Name	Darron Gibson
Height	6 ft
Naionality	Irish
Date of Birth	25-October-1987
Place of Birth	Derry, Northern Ireland
Famous for	Football Player

Darron Gibson is an Irish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Everton and the Republic of Ireland national team. He has also played for Manchester United and on loan for Royal Antwerp and Wolverhampton Wanderers. In 2007, Gibson, who was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, was at the centre of a dispute between the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and the Irish Football Association (IFA), after he opted to play for the Republic of Ireland instead of Northern Ireland.

The issue was referred to FIFA and was discussed in the Northern Ireland Assembly. The issue was settled in 2010 when it was declared, as Irish citizens, Northern Ireland-born people are entitled to play for either the Republic or Northern Ireland. Gibson was at the centre of a dispute between the Irish Football Association (IFA) and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) over the eligibility of players born within Northern Ireland to represent the Republic of Ireland. The general principle or article 5 of FIFA's Regulations Governing the Application of the Statutes states that "any person holding a permanent nationality that is not dependent on residence in a certain country is eligible to play for the representative teams of the Association of that country". Due to the constitutional position of Northern Ireland, following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, citizenship of the Republic of Ireland is the undisputed birthright of every person born on the island of Ireland if they so wish. As a result, Gibson was approached to represent both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland at international level. Gibson first represented the Republic of Ireland at under-17 level. Then during the 2005–06 seasons he captained both the Republic of Ireland under-19 and under-21 squads. On 14 November 2006, he also played for Republic of Ireland B in a 0–0 draw against Scotland B.

In 2007, Gibson was included in several senior Republic of Ireland squads for Euro 2008 qualifiers, before he eventually made his debut in a 4–0 win against Denmark. During the away friendly, he came on as half-time substitute, replacing Andy Reid. In the 54th minute, Gibson fired a shot from outside the penalty area that the Danish keeper, Jesper Christiansen, could only palm away, allowing Shane Long to follow up and score the Republic's third goal. Gibson won his second full cap on 8 September 2007 in an away game against Slovakia. The Euro 2008 qualifier, which finished as a 2–2 draw, saw him again used as substitute, this time replacing Aiden McGeady after 61 minutes.