Anthony Gordon

Written by Will Unwin, Simon Burnton and Michael Butler for The Guardian:

“I’m a boring person, really. I do little hobbies like basketball, snooker and cards but I’m never out drinking,” Anthony Gordon has said. He added chess to that list after picking it up following his move to Newcastle in January 2023: “I like learning new things so when I was bored I just thought I’d learn,” he said. “It’s a really intelligent game so I thought I’d test myself.” There are probably others he has yet to publicly identify: one of Gordon’s hobbies seems to be collecting hobbies. “I’ve got so many and I can’t keep still. I get really obsessed with things,” he said. “Whatever’s on my mind I’ll buy all the gear, research into every detail of it. It’s just my personality. I think that’s a good thing because I don’t just settle for just being average at something – I want to be the best at everything I do.” When it comes to football he’s giving it a good go, and this season has seen Gordon make massive improvements: he ends it in double figures for both goals and assists, playing mainly off the left wing, leading to a full international debut against Brazil in March.