Rhian Brewster

Rhian Brewster

Brewster during Liverpool's victory parade following the 2019 UEFA Champions League final
Personal information
Full name	Rhian Joel Brewster [1]
Date of birth	(2000-04-01) 1 April 2000 (age 24) [2]
Place of birth	Chadwell Heath, England
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) [3]
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Sheffield United
Number	7
Youth career
2008–2015	Chelsea
2015–2017	Liverpool
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017–2020	Liverpool	0	(0)
2020	→ Swansea City (loan)	20	(10)
2020–	Sheffield United	85	(5)
International career‡
2016–2017	England U16	4	(4)
2016–2017	England U17	23	(20)
2017	England U18	1	(0)
2019–2022	England U21	18	(3)
Medal record Men's football Representing   England FIFA U-17 World Cup Winner 2017 India UEFA European Under-17 Championship Runner-up 2017 Croatia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:56, 16 December 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:08, 27 September 2022 (UTC)

Rhian Joel Brewster (born 1 April 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL Championship club Sheffield United. In 2017, he was part of the England squad which won the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India and was awarded the Golden Boot award for ending as the competition's leading goalscorer.

Club career

Early career

Brewster was born in Chadwell Heath, Greater London, ^[2] to a Barbadian father and Turkish Cypriot mother. ^[4] Brewster attended school at Chadwell Primary School before joining the Chadwell Heath and Shield Academy YFC. ^[5] At the age of seven, he was scouted by representatives from Chelsea, Arsenal, West Ham United and Charlton Athletic. He ultimately joined Chelsea where he developed his game under coach Michael Beale in the club's academy until the age of 14, whereafter he left to join Premier League rivals Liverpool. ^{[5] [6]}

Liverpool

In 2015, Liverpool signed Brewster from Chelsea following a recommendation by Beale who had taken up a position with the club. Brewster's decision to make the move was motivated in part by his father's influence who believed that he had a better chance of breaking through to the first team through Liverpool's academy than Chelsea's. ^{[5] [7] [8]} He initially joined the club's U18 team before being promoted to the U23 squad, where he scored on his debut against Ipswich Town. ^[9] During his time with the club's academy, Brewster was placed on a special training regime which included one-on-one sessions with former Liverpool and Real Madrid winger, Steve McManaman. ^[6]

Brewster was then called up by manager Jürgen Klopp to the first-team for club friendlies in October and November 2016 during which he scored a hat-trick against Accrington Stanley. ^{[7] [10]} Later that season, he was named on the bench for Liverpool's Premier League game against Crystal Palace on 23 April 2017, but remained an unused substitute. ^[11] The following season, during Liverpool's UEFA Youth League match against Spartak Moscow, Brewster was the victim of alleged racist comments from Spartak's captain, Leonid Mironov. An investigation into the incident was opened by UEFA after the match and Brewster later said in an interview with The Guardian that it had been the seventh such instance he had experienced, including once before against the same opposition. ^{[12] [13]} UEFA later ruled that there was insufficient evidence to take further action against Mironov. ^[14]

Brewster after winning the 2019 UEFA Super Cup with Liverpool

On 12 January 2018, during an U23 match against Manchester City, Brewster received oxygen and had to be stretchered off the field after landing awkwardly following an aerial challenge. ^[15] He was later diagnosed with a high ankle sprain and related ligament damage and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. ^{[16] [17]} In March, he had to undergo a second operation in order to repair damage to his knee which he sustained during the same incident. ^[18] Towards the end of the season, Brewster was the subject of intense transfer speculation which culminated in Liverpool cancelling a scheduled friendly against Borussia Mönchengladbach after the German club were alleged to have 'tapped him up'. ^[19]

In June 2018, Brewster signed a five-year professional contract with Liverpool. ^[20] He was named in the match squad for the second leg of Liverpool's 2018–19 Champions League semi-final against Barcelona on 7 May 2019, but remained an unused substitute. ^[21] Despite never having played in a competitive game for the club, Brewster was on the bench again in the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final against Tottenham Hotspur on 1 June 2019 so collected a winner's medal as Liverpool won 2–0. ^[22]

