Thomas Cairney (born 20 January 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for and captains Premier League club Fulham.

Cairney was born and raised in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, to a Scottish father, who worked as a miner and then as a taxi driver.

I was going there three-four times a week, missing days of schools, and obviously my mum and dad had put a lot into it too.

[11] He played for Hull against Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the pre-season Premier League Asia Trophy in Beijing on 31 July 2009.

[12] His first-team debut came against Southend United in the League Cup on 25 August 2009, when he opened the scoring with a curling long-range effort as Hull won 3–1.

[15] On 7 March 2010, Cairney scored his first league goal for Hull in a 5–1 defeat against Everton, an impressive volley from outside the area.

[18][20] He scored one goal, a curling free kick against Norwich City that helped Hull to their first away victory in 30 games.

[citation needed] In the 2011–12 season, Cairney continued to feature in the first team and then set up a double assists, in a 3–2 win over Watford on 22 October 2011.

[24] He then scored his first goal of the season on 7 January 2012, in a 3–1 win over Ipswich Town in the third round of the FA Cup.

[27] At the start of the 2012–13 season, Cairney played the vital role, in a 3–2 loss against Doncaster Rovers in the second round of the League Cup on 28 August 2012, when he set up two Hull City's goals in the match.

[28] However, during the match, he sustained a serious knee injury, following a reckless tackle by Doncaster's James Husband in a League Cup tie.

[29] After over three months out injured,[30] Cairney returned to fitness on 8 December 2012, appearing on the bench for Hull's away victory over Watford.

[31] Cairney made his return the following week at home to Huddersfield coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute for teammate Corry Evans.

[37] Two days later, Cairney made his full debut for the club in an eventful League Cup clash with Carlisle United, scoring one and providing one assist, before being sent off for the first time in his career after two bookable offences.

"[43] After completing this permanent deal, Cairney scored his second league for Blackburn Rovers, both of them coming against Barnsley on 28 January 2014.

[53][54] He continued to play in the central–midfield role for the side[55] and for that, he was nominated for August's Player of the Month, but lost out to Charlton's Igor Vetokele.

[69] Cairney was given the number 10 shirt for the new season, succeeding Bryan Ruiz, who departed the club in the summer transfer window.

[76] However, in a 3–0 loss against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 29 September 2015, Cairney was sent–off for "a two-footed tackle" on Adam Le Fondre in the 35th minute.

[77] After serving a three match suspension,[78] he regained his first team place since returning and played most of the season in the right-hand side of midfield.

[95] After scoring three more goals by the end of the year, his performance at Fulham attracted attention from Premier League side Middlesbrough, Aston Villa and Newcastle United.

[103] He also scored in the first leg of the promotion play–offs, in a 1–1 draw against Reading, but Fulham lost 1–0 in the next leg, dashing their hopes of playing in the Premier League next season[104] During the 2016–17 season, Cairney scored 13 times in 51 appearances in all competitions, becoming joint top–scorer, alongside Stefan Johansen.

Having played a key role for the side this season, Cairney was named the club's Player of the Season,[105] the EFL Player of the Year at the 2017 London Football Awards[106] and was included in the EFL Championship PFA Team of the Year, alongside Ryan Sessegnon.

[109] After playing in the season opener, a 1–1 draw against Norwich City, Cairney suffered an injury ahead of the friendly match against Reading.

[115] On 26 May, he scored the only goal against Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium, in the 2018 Championship play-off final to promote Fulham to the Premier League.

[120] Four days later, Cairney made his 300th appearance in all competitions for Fulham in a 5–0 thumping of West Ham United, in which he assisted one goal and was named man of the match.

[122] He scored his first goal of the 2024–25 season on 1 December 2024, the equaliser in a 1–1 draw at Spurs in which he also received a red card for a second bookable offence.