Karl Darlow

Karl Darlow (born 8 October 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Leeds United and the Wales national team. Darlow is a product of both the Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest academies and was promoted to Nottingham Forest's first team in 2010. After spending four seasons with Forest, Darlow signed for Newcastle United in August 2014, and was immediately sent back on loan to Forest for the remainder of that season. During his tenure with Newcastle, he had also spent time on loan with both Newport County and Walsall earlier in his career. Having had a nine-year career with Newcastle, Darlow permanently joined fellow English club Leeds United in July 2023, but had been dropped in favor of Illan Meslier for most of his career with the club, before momentarily earning a first-place spot with the club in mid-2025. Darlow is the grandson of former Wales international forward Ken Leek, who was included in the Welsh 1958 World Cup squad, and was subsequently eligible to represent both England and Wales internationally. Despite wanting to play for England, he had not been selected in any of England's international team ranks, and in September 2024, he switched his allegiance to represent Wales, and earned his first call-up to the Welsh squad, and later made his debut in the same month.