Gary Cahill

Early career

Cahill began his career with AFC Dronfield, a Sunday league team, where he played until he was 15. During his time there, he was scouted by a number of clubs, including Barnsley, Sheffield Wednesday, Derby County and Aston Villa, the last of which he signed for as a member of the club's Academy. "All my friends played for the local side, AFC Dronfield, so I went along and started playing centre half and in centre midfield for them", said Cahill in an interview with the Manchester Evening News. Cahill started his career as central midfielder, but moved to centre-back after rapidly increasing in height within the space of a year when he was about 15 or 16, just when he was looking to get his first YTS contract.

Aston Villa

On 8 November 2004, Cahill was loaned to Burnley. He made his first-team debut the following day in the fourth round of the League Cup, playing the full 90 minutes as they lost 0–3 to Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor. On 13 November, he made his debut in the Football League, in the Clarets' 1–0 home Championship win over Nottingham Forest. He made 32 appearances on loan, 27 of which were in the league, scoring once on 3 January 2005, the only goal against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium. At the end of the season, nineteen-year-old Cahill was handed the accolade of Burnley's Young Player of the Year. Cahill made his Villa debut on 20 September 2005 in the second round of the League Cup, playing the entirety of an 8–3 win over…

Capped three times by England under-20s, Cahill was one of a number of players in Stuart Pearce's first squad as England U21 coach to receive their first U21 call-up, though he did not feature in the match, which was played on 6 February 2007, against Spain. His first under-21 cap for England was the first match at the new Wembley Stadium, where he partnered Anton Ferdinand at the centre of the England defence. His final of three caps came in the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, where he made one appearance. Cahill was called up to the England squad for the match against Kazakhstan on 4 June 2009 following the withdrawal of Rio Ferdinand, but had to wait over a year for his first cap, until he came on as a second-half substitute for Michael Dawson on 3 September 2010 against Bulgaria in a 4–0 win at Wembley Stadium. In doing so, he became the first Bolton Wanderers player to play for England since Michael Ricketts in 2002. On 29 March 2011, Cahill made his first start for the national team against Ghana in a friendly that ended 1–1. Until Cahill played for England, he was also eligible to play for the Republic of Ireland through an Irish grandparent. However, his manager at Bolton and former Ireland international, Owen Coyle, said that Cahill only wanted to represent England.

On 2 September 2011, in his first competitive start, Cahill scored his first international goal for England against Bulgaria in the qualifying rounds of UEFA Euro 2012 in the 13th minute. In…

Cahill was known for his technical ability, powerful heading in defence and attack, volleying, and good tackling. The centre-back also had an impressive goal-scoring record from defence. Former Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas said of Cahill, "I think his technical attributes are immense and his pace is fantastic." Despite being a defender, Cahill was noted for his technical ability and distribution, and occasionally, for his finishing prowess, and strength with his head. A quick, consistent and reliable centreback, Cahill was also known for his positioning and his ability to read the game.

Cahill was born and raised in Dronfield, Derbyshire, and attended Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School. He was a boyhood Sheffield Wednesday supporter and "grew up watching Sheffield Wednesday, and points to Des Walker as his childhood hero."