He made his competitive debut for the club on 25 September 2019 in an EFL Cup match against Milton Keynes Dons. ^[23]

Loan to Swansea City

On 7 January 2020, Brewster joined Championship club Swansea City on loan for the remainder of the season, where he reunited with former England U17 manager Steve Cooper. ^{[24] [25]} He made his debut for the club in the South Wales derby against Cardiff City on 12 January, which ended in a goalless draw, before scoring his first professional goal in a 2–1 win over Wigan Athletic at the Liberty Stadium six days later. ^{[26] [27]}

In March 2020, the Championship season was temporarily suspended due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease. Following the season's restart in June, Brewster scored two goals in a 3–0 win over Middlesbrough, increasing his tally to six goals in 12 games. ^[28] Brewster finished the season with 11 goals in 22 appearances. ^[29]

Return to Liverpool

Brewster returned to Liverpool following his loan spell at Swansea to begin preseason training prior to the beginning of the 2020–21 Premier League campaign. He appeared as a substitute in the 2020 FA Community Shield. The game ended 1–1 and went to penalties, with Brewster hitting the crossbar on his attempt, leading to Arsenal winning the shootout and lifting the trophy. ^[30]

Sheffield United

On 2 October 2020, Sheffield United announced the signing of Brewster from Liverpool on a five-year deal, for a reported fee of around £23.5 million. ^[31] The deal included a buy-back option at £40 million, valid until 30 June 2023. ^[32]

He scored his first goal for the club in an EFL Cup tie against Carlisle United on 10 August 2021. ^[33] On 6 November, Brewster scored his first league goal for Sheffield United in a 3–1 loss away against Blackburn Rovers. ^[34] On 29 January 2022, he sustained a hamstring injury during a 2–0 away win against Peterborough United, ^[35] which forced him to miss the rest of the 2021–22 season. ^[36] Later that year, on 29 October, he suffered another hamstring injury during a 2–0 away win over West Bromwich Albion. ^[37] In September 2023, he recovered from injury which sidelined him for eleven months. ^[38] In early March 2024, he sustained another hamstring injury during training, ^[39] which kept him off the field for two months. ^[38]

International career

An England youth international, Brewster has represented the nation at various youth levels, but remains eligible to play for Turkey through his Turkish Cypriot mother ^{[40] [41]} and Barbados through his Barbadian father. ^[42]

Having previously represented England at U16 level, Brewster scored six goals in five appearances for England U17 in 2016, including a hat-trick against Croatia and a brace against Germany. ^[7] He then led the nation's attack at 2017 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and featured in the final against Spain. England ultimately lost on penalties with Brewster one of the players who missed his spot-kick. ^{[6] [43]} He ended the tournament with a return of three goals in six appearances. ^[44]

Later that year, Brewster gained widespread press attention ^[45] after scoring successive hat-tricks against the United States and Brazil in the quarter-final and semi-finals of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. ^{[6] [46] [47] [48]} He then scored England's opening goal in the final as the team overcame Spain 5–2 to claim the trophy. ^[49] Brewster's return of eight goals for the tournament saw him win the Golden Boot award for the top scorer and he was also awarded the Bronze Ball for his individual performances. ^[50] In December 2017, Brewster revealed in an interview with The Guardian that his teammate Morgan Gibbs-White was racially abused by a Spanish player during the match with the FA reporting the incident to FIFA. ^[12]

On 30 August 2019, Brewster was included in the England U21 squad for the first time ^[51] and made his debut as a 79th minute substitute during the 3–2 2021 U21 Euro qualifying win against Turkey on 6 September 2019. ^[52]

On 7 September 2021, Brewster scored his first U21 goal from the penalty spot during the 2–0 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification win over Kosovo U21s at Stadium MK. ^[53]

Personal life

In June 2022, Brewster and Sheffield United teammate Oli McBurnie were charged with common assault by Nottinghamshire Police "in relation to disorder at the conclusion of a game at the City Ground on 17 May 2022". Both players "strenuously denied" the allegations. ^[54] The charges against Brewster were dropped in July 2022. ^[55]

In October 2022, Brewster was subjected to racial abuse on Instagram for a second time, ^[56] having received similar messages in March 2021. ^[57]

