Biography
Experienced Irish international defender Cyrus Christie joined Hull City on a free transfer in August 2022 having been a free agent for three months following expiry of his contract at Premier League new boys Fulham – he had spent the summer training with Birmingham City to maintain fitness. The Tigers fought off competition from several other clubs to retain Christie’s services, who added pace and attacking threat down the right flank of Shota Arveladze’s side. He debuted in the closing seconds of a 3-2 win against Coventry, his boyhood club, at the end of August 2022 then had a torrid first start at rampant Queens Park Rangers three days later. However by late October he was a regular first team starter and scored his first City goal in a 4-2 tonking of Rotherham United. By the time autumn became winter Cyrus had established himself as a first team regular in new boss Liam Rosenior’s side, buccaneering down the wing as well as defending soundly.
Christie’s fine form continued into the 2023/24 season, though he was often deployed as rampaging overlapping full back late in games as captain Lewie Coyle held down the right back starting role. Cyrus’s impact on games was best illustrated at his former club Swansea in November 2023, coming on at half time with the Tigers 0-2 down he assisted both goals as City claimed a fine comeback draw.
Cyrus Sylvester Frederick Christie was born and raised in Coventry, he had Jamaican heritage through his father and both Lebanese and Irish ancestry through his mother. He came through the ranks at Coventry City’s academy and made his first team debut at 17 in an August 2010 League Cup tie against Morecambe. He had loan spells at local non-league sides Nuneaton Town and Hinckley United before winning a regular first team place at the start of the 2011/12 season, making his Championship debut in August 2011 against Leicester City. Coventry dropped into League 1 for the 2012/13 season but Christie retained his place for much of the season and scored his first senior goal in a November 2012 FA Cup tie against non-League side Arlesey Town. A further season in League 1 ended in relegation for the Sky Blues, by which time Christie had scored four goals in 119 senior appearances and attracted the attention of clubs higher up the Football League.
In July 2014 he transfererd to Championship side Derby County for an undisclosed fee and for the next three seasons he established himself as first choice right back and right wing back for The Rams, assisting the club into the play-offs at the end of the 2015/16 season and starting both games as Derby were narrowly defeated 2-3 on aggregate by Steve Bruce’s Hull City. Christie missed three months of football either side of Christmas in the 2016/17 season and with Derby again missing out on promotion he looked for pastures new having scored two goals in 119 senior appearances for the club. In July 2017 Christie transferred to Championship side Middlesbrough and began the season as first choice right back in manager Garry Monk’s side, but when Tony Pulis replaced Monk in January 2018 Christie quickly moved on to Championship rivals Fulham – he scored once, against Fulham, in 26 senior appearances for Middlesbrough.
Christie was used sparingly by Fulham for the remainder of the 2017/18 season, mostly as substitute, as the Cottagers beat Aston Villa in the Championship play-offs final at Wembley and won promotion to the Premier League – Christie played the last ten minutes of that Wembley final. Christie was part of the first team squad in the 2018/19 Premier League season, scoring his first Fulham goal in a September 2018 League Cup tie against Millwall. Relegated back to the Championship after one season Fulham bounced back and again won the Championship play-off final at Wembley, this time against Brentford, but Cyrus was used sparingly by manager Scott Parker until the latter half of the COVID19 affected season – Christie started both semi-final legs against Cardiff City and was an extra time substitute in the final.
With Fulham back in the Premier League Christie was loaned to Championship side Nottingham Forest for the 2020/21 season and he made the right back berth his own, starting 44 League games. He spent the first half of the 2021/22 season back at Fulham, making only one senior appearance in the League Cup against Leeds United that took his tally for the Cottagers to two goals in 68 senior appearances. He joined Championship side Swansea City on loan in January 2022 where he made 23 senior appearances and scored three goals, on expiry of his Fulham contract in June 2022 he became a free agent and trained with Birmingham City before joining Hull City in August 2022.
Through his mother’s heritage Christie qualified to play for Ireland at international level. He made his debut in November 2014 in a friendly against USA after impressing Ireland manager Martin O’Neill with his form at Derby County and from September 2015 onwards he was a regular choice right back for Ireland in their Euro 2016 qualification campaign. He scored his first goal for Ireland in a September 2015 4-0 win over Gibraltar and added a second goal in June 2017 against Uruguay. In June 2022 he won his 30th cap for Ireland against Ukraine.
Details
Nationality: Ireland
Date/Place of Birth: 30 September 1992, Coventry
Hull City First Game: 27 August 2022, Coventry City H (Championship), 29 years, 331 days old
Hull City Final Game: [current player]
Clubs
Coventry City (2008-2014), Nuneaton Town (2011, loan), Hinckley United (2011, loan), Derby County (2014-2017), Middlesbrough (2017-2018), Fulham (2018-2022), Nottingham Forest (2020-2021,loan), Swansea City (2022, loan), Hull City (2022-current)
Hull City Record
Career: 44 apps, 3 goals
Cyrus Christie| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 24 (4) | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2023/24 | 6 (9) | 0 | – | – | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – |