21 Ben Chilwell

Benjamin James Chilwell was born on 21 December 1996 in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. He grew up in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, and attended Redborne Upper School.

Club Career

Leicester City

Chilwell joined Leicester City’s academy in 2009 after playing for Rushden & Diamonds. He won Leicester’s Academy Player of the Year award in 2015. He made his first-team debut on 27 October 2015 in a League Cup match against Hull City.

In November 2015, he joined Huddersfield Town on loan, making eight appearances before being recalled in January 2016. On 10 January, he made his FA Cup debut against Tottenham. He later signed a contract extension with Leicester until 2021 and became a first-team regular.

Chilwell made his Premier League debut on 26 December 2016 against Everton and scored his first goal for Leicester on 18 May 2017 in a 6–1 loss to Tottenham. By the 2017–18 season, he had established himself as the club’s first-choice left-back. He reached 100 appearances for Leicester in November 2019.

Chelsea

On 26 August 2020, Chelsea signed Chilwell on a five-year contract for £45 million. He made his debut on 23 September, assisting a goal in a 6–0 EFL Cup win against Barnsley. In his first Premier League start on 3 October, he scored and assisted in a 4–0 win over Crystal Palace.

Chilwell played a key role in Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League triumph, scoring in the quarter-finals against Porto and starting in the final against Manchester City.

During the 2021–22 season, he scored in three consecutive league matches but suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament against Juventus in November, ruling him out for the rest of the campaign.

In April 2023, he signed a new contract until 2027. He was named Chelsea’s vice-captain for the 2023–24 season and captained the team in the 2024 EFL Cup final, which ended in a 1–0 defeat to Liverpool.

Loan to Crystal Palace

On 3 February 2025, Chilwell joined Crystal Palace on loan for the remainder of the 2024–25 season.

International Career

Chilwell made his England debut on 11 September 2018 in a 1–0 win over Switzerland. He started his first international match on 12 October in a UEFA Nations League draw against Croatia.

He was included in England’s Euro 2020 squad but was forced to self-isolate after coming into contact with Scotland’s Billy Gilmour, missing key matches. On 9 October 2021, he scored his first international goal in a 5–0 win over Andorra.

Personal Life

Chilwell’s father is from New Zealand, and his maternal grandfather, Guy Shuttleworth, played football for Corinthian-Casuals and represented Cambridge University at first-class cricket. Chilwell also played cricket for Flitwick before committing to football.

He is the godfather to James Maddison’s son. Between 2021 and 2023, he was the victim of harassment by TikToker Orla Melissa Sloan, who was later convicted.