Christian Albert Elliot Burgess

Not many players at this level can point to a university degree in History alongside a professional contract, but Burgess did both — turning out for Birmingham's university side before finishing his studies part-time at Teesside while his football career was already under way. He came through the youth ranks at Arsenal and West Ham before a spell at Bishop's Stortford, then joined Middlesbrough, where a single league appearance was as far as it went. Loans at Hartlepool United and Peterborough United gave him the minutes Middlesbrough could not, and Peterborough made the move permanent in 2014.

It was at Portsmouth, from 2015, that Burgess became a regular fixture, making 173 league appearances and scoring 10 goals. He was part of the side that won the EFL League Two title in 2016–17, earning a place in the PFA League Two Team of the Year, and lifted the EFL Trophy in 2018–19 before being named Portsmouth's Player of the Season in 2019–20.

His move to Union Saint-Gilloise on a free transfer in 2020 turned out to be the defining chapter. Burgess was a key figure as the club climbed from the second tier, winning the Challenger Pro League in 2020–21, the Belgian Cup in 2023–24 and 2025–26, and, in 2024–25, the Belgian Pro League title that ended a 90-year wait for the club. He passed 200 league appearances for Union SG and made his Champions League debut against PSV Eindhoven in September 2025. Known to supporters as "Air Burgey", he left for KAA Gent on a free transfer in 2026.