Callum Wilson

Callum Wilson
Callum Eddie Graham Wilson (born 27 February 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Newcastle United and the England national team.
Wilson began his career with his hometown club Coventry City and he broke into the first team after loans to Conference Premier clubs Kettering and Tamworth. He signed for AFC Bournemouth in 2014, winning the Championship in his first season and playing for five seasons in the Premier League. In 2020, he signed for Newcastle United.
Wilson made his senior debut for England in 2018 and was chosen for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Early life
Callum Eddie Graham Wilson was born on 27 February 1992 in Coventry, West Midlands. He is of Irish and Jamaican descent. He attended President Kennedy School in Coventry.
Club career
Coventry City
Wilson made his first-team debut for Coventry City on 12 August 2009 as a substitute for Stephen Wright at half time in extra time of a 1–0 League Cup first round defeat at home to Hartlepool United. He signed a professional deal, which saw him stay at the club for a further season, on 16 March 2010. Wilson became the first Coventry City youth teamer to win the national award for apprentice of the month in March 2010. He made his league debut when he came on as a substitute against Queens Park Rangers in the Championship in December 2010.
Wilson joined Conference Premier club Kettering Town on an initial one-month loan at the turn of the year in 2011. His loan was extended to another three months upon completion of his first month. Wilson played 17 games, scoring once.
On 29 December 2011, Wilson was loaned to Conference Premier club Tamworth for a month. He made his debut for the club in a 2–2 draw at home to Alfreton Town on 1 January, where he played the full game. He scored in his second game for the club with a curling shot in a 2–1 defeat against Wrexham on 14 January. Wilson suffered a fractured foot in his third appearance for the Lambs which saw his short loan spell end.
Wilson scored his first goal for Coventry on 12 March 2013 as they came from behind to draw 2–2 at home to Colchester United. Nonetheless, he started only three league games before the start of the 2013–14 season. Before that campaign, a transfer embargo meant that manager Steven Pressley began pairing Wilson with Leon Clarke up front.
On 31 October 2013, Wilson signed a contract to the summer of 2015 with the option of one more season. He was League One Player of the Month for March 2014 with seven goals from as many games, after having missed nine games through injury. He finished the season as League One's third-top scorer with 22 goals and also earned himself a place in the League One PFA Team of the Year Wilson won his club's Top Goalscorer award, Player's Player award voted for by his teammates and the Player of the season award voted for by Coventry City fans.
AFC Bournemouth
On 4 July 2014, Wilson signed for AFC Bournemouth for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £3 million, after spending five years at Coventry. He scored twice on his debut for the club, in a 4–0 win against Huddersfield Town on 9 August.
In his first season at the club, Wilson helped them achieve promotion to the Premier League for the first time in the club's history, becoming the team's top scorer for that season in the process, scoring 20 league goals. He was Bournemouth's only player to score in all three domestic competitions, scoring the winning goal in a 2–1 victory against West Bromwich Albion in the fourth round of the League Cup.
On 22 August 2015, Wilson scored his first Premier League goals with a hat-trick against West Ham United. On 26 September 2015, he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee in the match against Stoke City and was expected to be out for about six months. Wilson made his return on 9 April 2016 as an injury-time substitute in Bournemouth's 2–1 win away to Aston Villa.
In July 2016, despite having missed most of the preceding season, Wilson signed a new four-year contract amidst interest from Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United. He ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on 1 February 2017 and was expected to be out for about six months. On 18 November 2017, not long after recovering, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 home win over Huddersfield. He signed a contract in July 2019 for four more years, after being tracked by West Ham and Chelsea.
Newcastle United
Wilson signed for Premier League club Newcastle United on 7 September 2020 on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee, reported by BBC Sport to be around £20 million, making him the third-highest fee paid by Newcastle for a player. He made his debut on 12 September, scoring the first goal in a 2–0 away win against West Ham. On 30 January 2021, Wilson scored his 50th Premier League goal in a 2–0 victory over Everton.
Wilson was sidelined with a calf injury from December 2021 to the following May; by the time of his return, he was still the team's top scorer with six goals for the season. He finished the 2022–23 season as Newcastle's top scorer with 18 goals, and fifth overall in the Premier League. He then extended his contract to 2025.
International career
Wilson was called up to the England national under-21 team for the first time in November 2014 for friendly matches against Portugal and France. He made his only appearance on 17 November in the match against France, as a 65th-minute substitute in a 3–2 away defeat.
Wilson was called up to the England senior team for the first time in November 2018 for a friendly match against the United States and a UEFA Nations League match against Croatia. He made his debut on 15 November when starting against the United States at Wembley Stadium, and scored in the 77th minute of a 3–0 win with a near-post finish. In doing so, he became the first Bournemouth player to score for England.
After a three-year absence, he was named in England's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Wilson came on as a 76th minute substitute in England's opening match against Iran, assisting Jack Grealish for England's sixth goal in a 6–2 victory.
Personal life
Wilson has a wife, Stacey, and two children.
Career statistics
Club
International
England score listed first, score column indicates score after each Wilson goal
Honours
AFC Bournemouth
Football League Championship: 2014–15
Newcastle United
EFL Cup runner-up: 2022–23
England
UEFA Nations League third place: 2018–19
Individual
PFA Team of the Year: 2013–14 League One
Football League Championship Player of the Month: October 2014
Coventry City Player of the Year: 2013–14
Newcastle United Player of the Year: 2020–21
References
External links
Profile at the Newcastle United F.C. website
Profile at the Football Association website
1992 births
Living people
Footballers from Coventry
English men's footballers
Men's association football forwards
Coventry City F.C. players
Kettering Town F.C. players
Tamworth F.C. players
AFC Bournemouth players
Newcastle United F.C. players
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
Premier League players
England men's under-21 international footballers
England men's international footballers
2022 FIFA World Cup players
Black British sportsmen
English people of Irish descent
English people of Jamaican descent