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Clayton Lewis (footballer)

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Clayton Lewis
Lewis playing for New Zealand against Portugal at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup
Personal information
Full name Clayton Rhys Lewis[1]
Date of birth (1997-02-12) 12 February 1997 (age 27)[1]
Place of birth Wellington, New Zealand
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Youth career
Wellington Olympic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2014 Team Wellington 0 (0)
2014–2015 Wanderers SC 11 (2)
2015–2017 Auckland City 29 (9)
2016 Onehunga Sports 8 (2)
2017–2019 Scunthorpe United 19 (0)
2019–2020 Auckland City 13 (2)
2020–2023 Wellington Phoenix 63 (3)
2023–2024 Macarthur FC 26 (0)
International career‡
2014–2017 New Zealand U20 12 (4)
2015– New Zealand U23 10 (4)
2015– New Zealand 22 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 September 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 March 2022 (UTC)

Clayton Rhys Lewis (born 12 February 1997 in Wellington) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.

Lewis is currently suspended from playing in the A-League in Australia following charges relating to illegal betting.

Club career

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Junior and Semi-Professional Career

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Lewis attended St Patrick's College, Wellington from 2010 until 2014. He began his career with Wellington Olympic where he played alongside his father Barry. Lewis came into prominence in the 2013 winter season where he was a key member of the Wellington Olympic team which finished second in the Central Premier League and reached the semifinals of the Chatham Cup. This exposure led his to being signed by Team Wellington for the 2013–14 ASB Premiership season.[2] However, he did not make an appearance for Team Wellington.

On 1 July 2014 he was signed on a free transfer by Wanderers SC. Lewis made his debut on 22 November 2014 on the fifth match of the season away at WaiBOP United in a 3–0 win in which he scored. He would go on to make 11 appearances, score 3 goals and assist another 3 for the Wanderers that season before joining reigning champions Auckland City.

In 2016, Lewis served a one month ban for an anti-doping rule violation after testing positive for unintentionally elevated levels of salbutamol derived from the use of his asthma medication.[3][4]

On 28 September 2017, Lewis signed a contract with League One club Scunthorpe United.[5] Following minimal playing time over the three seasons he spent at Scunthorpe, Lewis' contract was terminated by mutual consent and he returned to Auckland City on 4 November 2019.[6]

Wellington Phoenix

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Lewis signed a one-year deal with A-League club Wellington Phoenix in October 2020.[7] On 18 May 2021, his contract was extended for an additional two years.[8] In March 2022, Lewis was ruled out for 12 weeks with an ankle injury obtained during a match against Perth Glory.[9]

In March 2023, ahead of Wellington's round 19 fixture, it was announced that Lewis would depart Wellington at the end of the 2022-23 A-League season.[10] Lewis went on to make 69 appearances across all competitions for Wellington, in his three seasons at the club.

Macarthur FC

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3 days after Wellington Phoenix's season ended in an elimination final defeat to Adelaide United, Macarthur FC announced the signing of Lewis on a two-year contract.[11]

Betting scandal and arrest

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On 17 May 2024, Lewis along with two Macarthur FC teammates were arrested and later charged by New South Wales Police Force over an alleged betting scandal.[12][13] Football Australia suspended Lewis from partcipating in the A-League until criminal charges were concluded.[14] At a hearing in July 2024, Lewis pleaded not guilty to the charges.[15]

International career

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Lewis made his international debut for New Zealand on 31 March 2015 against South Korea, playing 54 minutes in a 1–0 defeat.

He has also made several appearances for the New Zealand under-20 team starting in April 2015. He is part of the under-20 side for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. He scored his first FIFA U-20 World Cup goal against Myanmar in a 5–1 group stage win at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

In the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, Lewis assisted Chris Wood's goal against Mexico to put New Zealand up 1–0 in Sochi; this was New Zealand's only goal in the competition.

During New Zealand's 4–0 victory against Fiji at the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Lewis converted a penalty kick to score his first international goal.[16]

International goals

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No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 21 March 2022 Suheim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar  Fiji 4–0 4–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

References

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  1. ^ a b c "FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015 List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 30 May 2015. p. 14. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  2. ^ "18 year-old Lewis makes steep rise into All Whites". The New Zealand Herald. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Football: All Whites player banned after doping test". Otago Daily Times. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  4. ^ "All White suspended for one month". RNZ. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  5. ^ Burgess, Michael (28 September 2017). "All White Clayton Lewis signs with Scunthorpe United". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  6. ^ "Clayton Lewis returns to Auckland City FC". Auckland City FC.
  7. ^ Wellington Phoenix FC (27 October 2020). "Clayton Lewis signs with Wellington Phoenix" (Press release). Wellington Phoenix FC. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  8. ^ Wellington Phoenix FC (18 May 2021). "Wellington Phoenix re-signs Clayton Lewis for two years" (Press release). Wellington Phoenix FC. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  9. ^ Powell, Alex (30 March 2022). "Football: Wellington Phoenix lose midfielder Clayton Lewis for rest of season, ruled out for 12 weeks with torn ankle ligaments". Newshub. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  10. ^ "Wellington Phoenix exodus: Oli Sail, Clayton Lewis and Steven Ugarkovic to leave next season". Stuff.co.nz. 3 March 2023.
  11. ^ "'Quality': Bulls sign NZ international until 2025". Macarthur FC. 8 May 2023.
  12. ^ "NSW Police arrest three A-League players including Sydney's Macarthur FC captain Ulises Dávila over betting scandal". abc.net.au. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  13. ^ "All White Clayton Lewis reportedly among players arrested over betting". RNZ. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  14. ^ Harris, Lia (18 May 2024). "Three Macarthur FC players stood down after being charged over alleged betting scandal". ABC. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  15. ^ Lang, Adelaide (4 July 2024). "Olympian and A-League star Clayton Lewis denies spot-fixing betting scandal". news.com.au. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  16. ^ Rollo, Phillip (22 March 2022). "Chris Wood becomes All Whites' all-time leading scorer with brace against Fiji". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
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