Career statistics

As of match played 11 December 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Liverpool	2018–19 [58]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2019–20 [59]	Premier League	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	2020–21 [60]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1 [a]	0	1	0
	Total		0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	4	0
Swansea City (loan)	2019–20 [59]	Championship	20	10	—		—		—		2 [b]	1	22	11
Sheffield United	2020–21 [60]	Premier League	27	0	3	0	0	0	—		—		30	0
	2021–22 [61]	Championship	14	3	0	0	2	1	—		0	0	16	4
	2022–23 [62]	Championship	16	1	0	0	1	0	—		—		17	1
	2023–24 [63]	Premier League	13	0	1	0	0	0	—		—		14	0
	2024–25 [64]	Championship	14	1	0	0	2	0	—		—		16	1
	Total		84	5	4	0	5	1	0	0	0	0	93	6
Career total			104	15	5	0	7	1	0	0	3	1	119	17

1. Appearance in FA Community Shield
2. Appearances in Championship play-offs

Honours

Liverpool

• UEFA Champions League: 2018–19 ^[65]
• UEFA Super Cup: 2019 ^[66]
• FA Community Shield runner-up: 2020 ^[67]

England U17

• FIFA U-17 World Cup: 2017 ^{[49] [68]}
• UEFA European Under-17 Championship runner-up: 2017 ^[69]

Individual

• FIFA U-17 World Cup Golden Boot: 2017 ^[50]
• FIFA U-17 World Cup Bronze Ball: 2017 ^[50]

