Sammy Braybrooke

{{Short description|English footballer (born 2004)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Sammy Braybrooke

| image = Sammy Braybrooke.png

| caption = Braybrooke in 2024

| fullname = Samuel Charles Braybrooke

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2004|3|12|df=y}}{{cite web|url=https://www.11v11.com/players/louis-jackson-275730/|title=SammyBraybrooke|date=7 February 2025|access-date=25 March 2025|website=11v11}}

| birth_place = Leicester, England

| height = 1.78m

| position = Midfielder

| currentclub = Leicester City

| clubnumber = 44

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Leicester City

| years1 = 2022–

| clubs1 = Leicester City

| caps1 = 0

| goals1 = 0

| years2 = 2024–2025

| clubs2 = → Dundee (loan)

| caps2 = 7

| goals2 = 0

| nationalyears1 = 2021–2022

| nationalteam1 = England U18

| nationalcaps1 = 10

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| nationalyears2 = 2022

| nationalteam2 = England U19

| nationalcaps2 = 3

| nationalgoals2 = 0

| nationalyears3 = 2024–

| nationalteam3 = England U20

| nationalcaps3 = 5

| nationalgoals3 = 0

| club-update = 12:44, 13 January 2025 (UTC)

| nationalteam-update = 22:30, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

}}

Samuel Charles Braybrooke (born 12 March 2004) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for {{English football updater|LeicestC}} club Leicester City. He has previously played on loan for Dundee.

Early and personal life

From Wigston, his father is a coach in nearby Oadby for the Oadby Owls. It was at the Owls where Braybrooke was spotted by Leicester scout Bill Ward playing at the age of six. After this he joined the Leicester Academy. He attended Wigston Academy.{{Cite news |last=Tanner |first=Rob |title=Meet Sammy Braybrooke, the England U18 captain who looks like Modric and plays like Iniesta |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2965674/2021/11/19/meet-sammy-braybrooke-the-england-u18-captain-who-looks-like-modric-and-plays-like-iniesta/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} Standing at a height of 5 ft 7in with medium long blonde hair in a centre parting, due to his appearance he has been nicknamed "Modric" by former Leicester City teammate Çağlar Söyüncü.{{Cite web |last=Cran |first=George |date=2024-08-29 |title=Who is Dundee loanee Sammy Braybrooke? 'Outstanding player' for Brendan Rodgers who got nickname from Leicester legend |url=https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/sport/football/dundee-fc/5071037/brendan-rodgers-leicester-iniesta-jamie-vardy-absolute-diamond-dundee-sammy-braybrooke/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=The Courier |language=en-GB}} He has also been called the "Leicester Iniesta" by teammates in the England youth set up.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2965674/2021/11/19/meet-sammy-braybrooke-the-england-u18-captain-who-looks-like-modric-and-plays-like-iniesta/|url-access=subscription|title=Meet Sammy Braybrooke, the England U18 captain who looks like Modric and plays like Iniesta|first=Rob|last=Tanner|website=The Athletic|date=20 November 2021|access-date=5 November 2022}}

Club career

Braybrooke was revealed to have signed a new professional contract with Leicester City in February 2022, running into 2024.{{cite news |url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/leicester-city-contracts-braybrooke-mcateer-6702237|title=England youth stars, debutants and Man United signings among 15 new Leicester City contracts|first=Jordan|last=Blackwell|website=Leicester Mercury|date=22 February 2022|accessdate=5 November 2022}} Braybrooke was first named as part of the Leicester City match day squads as a substitute for Premier League matches in October 2022. At the time he was England under-19 captain and had been appearing regularly for Leicester City's under-23 team, as well as appearing on the substitutes bench in the UEFA Europa League.{{cite news |url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/sammy-braybrooke-leicester-city-bournemouth-7680967|title=Who is Sammy Braybrooke? The Leicester City teenager on the bench against Bournemouth|first=Luke|last=Pawley|website=Leicester Mercury|date=8 October 2022|accessdate=5 November 2022}} Prior to that he had also captained England under-18s.{{cite news |url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/leicester-city-transfers-sammy-braybrooke-6218454|title=Leicester City rising star makes 'decision' on future amid transfer interest|first=Sarah|last=Clapson|website=Leicester Mercury|date=17 November 2021|access-date=5 November 2022}} Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers has described him as "an outstanding player".{{cite news |url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/sammy-braybrooke-leicester-bournemouth-rodgers-7698554|title=Brendan Rodgers won't hesitate over Leicester City debut for future 'outstanding player'|first=Jordan|last=Blackwell|website=Leicester Mercury|date=13 October 2022|accessdate=5 November 2022}} Braybrooke has stated that training regularly with the first team and learning from players such as James Maddison, Youri Tielemans, and Wilfred Ndidi has allowed him to develop his skills.{{cite news |url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/leicester-braybrooke-maddison-tielemans-rodgers-7777412|title=Future 'outstanding' Leicester City player eyes reward as he learns from quartet|first=Jordan|last=Blackwell|website=Leicester Mercury|date=2 November 2022|accessdate=5 November 2022}}

