Keith Gillespie's tragic journey from Premier League star to bankrupt gambler

Keith Gillespie had the footballing world at his feet. With comparisons to George Best, the Northern Irishman was living the dream of every schoolboy in the country, playing in the Premier League, so how did it all go so wrong?

Gillespie was born in Northern Ireland in 1975 where he played junior football for St Andrews FC. By 1992, his play was so impressive he was scouted and signed by Manchester United.

Gillespie joined an impressive group of youth players at United, winning the 1992 FA Youth Cup in a squad also containing Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Gary Neville, and Robbie Savage, per the Manchester United website.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Gillespie’s time at United was short, as he struggled for game time in a competitive, and successful side. He made his debut in 1993, per The Independent, but was loaned out shortly after.

United decided to move on from Gillespie, sending him to Newcastle as part of a deal to bring Andy Cole to Old Trafford.

It was at St. James’ Park that Gillespie flourished, appearing 143 times and scoring 13 goals, per Transfermarkt. Newcastle were regularly in contention for the Premier League title during his spell, finishing second to Gillespie’s former team in both the 95/96 and 96/97 seasons.

Gillespie’s issues with gambling were first brought to light by The Sun in September 1996. The Newcastle winger also accepted a £5,000 payment to publicly thank the publication for outing him as it could help his recovery, per Ian Ridley for The Independent.

Following his career, Gillespie was betting on games he was involved in regularly with the most egregious being a bet on Newcastle beating Stoke City by under four goals. Winning by three with moments left, Newcastle scored to make it 4-0, losing the Northern Irishman tens of thousands, per Chronicle Live.

Following his spell in the Toon, Gillespie moved to Blackburn, helping the side achieve promotion back to the Premier League in 2001.

Gillespie spent the rest of his career bouncing around football league clubs, never spending more than a few years in one place.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

In 2010, Gillespie was declared bankrupt by the Belfast High Court, per the BBC. An article at the time suggested the reason for the declaration was “taken on the basis of evidence from a solicitor acting for HM Revenue and Customs.”

Gillespie states he lost nearly all of his £7.2 million career earnings on gambling, which he believes became an addiction. He told Premier League World his habit started whilst a youth member at Manchester United, accompanying older players to bookmakers and placing bets with other staff members, including Alex Ferguson.

Although the gambling began at United, it was during Gillespie’s spell at Newcastle that things began to spiral. He told Premier League World, “to release the boredom I was going to the bookies nearly every afternoon and I think we all know that the bookies never lose.”

In the same interview, Gillespie explains how easy it was for him to spend thousands at the bookies as he tried to recoup his winnings. In one instance, having initially gone up £1,200, he ended up losing £62,000 in a weekend, on horse racing alone.

Since retiring from football, Gillespie has been able to rein in his gambling compulsion and has spoken out about football’s relationship with betting companies. In 2020, he wrote an article for The Daily Mail in which he suggested, “The relationship between football and betting, without a doubt, is unhealthy.”

He called for the FA to look into their relationships, suggesting, “People get in so deep and get into so much debt… It ruins people. It ruins families,” per The Daily Mail.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!