Born: Greenwich, 22 November 1989
Position: Centre back
International caps: 31
International goals: 1
Signed: 24 June 2008 from Maidstone United (£100,000)
Fulham debut: Fulham 0-2 Everton, 24 May 2009
Fulham appearances: 19
Fulham goals: 0
Sold: 1 July 2010 to Manchester United (£10m).
Chris Smalling enjoyed a meteoric rise from non-league football to European football after signing for Fulham from Maidstone United for £100,000 in June 2008. The composed centre back quickly became reserve team captain under Billy McKinlay and made his first-team debut in the final match of the 2008-09, replacing Aaron Hughes as a substitute against Everton. His first start came in Fulham’s first Europa League group game – a 1-1 draw with CSKA Sofia – and he made his first league start in the derby against Chelsea in December 2009.
Manchester United concluded a £10m deal to sign Smalling in January 2010 but the defender stayed with Fulham for the remainder of the season, making nineteen first-team appearances in total. He went on to win multiple honours at Old Trafford and represent his country on 31 occasions. He is currently playing for Roma in Serie A.
