# Clayton Lewis (footballer)

Clayton Rhys Lewis (born 12 February 1997 in Wellington) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.
Lewis is currently suspended from playing in the A-League in Australia following charges relating to illegal betting.

## Club career
### Junior and Semi-Professional Career

Lewis attended St Patrick's College, Wellington from 2010 until 2014. He began his career with Wellington Olympic where he played alongside his father Barry. Lewis came into prominence in the 2013 winter season where he was a key member of the Wellington Olympic team which finished second in the Central Premier League and reached the semifinals of the Chatham Cup. This exposure led his to being signed by Team Wellington for the 2013–14 ASB Premiership season. However, he did not make an appearance for Team Wellington.
On 1 July 2014 he was signed on a free transfer by Wanderers SC. Lewis made his debut on 22 November 2014 on the fifth match of the season away at WaiBOP United in a 3–0 win in which he scored. He would go on to make 11 appearances, score 3 goals and assist another 3 for the Wanderers that season before joining reigning champions Auckland City.
In 2016, Lewis served a one month ban for an anti-doping rule violation after testing positive for unintentionally elevated levels of salbutamol derived from the use of his asthma medication.
On 28 September 2017, Lewis signed a contract with League One club Scunthorpe United. Following minimal playing time over the three seasons he spent at Scunthorpe, Lewis' contract was terminated by mutual consent and he returned to Auckland City on 4 November 2019.

### Wellington Phoenix

Lewis signed a one-year deal with A-League club Wellington Phoenix in October 2020. On 18 May 2021, his contract was extended for an additional two years. In March 2022, Lewis was ruled out for 12 weeks with an ankle injury obtained during a match against Perth Glory.
In March 2023, ahead of Wellington's round 19 fixture, it was announced that Lewis would depart Wellington at the end of the 2022-23 A-League season. Lewis went on to make 69 appearances across all competitions for Wellington, in his three seasons at the club.

### Macarthur FC

3 days after Wellington Phoenix's season ended in an elimination final defeat to Adelaide United, Macarthur FC announced the signing of Lewis on a two-year contract.

## Betting scandal and arrest

On 17 May 2024, Lewis along with two Macarthur FC teammates were arrested and later charged by New South Wales Police Force over an alleged betting scandal. Football Australia suspended Lewis from partcipating in the A-League until criminal charges were concluded. At a hearing in July 2024, Lewis pleaded not guilty to the charges.

## International career

Lewis made his international debut for New Zealand on 31 March 2015 against South Korea, playing 54 minutes in a 1–0 defeat.
He has also made several appearances for the New Zealand under-20 team starting in April 2015. He is part of the under-20 side for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. He scored his first FIFA U-20 World Cup goal against Myanmar in a 5–1 group stage win at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.
In the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, Lewis assisted Chris Wood's goal against Mexico to put New Zealand up 1–0 in Sochi; this was New Zealand's only goal in the competition.
During New Zealand's 4–0 victory against Fiji at the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Lewis converted a penalty kick to score his first international goal.

## International goals

| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1. | 21 March 2022 | Suheim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar | Fiji | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |