Thierry Gale (born 1 May 2002) is a Barbadian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Polish club Piast Gliwice, on loan from Rapid Wien, and the Barbados national team.[1]
Early career
Gale played football at St Leonard's Boys School in the Barbados Secondary Schools Football League (BSSFL). He led them to a national title in 2014 at the under-14 level.[2] In 2016, he led the under-16 squad to a double (League and Knockout Cup).[3] He finished as the league's top scorer.
He repeated the feat in 2017, scoring three goals (including the game-winner in the final) in the U-16 Knockout Cup,[4][5] and leading the league with nine goals. That same year, he scored a brace on the final matchday of the U19 League to secure the league title.[6] Two weeks later, he helped St Leonard's secure the double by scoring once in the U19 Knockout Cup final.[7] For his performances, he was named BSSFL Player of the Week.[8]
At the club level, Gale played with the prestigious school, Pro Shottas United. He was named their Player of the Year in 2014.[9] In 2017, he led the under-15 squad to a first-place finish at the Guardian Group Youth Football Competition, capturing MVP honors as well.[10]
Club career
In August 2018, Gale trialled with Hungarian club Budapest Honvéd, along with national team captain Rashad Jules.[11] In an interview with LoopTT, Jules called him "one of Barbados’ finest."[12] Gale officially signed with Budapest Honvéd in October and joined their youth team.[13]
In 2020, he signed his first professional contract, agreeing to a three-year deal with the 14-time champions.[14] Soon thereafter, he made his professional debut on 21 August, coming on for Barna Kesztyűs during a 3–1 league defeat to MTK.[15]
In July 2022, Gale moved to FC Dila Gori of Georgia’s Erovnuli Liga.[16] On 29 August 2023, Gale signed for Austrian Bundesliga club Rapid Wien on a four-year contract.[17]
On 5 February 2025, Gale joined Polish top-flight club Piast Gliwice on loan until the end of 2025, with an option to terminate the loan midway through or make the move permanent.[18]
International career
Gale made his full debut for the senior national team in a 0–0 friendly draw against Bermuda on 25 March 2018, entering the match as a substitute for team captain Rashad Jules in the closing minutes. He was 15 years old.[19][20] He scored his maiden international goal on 5 September 2019 against Saint Martin, a curving free-kick in front of his hometown crowd in Bridgetown to secure a 4–0 victory during the 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League C.[21]
Personal life
His father, Dwayne Gale, won two Barbados Premier League titles with Paradise FC, and one with Notre Dame, in the early 2000s. Playing as a forward, he earned two caps with the Barbados national team and enjoyed a stint with Galway in Ireland.[7][22][1]
His favorite professional player is Cristiano Ronaldo.[8]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 10 November 2024
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Budapest Honvéd II | 2020–21 | Nemzeti Bajnokság III | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | Nemzeti Bajnokság III | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | 13 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 | ||
| Budapest Honvéd | 2020–21 | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 9 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 3 | |
| 2021–22 | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Total | 17 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 3 | ||
| Dila Gori | 2022 | Erovnuli Liga | 16 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2[b] | 0 | — | 21 | 4 | |
| 2023 | Erovnuli Liga | 19 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 6[b] | 2 | 2[c] | 0 | 27 | 12 | |
| Total | 35 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 16 | ||
| Rapid Wien | 2023–24 | Austrian Bundesliga | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 1 | ||
| 2024–25 | Austrian Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | |||
| Rapid Wien II | 2024–25 | 2. Liga | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | |||
| Piast Gliwice (loan) | 2024–25 | Ekstraklasa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 85 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 105 | 23 | ||
- ^ Includes Magyar Kupa, Georgian Cup, Austrian Cup
- ^ a b c Appearance(s) in UEFA Conference League
- ^ Appearances in Georgian Super Cup
International
- As of match played 20 November 2024.[1]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbados | 2018 | 4 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 5 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 | |
| Total | 15 | 8 | |
- Scores and results list Barbados' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gale goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 September 2019 | Wildey Turf, Bridgetown, Barbados |  Saint Martin |
4–0 | 4–0 | 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League C |
| 2 | 26 March 2023 | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda |  Antigua and Barbuda |
1–1 | 2–1 | 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League B |
| 3 | 8 September 2023 | Wildey Turf, Bridgetown, Barbados |  Montserrat |
2–1 | 2–3 | 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League B |
| 4 | 11 September 2023 | Estadio Nacional, Managua, Nicaragua |  Nicaragua |
1–5 | 1–5 | 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League B |
| 5 | 16 October 2023 | Estadio Complejo Deportivo Moca 86, Moca, Dominican Republic |  Dominican Republic |
1–0 | 2–5 | 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League B |
| 6 | 2–4 | |||||
| 7 | 19 November 2024 | Synthetic Track and Field Facility, Leonora, Guyana |  Guyana |
1–3 | 3–5 | 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification play-in |
| 8 | 3–4 |
References
- ^ a b c d Thierry Gale at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ Jordan, Chad (26 June 2014). "It's St Leonard's again". The Daily Nation. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ Gilkes, Renaldo (12 May 2016). "St. Leonard's Boys captures second BSSFL Title". Barbados Football Association. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ "Champions!". Barbados Today. 8 May 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ "Another football title for St Leonard's Boys'". loopnewsbarbados.com. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ "Richmond kings". Barbados Today. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ a b Goodman, Ria; Stuart, Ezra (13 December 2017). "St Leonard's lords of football". The Daily Nation. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ a b Gilkes, Renaldo (17 December 2017). "BSSFL Player of the Week: Thierry Gale". loopnewsbarbados.com. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ "Thierry the top Shotta". The Daily Nation. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ Goodman, Ria (1 May 2017). "Pro Shottas 'Shotting'". The Daily Nation. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ Lindsay, Morissa (26 August 2018). "National football players on professional contract in Hungary". Barbados Today. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ Gilkes, Renaldo (29 August 2018). "Two top Bajan footballers off to Europe with big hopes". LoopTT. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ "Young Gale signs with Honvéd FC". www.nationnews.com. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- ^ Lindsay, Morissa (17 August 2020). "Gale joins professional ranks". barbadostoday.bb. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ "Egy egészen új és egyelőre szokatlan Honvédot láthattunk // osztályozókönyv". csak.taccs.hu (in Hungarian). 22 August 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ Gilkes, Renaldo. "National footballer Thierry Gale moves to Georgia". Loop News. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Rapid verpflichtet Thierry Gale" [Rapid signs Thierry Gale]. www.skrapid.at/de (in German). 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ "Thierry Gale dołącza do Piasta Gliwice!" (in Polish). Piast Gliwice. 5 February 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ^ "Bragging rights to Barbados soccer". Caribbean Life. 31 March 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ "Barbados vs. Bermuda 0–0". Soccerway. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ "Barbados flex scoring muscles to down Saint Martin". CONCACAF Nations League. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ Gilkes, Renaldo (18 August 2020). "Bajan baller signed to European team gives advice to fellow players". loopnewsbarbados.com. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
External links
- Thierry Gale at Soccerway
- Thierry Gale at National-Football-Teams.com
- Thierry Gale at ESPN FC
- Thierry Gale at ÖFB (in German)