George Saunders (born 10 June 1989) is an English former professional footballer who played as midfielder. Born in England, he spent his entire professional football career playing abroad in Colombia.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 10 June 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | London, England | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Arsenal | |||
| Villarreal | |||
| Torre Levante | |||
| 2006–2008 | Espanyol | ||
| 2008–2009 | Damm | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009 | Villarreal C | 15 | (1) |
| 2009–2012 | Levante B | 47 | (0) |
| 2012 | Eldense | 14 | (0) |
| 2013 | América de Cali | 15 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | Fortaleza | 32 | (1) |
| 2014 | Unión Magdalena | 13 | (0) |
| 2015 | Patriotas | 6 | (0) |
| 2015–2022 | Envigado | 131 | (1) |
| 2023 | Atlético Huila | 12 | (0) |
| Total | 274 | (3) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:39, 14 November 2023 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editBorn in London, Saunders joined the academy of Arsenal at the age of eight.[1] He moved with his family to Spain, and was recruited by Villarreal, but was released by them, going on to join Torre Levante and then Espanyol.[1] During this time he became the first British player to be called up to the Catalonia national football team.[1] Ahead of the 2023 season, Saunders joined Atlético Huila on a free transfer after seven years with Envigado.[2] In October 2023, Saunders announced on Instagram that he had retired from professional football.[3]
Personal life
editIn October 2022, Saunders received Colombian citizenship.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b c Stanger, Matt (21 October 2016). "How George Saunders became the only British footballer in South America". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
- ^ "Atlético Huila confirmó la llegada de los primeros 3 refuerzos". lanacion.com.co (in Spanish). 28 December 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ "Today I've made a decision that it's been hard to make, thay say that a footballer dies twice!". instagram.com. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ El Colombiano (5 October 2022). "El futbolista inglés George Saunders se nacionalizó colombiano". Retrieved 6 October 2022.