Braybrooke made his professional debut on 8 November 2022 in the EFL Cup against Newport County.{{cite news |url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/sammy-braybrooke-leicester-city-debut-7799863|title=Sammy Braybrooke sums up Leicester City debut after Jamie Vardy comments|first=Amie|last=Wilson|website=Leicester Mercury|date=9 November 2022|accessdate=9 November 2022}} On 1 February 2023, he announced that he had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury and "will be out for a long period of time".{{cite news |last1=Blackwell |first1=Jordan |title=Leicester City hit with ACL injury blow to another bright prospect |url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/leicester-city-hit-acl-injury-8100920 |access-date=1 February 2023 |work=Leicestershire Live |date=1 February 2023}}

On 28 August 2024, Braybrooke joined Scottish Premiership side Dundee on a season-long loan deal.{{cite web|url=https://dundeefc.co.uk/news/braybrooke-joins/|title=Braybrooke joins The Dee|publisher=Dundee F.C.|date=28 August 2024|accessdate=28 August 2024}} Braybrooke made his first Dundee and senior start on three days later at home in a 2–2 draw with St Mirren in the league.{{Cite web |title=Dundee 2-2 St Mirren: Scottish Premiership |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cy0r9yjw8pyt |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}} On 13 January 2025, Braybrooke was recalled by Leicester and left Dundee.{{Cite web |date=2025-01-13 |title=Braybrooke leaves Dundee |url=https://dundeefc.co.uk/news/braybrooke-leaves/ |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=Dundee Football Club - Official Website |language=en-US}} Upon his return, new Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy confirmed that Braybrooke would remain with the first team for the rest of the season.{{Cite web |last=Blackwell |first=Jordan |date=2025-01-14 |title=Braybrooke plan confirmed by van Nistelrooy as rules prevent Leicester decision |url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/sammy-braybrooke-plan-confirmed-ruud-9860800 |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=Leicestershire Live |language=en}}

International career

Braybrooke has been captain of the England national under-18 football team.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2022/07/28/youth-stars-who-can-make-name-premier-league-club/|url-access=subscription|title=The 20 young Premier League stars ready to light up this season|first=Sam|last=Dean|website=The Daily Telegraph|date=28 July 2022|accessdate=5 November 2022}} In September 2022, he played for the first time for the England U19 team, against Montenegro U19.{{Cite web |url=https://uk.soccerway.com/matches/2022/09/21/europe/uefa-u19-championship-qualification/england-under-19/montenegro-under-19/3949510/|title=England U19 2-0 Montenegro U19|publisher=Soccerway|accessdate=5 November 2022}}{{cite news |url=https://www.englandfootball.com/articles/2022/Sep/21/england-mu19s-montenegro-uefa-u19-euro-qualifying-report-20222109|title=Report: England MU19s 2-0 Montenegro|first=Frank|last=Smith|website=England Football|date=21 September 2022|accessdate=15 December 2022}} In January 2023, Braybrooke briefly went viral in Mexico when Premier League documentation erroneously stated that he was eligible to play for the Mexico national football team, before the mistake was rectified.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wdeportes.com/2023/01/06/sammy-braybrooke-el-mexicano-que-la-rompe-en-el-leicester-city|title= Sammy Braybrooke, the 'Mexican' who breaks it at Leicester City|website=Wdeportes.com|date= 6 January 2023}}

On 7 June 2024, Braybrooke made his England U20 debut during a 2-1 win over Sweden at Stadion ŠRC Sesvete.{{cite web|url=https://www.englandfootball.com/articles/2024/Jun/07/england-elite-squad-sweden-report-20240706|title=Report: Sweden 1-2 England Elite League Squad|website=www.englandfootball.com|date=7 June 2024|accessdate=8 June 2024}}

Career statistics

{{updated|match played 9 January 2025}}

class=wikitable style=text-align:center

|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

rowspan=2|Club

!rowspan=2|Season

!colspan=3|League

!colspan=2|National Cup

!colspan=2|League Cup

!colspan=2|Other

!colspan=2|Total

DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
rowspan=4|Leicester City U21

|2022–23

|colspan=3|—

colspan=2|—colspan=2|—2{{efn|name=EFLT|Appearances in EFL Trophy}}020
2023–24

|colspan=3|—

colspan=2|—colspan=2|—0000
2024–25

|colspan=3|—

colspan=2|—colspan=2|—1{{efn|name=EFLT|Appearances in EFL Trophy}}010
colspan=2|Total

!colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||3||0||3||0

rowspan=3|Leicester City

|2022–23{{soccerbase season|149122|2022|access-date=9 November 2022}}

|Premier League

|0

00010colspan=2|—10
2023–24{{soccerbase season|149122|2023|access-date=30 September 2023}}

|EFL Championship

|0

00000colspan=2|—00
colspan=2|Total

!0||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||1||0

Dundee (loan)

|2024–25{{soccerbase season|149122|2024|access-date=29 August 2024}}

|Scottish Premiership

|7

00010colspan=2|—80
colspan=3|Career total

!7||0||0||0||2||0||3||0||12||0

{{notelist}}

References