Kyle Andrew Walker (born 28 May 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a right-back or centre-back for EFL Championship club Burnley. He is widely regarded to be amongst the best full-backs of his generation,
and has been described by his former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola as one of the greatest full-backs in the history of the sport.
Walker started his career at his boyhood club Sheffield United at the age of seven. He made his first-team debut aged 18 after a loan spell at Northampton Town. He impressed whilst playing for United and played in the 2009 Championship play-off final. His performances earned him a move to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, before being immediately loaned back to Sheffield United. After further loan spells at Queens Park Rangers and Aston Villa, Walker cemented his place in Tottenham's first team. He was part of the Tottenham team coached by Mauricio Pochettino that finished runner-ups in the 2016–17 Premier League and 2014–15 League Cup.
Walker joined Manchester City in 2017 for a fee of £45 million. Throughout his City career, he was coached by Pep Guardiola. With City, he won six Premier League titles, four EFL Cups, two FA Cups, and a UEFA Champions League in 2023 as part of a continental treble. He has been named in the PFA Team of the Year four times, in the 2011–12, 2016–17, 2017–18, and 2023–24 seasons. He spent the latter half of the 2024–25 season on loan at AC Milan, before moving to Burnley in July 2025 on a permanent deal.
Walker played for England at under-19 and under-21 levels before making his senior debut for the England national team in September 2011. He has represented his country at three UEFA European Championships, in 2016, 2020, and 2024, and at two FIFA World Cups, in 2018 and 2022. He retired from international play in March 2026, racking up a total of 96 international caps for England.
Kyle Andrew Walker was born on 28 May 1990 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and is of Jamaican descent on his father's side. He grew up in the Sharrow area of the city, and attended Porter Croft Infant & Junior School, followed by High Storrs School until 2006.
Walker joined boyhood club Sheffield United at the age of seven after being recommended by coach Paul Archer at Football Unites, Racism Divides. Walker progressed through the ranks to become a regular fixture in the reserve team by 2008. In November 2008, he was allowed to join League One club Northampton Town on a one-month loan to gain first-team experience, making his debut on 15 November in a defeat to Oldham Athletic. His one-month loan was later extended into January 2009, before he returned to United, having played nine matches for Northampton.
Soon after returning to Sheffield United, Walker made his first-team debut for the club on 13 January 2009, starting in a third round FA Cup tie against Leyton Orient. With United losing a number of players to injury in the closing weeks of the season, Walker was included in the starting line-up for the last two matches of the season, making his full league debut for the club on 25 April 2009 against Swansea City. After two performances he retained his place as Sheffield United entered the Championship play-offs, starting both matches against Preston North End and the final against Burnley at the end of May 2009. By playing in the final, Walker became the youngest Sheffield United player ever to play at Wembley Stadium.
On 22 July 2009, Walker signed for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, along with Sheffield United teammate Kyle Naughton, for a combined fee of £9 million. Walker was loaned back to United for the duration of the 2009–10 season as part of the deal. While at Sheffield United, he was virtually ever-present at right-back for the first half of the season, but was recalled by Tottenham on 1 February 2010, just before the close of the January 2010 transfer window, after Alan Hutton was loaned out to Sunderland. Walker made his debut for Tottenham on 27 March, in a 2–0 victory over Portsmouth and went on to make one more league appearance that season.
At the start of the following season, Walker went out on loan once more signing an initial one-month deal with Queens Park Rangers due to injuries at the club in the right-back position. In mid-October, his loan at QPR was extended until 3 January 2011.
After leaving QPR, Walker joined Premier League club Aston Villa on loan until the end of the 2010–11 season. He scored on his debut only nine minutes into the match against former club Sheffield United in the third round of the FA Cup in January 2011. At the start of February, Walker scored his first Premier League goal and first senior league goal, a 30-yard shot into the bottom left corner of the goal against Fulham. He returned to Tottenham at the end of the 2010–11 season after scoring two goals in 18 appearances for Villa.
On leaving Villa Park, Walker suggested that he would be happy to return to the club the next season, for his first-team opportunities at Tottenham were limited. However, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp had already stated that he did not wish to sell Walker. Walker subsequently agreed to a contract extension at Tottenham until 2016. Walker was chosen in the starting eleven for Tottenham's opening match of the 2011–12 season, away to Manchester United on 22 August 2011. On 2 October, he scored the winning goal in the North London derby against Arsenal from 25-yards out. Tottenham won the match 2–1.
On 22 April 2012, Walker was named as the PFA Young Player of the Year, beating the likes of Sergio Agüero, Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and teammate Gareth Bale to the award, as well as being named in the PFA Team of the Year. On 3 May 2012, Walker was awarded with a new five-year contract, that ran until 2017.
Walker was ever-present in the first half of the 2012–13 season in the Premier League, with the exception of a 3–0 away victory over Fulham, in which he was an unused substitute. This included playing 90 minutes in the 3–2 win over Manchester United, which was Tottenham's first victory at Old Trafford in 23 years.
On 28 October 2013, Walker signed a new contract with Tottenham, keeping him at the club until June 2019. Walker was part of the Tottenham team that lost 2–0 to Chelsea on 1 March at Wembley Stadium in the 2015 League Cup final. On 20 April 2017, Walker was named at right-back in the PFA Team of the Year for the second time.
2017–2020: First major silverware
On 14 July 2017, Walker signed a five-year contract with Tottenham's Premier League rivals Manchester City, in a transfer reported to be worth an initial £45 million fee, rising to £50 million with add-ons, making it one of the most expensive football transfers. He made his debut on 12 August against Brighton & Hove Albion, with several media outlets labelled him as the best player in the match. However, during Walker's home debut against Everton, he was sent off for two bookable offences. On 25 February, Walker started in the 2018 EFL Cup final against Arsenal, and played the whole 90 minutes, with Manchester City winning 3–0 to obtain their first piece of silverware of the 2017–18 season, and their first trophy overall under Pep Guardiola. Walker also received his first trophy with Manchester City and his first trophy as a Premier League player.
Walker started in the 2019 FA Cup final against Watford on 18 May as City won the first domestic treble in English men's football. Walker signed a new contract with City in June 2019. On 6 November, in a UEFA Champions League away match against Atalanta, Walker volunteered to go in goal for the last 10 minutes after substitute goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was sent off; he did not concede and saved a free-kick as the match ended 1–1.