Toby Collyer
A promising young defensive midfielder from Manchester United's academy, now seeking to prove himself in the Championship with Hull City.
Born 2004 (age 22)·English footballer·Birthday: January 3·Generation Z
Biography
Toby Collyer represents the modern football prospect: identified young, nurtured in a top academy, and now facing the crucible of senior football. Snapped up by Manchester United from Brighton's youth system, he immersed himself in the demanding environment at Carrington. Known for his intelligence and composure in the defensive midfield role, he built a reputation as a player who reads the game ahead of the action. The path to the United first team is famously narrow, leading to a vital loan move to Hull City in the EFL Championship. This season is his real introduction, a chance to translate his polished academy game into the physical, relentless world of professional league football, where every tackle and pass is a step toward fulfilling his early promise.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Toby was born in 2004, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Toby Was Born
The biggest hits of 2004
#1 Movie
Shrek 2
Best Picture
Million Dollar Baby
#1 TV Show
American Idol
Toby's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
2004Born
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2009Started school
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2017Became a teenager
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2020Could drive
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2022Could vote
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2025Turned 21
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 22 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Signed a professional contract with Premier League giant Manchester United after joining their academy.
- Secured a season-long loan move to Hull City in the Championship for the 2024/25 campaign to gain senior experience.
- Was previously part of Brighton & Hove Albion's youth academy before his move to Manchester.
Did You Know?
His full first name is Tobias.
He was born in England in 2004.
He plays primarily as a defensive midfielder.
“My focus is on the next training session and the next simple pass.”
