Lewis Dunk

Brighton & Hove Albion

Early career

Dunk started his career at Wimbledon before he was released following the club's liquidation and relocation to Milton Keynes. After leaving Wimbledon, Dunk joined Brighton & Hove Albion when he was playing for the under-12 team. While progressing, Dunk went on trial at Crystal Palace and impressed the side that they offered him a contract but he rejected the move, citing "school commitment and couldn't travel three times a week up to London" and stayed at Brighton & Hove Albion at a good centre of excellence. He then signed a scholarship with the club. He was promoted to the club's under-18 squad in November 2007. Dunk joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Bognor Regis Town on loan in early 2010, and made his debut on 8 February in a 3–1 home win over Tonbridge Angels. He scored his only goal on 27 February with a header 1–1 home draw with Cray Wanderers and went on to finish the loan with eight appearances.

2010–2011: First-team debut and promotion to the Championship

On 30 April 2010, Dunk signed a two-year professional contract with Brighton after impressive performances captaining the club's youth team. The following day, Dunk made his first-team debut, starting in the 0–0 draw away to Milton Keynes Dons. After the match, he said: "It's fantastic, the best week of my life. We knew we were being told about pros and I was hopeful but I never thought I would be making my debut. I was told at the…

Dunk was uncapped for England at youth level; his call-up to the England national under-21 team for their 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches against Iceland and Belgium in November 2011 marks his only youth international call-up. In October 2018, he was called up for the first time to replace the injured James Tarkowski in the senior England squad for matches against Croatia and Spain in the Nations League. However, he did not make an appearance. In the next month Dunk was called up again for a friendly against United States and a Nations League match against Croatia. He made his debut on 15 November playing in the whole match in England's 3–0 win over the United States at Wembley Stadium. In doing so, he became the fourth Brighton player to earn a senior England cap, and the first since Steve Foster in 1982. In May 2023, after a four-and-a-half-year absence, he was recalled by Gareth Southgate for matches against Malta and North Macedonia in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying. However, he later withdrew from the England squad due to a niggling injury which curtailed his season with Brighton. On 31 August, Dunk was called up for the next round of international fixtures, this time a Euro qualifier against Ukraine and a friendly with Scotland to mark 150 years of the first international match. He made his second England appearance on 12 September, almost five years after his debut, playing the full match of the 3–1 away win over Scotland at Hampden Park. He…

Club

As of match played 5 September 2026

International

Lewis Carl Dunk was born on 21 November 1991 in Brighton, East Sussex and educated at Varndean School. He is the son of former Sussex non-league player Mark Dunk. A Chelsea fan, Dunk idolised John Terry in his youth and named his family dog "Didier" in homage to Chelsea forward Didier Drogba. Dunk became engaged to his partner, to whom he proposed in 2019, and they later married. The couple have two children.