References

1. "2017 Under-17 World Cup squad lists" (PDF). FIFA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
2. "Rhian Brewster". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
3. "Rhian Brewster". Sheffield United F.C. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
4. Cole, Jackson (30 October 2019). "Who is Rhian Brewster? 10 things you didn't know about Liverpool wonderkid who could feature against Arsenal in Carabao Cup" . Retrieved 18 April 2020.
5. Chowdhury, Saj (25 October 2017). "Rhian Brewster: 'I've never seen a player like him before'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
6. Hunter, Andy (26 October 2017). "Rhian Brewster: England U17's natural finisher on the fast-track at Liverpool". Guardian. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
7. Lusby, Jack (24 January 2017). "Rhian Brewster: Liverpool academy forward set for a breakthrough 2017". This is Anfield. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
8. Kelly, Andy (4 October 2016). "Rhian Brewster — who is the Liverpool youngster who scored five in two games for England?". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
9. Pearce, James (6 March 2017). "Liverpool youngster Rhian Brewster on snubbing Chelsea, sleepless nights and being inspired by Suarez". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
10. Kelly, Andy (13 November 2016). "Gomez ends Liverpool injury nightmare". Liverpool Echo.
11. "Liverpool 1–2 Crystal Palace". BBC Sport. 23 April 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
12. Taylor, Daniel (28 December 2017). "Liverpool's Rhian Brewster: 'When I'm racially abused, I just want to be left alone'". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
13. "Rhian Brewster: England and Liverpool striker alleges racial abuse". BBC Sport. 29 December 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
14. Pearce, James (7 March 2018). "Liverpool praise Rhian Brewster for courage during UEFA investigation". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
15. Jones, Adam (12 January 2018). "Rhian Brewster stretchered off during Liverpool U23s match against Man City". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
16. Kelly, Andy (15 January 2018). "Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster confirmed with ligament damage". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
17. Kelly, Andy (25 January 2018). "Highly-rated Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster likely to miss rest of the season". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
18. Pearce, James (7 March 2018). "Liverpool youngster Rhian Brewster undergoes second operation on ankle injury". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
19. "Liverpool cancel Borussia Mönchengladbach game over Rhian Brewster". Sky Sports. 19 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
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21. "Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona (4-3 agg)". BBC Sport. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
22. Taylor, Daniel (1 June 2019). "Liverpool win Champions League after Salah and Origi sink Tottenham". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
23. "MK Dons 0–2 Liverpool". BBC Sport. 25 September 2019.
24. "Swansea City complete Rhian Brewster loan from Liverpool". Swansea City A.F.C. 7 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
25. Vincent, Gareth (17 January 2020). "Rhian Brewster: Liverpool forward determined to shine at Swansea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
26. Vincent, Gareth (12 January 2020). "Cardiff City 0–0 Swansea City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
27. Pritchard, Dafydd (18 January 2020). "Swansea City 2–1 Wigan Athletic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
28. "Middlesbrough 0–3 Swansea City". BBC Sport. 20 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
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30. Malam, Charlie (29 August 2020). "Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool: Gunners WIN Community Shield 5-4 on penalties". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
31. "Patient Blades land new record signing". Sheffield United F.C. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
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33. "Sheffield United 1–0 Carlisle". BBC Sport. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
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35. "Throughly deserved win, says Hecky". Sheffield United F.C. 29 January 2022.
36. "Rhian Brewster: Sheffield United striker set to miss rest of season with hamstring injury". BBC Sport. 7 February 2022.
37. "West Bromwich Albion 0–2 Sheffield United". BBC Sport. 29 October 2022.
38. "Rhian Brewster News". Fox Sports. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
39. "Sheffield United striker breaks down with yet another hamstring injury ahead of facing Arsenal". Sheffield United News. 3 March 2024.
40. Sarigul, Emre (23 April 2017). "Exclusive: Liverpool wonder-kid Rhian Brewster can represent Turkey" . Retrieved 29 October 2017.
41. "Hülya Hassan: Rhian hat-trick yapınca ağladım". Halkın Sesi. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
42. "The (Golden) Boy Next Door: Fearless Rhian Brewster will 'do whatever is necessary' to fulfil his potential..." JOE. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
43. "Spot-on Spain claim record third U17 EURO title". UEFA. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
44. "Uner-17 - Rhian Brewster". UEFA. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
45. Smith, Rory (28 December 2017). "For England's Next Generation, Shine of Youth Trophies Only Carries So Far". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
46. Harris, Daniel (25 October 2017). "England in U17 World Cup final after Rhian Brewster hat-trick sinks Brazil". The Guardian.
47. Selvaraj, Jonathan (21 October 2017). "Brewster announces himself with complete performance against U.S." ESPN.
48. "England have reached another World Cup final". The Independent. 25 October 2017.
49. Unwin, Will (28 October 2017). "England Under-17s overwhelm Spain to land spectacular World Cup win". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
50. "Brazao, Brewster and Foden lead individual honours". FIFA. 28 October 2017. Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
51. "ENGLAND U21S KICK-OFF A NEW CAMPAIGN AND AIDY BOOTHROYD HAS PICKED HIS SQUAD". The Football Association. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
52. "EDDIE NKETIAH AND REISS NELSON SCORE AS ENGLAND U21S WIN OPENING EURO QUALIFIER". The Football Association. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
53. "England U21 2-0 Kosovo U21". BBC Sport. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
54. "Sheffield United pair Rhian Brewster and Oli McBurnie charged with common assault over disorder at play-off match". 23 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
55. Media, P. A. (28 July 2022). "Sheffield United's Rhian Brewster has play-off assault charge dropped". the Guardian.
56. "Rhian Brewster: Sheffield United forward racially abused on social media". BBC Sport. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
57. "Sheffield United's Rhian Brewster racially abused on social media". BBC Sport. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
58. "Games played by Rhian Brewster in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
59. "Games played by Rhian Brewster in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
60. "Games played by Rhian Brewster in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
61. "Games played by Rhian Brewster in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
62. "Games played by Rhian Brewster in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
63. "Games played by Rhian Brewster in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
64. "Games played by Rhian Brewster in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
65. McNulty, Phil (1 June 2019). "Tottenham Hotspur 0–2 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
66. Rose, Gary (14 August 2019). "Liverpool 2–2 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
67. "Arsenal 1 Liverpool 1". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
68. Shamoon Hafez (17 January 2019). "England's U17 World Cup winners - where are they now?". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
69. Andy Walker (19 May 2017). "Young Lions beaten on penalties in UEFA Euro U17 Championship final". The FA. Retrieved 17 January 2019.

External links

• Rhian Brewster at the Sheffield United F.C. website
• Rhian Brewster at Premier League
• Rhian Brewster – UEFA competition record ( archive )