-18 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 42 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 46 | 1 | |||
| Coventry City (loan) | 2011-12 | Championship | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 4 | 1 | |
| Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 2013-14 | Championship | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 4 | 0 | |
| Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 2014-15 | Championship | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 20 | 2 | |
| Nottingham Forest (loan) | 2014-15 | Championship | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 18 | 4 | |
| 2015-16 | Championship | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 22 | 2 | ||
| Total | 38 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 40 | 6 | |||
| Barnsley (loan) | 2017-18 | Championship | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 30 | 2 | ||
| Birmingham City (loan) | 2018-19 | Championship | 40 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 42 | 2 | |
| Birmingham City | 2019-20 | Championship | 35 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 39 | 4 | |
| 2020-21 | Championship | 37 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 37 | 2 | ||
| 2021-22 | Championship | 35 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 36 | 6 | ||
| 2022-23 | Championship | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2023-24 | Championship | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 20 | 1 | ||
| Total | 171 | 15 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 184 | 15 | |||
| Career total | 304 | 27 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 0 | - | 328 | 27 | |||
7. External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120214090947/http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/PlayerProfiles/0%2C%2C10265~56257%2C00.html Gary Gardner profile at Aston Villa website]
- [https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=62385 Gary Gardner at Soccerbase]
- [http://www.thefa.com/england/all-teams/players/g/gary-gardner England profile at The FA]