The Ace In The Pack: Gray On His Eventful Career So Far
It was a talent that they would be able to call their own a mere five months later. It was a special strike; one which epitomised the forward’s raw talent. With electrifying pace and an abundance of confidence, Gray has developed into one of the most promising young wingers in English football, and it’s easy to see why the 20-year-old is so popular with supporters on Filbert Way.
From earning a Premier League winners’ medal at the age of 19, to making his UEFA Champions League debut against Club Brugge last September, a lot has happened since Gray stepped through the doors at King Power Stadium last year. It may have been a season of mixed emotions for Demarai and his team-mates, but it’s one which has provided the youngster with opportunities to test himself on the big stage.
There’s plenty to discuss with the England Under-21 international at the Club’s Belvoir Drive training facility. As he steps into the spacious media suite after a training session last season soaked in the Leicestershire sunshine, Demarai greets LCFC Magazine with a friendly smile before sitting down to reflect on what has been an eventful start to his footballing career.
“I went on a trial aged nine but I wasn’t too keen on it because I just wanted to play Sunday League with my pals,” Gray explains, when asked to reflect on the early stages of his career at Birmingham City. “They asked me to come back when I was 10 and I went from there. My close friends that I met from my first day there, I’m still tight with now.
"I went through the system at Birmingham which was good, but obviously making my debut under Lee Clark was my favourite memory. Being a local kid and playing with my friends every day helped me, but the staff did a lot for me there as well.”
St Andrew’s is a stadium that Demarai would often light up with his skill and ability to ease past opponents on the wing, but it was also the venue for the aforementioned warm-up fixture against Leicester City in August 2015 - just a week before the Foxes began their Premier League title-winning campaign at home to Sunderland.
City beat Birmingham 3-2, but had to come from behind after long-range strikes from David Cotterill and Gray put the Blues two goals ahead. When his stunning effort against his current club is mentioned, a smile creeps across the youngster’s face.
“I always come back sharp in pre-season so I felt well going into the game,” he recalls. “I wasn’t nervous and I didn’t feel any pressure. I didn’t really know that there was interest in me before that, but when I scored they obviously upped the interest, which luckily got me to this club now. It’s definitely a game and a goal I won’t forget.”
Gray was the first of two January signings for City in 2016, arriving shortly before Ghanaian midfielder Daniel Amartey made the switch from F.C. Copenhagen.
“It’s the Premier League, it’s another level,” he says when asked to give his first impressions of the Club. “Everything is nice and close because it’s quite a small city, so everyone is involved and the fans are good too. The facilities here (Belvoir Drive) and at the stadium are good and I’ve got what I need to develop.
“At the time Leicester were second or first in the league so I thought there was something good going on here,” he continues. “It’s close to home, which is perfect, and meeting up with Claudio Ranieri at the time was good, because he did a lot for me to make me the player I am now. I thought it was the right time for me to step up to a bigger stage and I couldn’t turn it down.”
To read the full interview with Demarai Gray and much more, visit the City Fanstore at King Power Stadium and buy Issue 3 of LCFC Magazine - available NOW at just £4.
Other features include:
- Player of the Season Kasper Schmeichel sits down with Club Historian John Hutchinson to discuss his time on Filbert Way and the evolution of goalkeeping
- New signing Harry Maguire explains the reasons behind his switch to Leicester City from Hull City
- Take a look at the journey made by a group of Leicester City supporters that have struck up an unlikely friendship with fans of German club VfL Bochum
- Explore the measures taken to record Leicester City’s remarkable heritage
- Legend Steve Walsh helps to unveil the very first Leicester Dry Gin with partners Burleighs
- An in-depth look at the latest Fox & Crop range
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