Former Leeds United midfielder Archie Gray says he intends to gift his UEFA Europa League winner's medal to his younger siblings.
The ex-Leeds teenager hopes by keeping the first major honour of his career at the Gray's North Yorkshire family home, it will inspire his younger brothers in the Thorp Arch setup.
Gray came through the ranks at Leeds before making his debut at 17 on the opening day of the 2023/24 campaign. He would go on to make over 50 appearances for his boyhood club before Leeds were defeated in the Championship play-off final and a sale to Tottenham Hotspur was sanctioned.
This year, Gray has been in and out of the Spurs side, deputising at right-back and centre-half due to the club's injury list. While a 17th-place league finish is not what he will have envisaged upon joining the club last summer, victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final handed Gray the first major title of his budding career which will no doubt have tasted particularly sweet.
Asked what he plans to do with the medal, proudly displayed around his neck after the final whistle and on Spurs' open-top bus parade through North London last week, Gray said: "I'm not sure. I think I might give it to my little brothers at home, so they can look up to it a little bit."
"Hopefully it will make them work a bit harder," he added, as quoted by Football.London.
Gray's younger brother Harry recently made his senior debut for Leeds after overcoming injury and impressing with the Under-21s.
The 16-year-old is yet to sign professional terms at Elland Road but was involved in matchday squads for the final three games of the season and a fan favourite aboard Leeds' own open-top bus tour through the city celebrating the Championship title.
Harry became Leeds’ fourth-youngest ever player when he was introduced off the bench against Stoke City, eclipsing Archie’s record as the youngest member of the Gray family to appear for the club.
What has Daniel Farke said about Harry Gray?
The Leeds boss said following Leeds' promotion: “Sixteen years old, eight minutes of Championship football and we are speaking about the Premier League. So I would strongly recommend to calm down just because his last name is Gray it doesn’t mean he will cut the Premier League into pieces.
“He behaves himself with a bit of confidence, you could see with the celebrations. I had a little chat with him after the last celebrations.
“I told him, ‘Harry, great how you celebrate but at one point I had more or less the feeling you won the title all alone for us, so relax a little bit.’
“But on the other hand, I’ve got a soft spot for strikers. It’s quite good when a striker has some confidence because it can sometimes be a lonely world as a striker."
What has Harry been up to since promotion?
Following Leeds' title celebrations, Harry joined up with England's Under-17 setup for the European Championships. Gray netted his first goal at that youth international level in a 4-2 win over Czechia during the Young Lions' final group stage match but England were knocked out on goal difference by Italy and Belgium.
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