Spike Brits
English footballer (born 2007)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thorsten Spike Brits (born 24 June 2007) is an English footballer who plays for Manchester City's youth team and England youth level as a goalkeeper.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thorsten Spike Brits | ||
| Date of birth | 24 June 2007 | ||
| Place of birth | Kingston upon Thames, London, England | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Manchester City | ||
| Number | 80 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2013–2023 | AFC Wimbledon | ||
| 2023– | Manchester City | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | England U16 | 8 | (0) |
| 2023– | England U17 | 10 | (0) |
| 2024– | England U18 | 1 | (0) |
| ‡ National team caps and goals as of 11:16, 10 September 2024 (UTC) | |||
Early life
Born in England, Brits attended independent fee paying school, Ewell Castle School in Epsom, Surrey.[2]
Career
Wimbledon
Brits joined AFC Wimbledon in the under-9s age group.[3] After progressing through the Wimbledon academy and impressing at under-18s during the 2022–23 season it was reported that he had begun training with the Wimbledon first team squad. His performances began to attract lots of interest from Premier League clubs with the front runners being Manchester City, Brighton, and Brentford.[4][5]
Manchester City
In June 2023, Wimbledon confirmed the transfer of Brits to Manchester City for a club record fee received for an academy player.[6][7]
International career
Brits made his debut for the England U16s against Belgium U16s on 24 November 2022.[8] He kept seven clean sheets from his first eight caps and played as England U16s won the Mondial Montaigu Tournament, defeating Japan U16s in the final.[9]
On 6 September 2023, Brits made his England U17 debut during a 3–2 defeat to Portugal at the Pinatar Arena.[10] On 20 May 2024 he was included in the England squad for the 2024 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.[11] His two appearances during the tournament both came in the group stage including a clean sheet in their opening game against France.[12]
On 6 September 2024, Brits made his England U18 debut during a 1–1 draw with Switzerland at the Lafarge Foot Avenir.[13]
Personal life
He was born in England to South African parents, making him eligible for the national teams of both countries.[14][15] He currently plays youth international football for England.