Garath McCleary

📖 About

Garath James McCleary (born 15 May 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as a right winger or attacking midfielder for club Gillingham. Born in England, he played for the Jamaica national team.

Club career

Early career

McCleary was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire. His football career began with Oxford City, and spent time with Oxford United but never signed a contract with the team despite spending three months with the club. He joined Slough Town playing in 24 games and scoring on six occasions. He then moved to Bromley in January 2007. In total McCleary made over 40 appearances for Bromley scoring 11 goals. Nottingham Forest manager Colin Calderwood offered him a trial where he did well enough to secure a contract on 31 January 2008.

Nottingham Forest

McCleary made his first team debut as an 87th-minute substitute, in a 1–0 home defeat against Carlisle United, on 3 March 2008. He scored his first goal for the club on 1 April 2008 in injury time, in a 2–0 win at Carlisle. On 5 April he was handed his first start where he was voted Man of the Match as Forest beat Cheltenham Town 3–1 at the City Ground. In the 2011/12 season McCleary scored nine goals after returning from injury in December 2011; six of which came in March 2012. Four came in a high-scoring game away to Leeds United at Elland Road, where Forest won 7–3. These performances resulted in McCleary being named as the Football League Championship Player of the Month. He was voted Forest's Player of the Season by the Forest supporters, beating Joel Lynch and Chris Gunter into second and third respectively.

Reading

On 16 May 2012 it was announced that McCleary had turned down a new contract at Forest and instead signed a three-year contract at Reading and fulfill his dream of playing in the Premier League. His first goal for Reading came in a 3–3 draw with Fulham. McCleary signed a new contract with Reading on 3 October 2014, keeping at the club until the summer of 2017, before again extending it on 17 January 2017, this time until the summer of 2020.

Wycombe Wanderers

On 4 November 2020, it was announced by Wycombe Wanderers manager during a live webcast that the club had signed McCleary, who had been training with the club as a free transfer until the end of the current season. He scored his first goal for Wycombe in a 2–2 draw against Preston North End on 5 December 2020.

Gillingham

On 1 September 2025, McCleary joined Gillingham on a one-year deal, with the option of a further 12 months.

International career

In October 2012 he was earmarked by the Jamaica Football Federation to play for Jamaica during their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign. He received his first call up on 24 January 2013 alongside Reading teammates Jobi McAnuff and Adrian Mariappa for the World Cup qualifier against Mexico on 6 February. McCleary started the match and helped Jamaica to a 0–0 draw at the Estadio Azteca.

Honours

Wycombe Wanderers • EFL Trophy runner-up: 2023–24 Individual • Nottingham Forest Player of the Season: 2011–12