Aaron Lennon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Aaron Lennon

Lennon playing for Tottenham Hotspur in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Aaron Justin Lennon
Date of birth	(1987-04-16) 16 April 1987 (age 38)
Place of birth	Leeds, England
Height	5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m)
Playing position	Right winger / Attacking midfielder right
Youth career
2001–2003	Leeds United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2003–2005	Leeds United	38	(1)
2005–2015	Tottenham Hotspur	266	(26)
2015	→ Everton (loan)	14	(2)
2015–2018	Everton	51	(5)
2018–2020	Burnley	46	(1)
2020–2021	Kayserispor	36	(0)
2021–2022	Burnley	28	(2)
Total		479	(37)
National team
2003	England U17	1	(0)
2004–2006	England U19	15	(0)
2005–2008	England U21	5	(0)
2006–2007	England B	2	(0)
2006–2013	England	21	(0)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Aaron Justin Lennon (born 16 April 1987) is an English former professional footballer. He played as a right winger, known for his speed.

Lennon started his career at his hometown club, Leeds United. He made his first team debut in 2003. At that time, he was the youngest player ever to play in the Premier League. In 2005, he moved to Tottenham Hotspur for £1 million. He played 364 games for Spurs and scored 30 goals. In 2008, Lennon won his first major trophy, the League Cup, with Tottenham. They beat their London rivals Chelsea 2–1.

He joined Everton in 2015 for £4.5 million, after a successful loan spell there. He scored nine goals in 77 games for Everton. Later, he joined Burnley in 2018. He played 55 games for Burnley before moving to Kayserispor in Turkey in 2020. He returned to Burnley in 2021.

Lennon played for the England national team for the first time in 2006. He was chosen to play for England in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup. He announced his retirement from football in November 2022.

Early Life and Football Start

Aaron Lennon was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire. He has a younger brother and a younger sister. His family has both Irish and Jamaican roots. Aaron went to City of Leeds High School.

He was first noticed by football scouts when he was only eight years old. His older brother, Anthony, played for Manchester United's youth team.

Joining Leeds United Academy

In 2001, Lennon joined the Leeds United Academy. He became the youngest player to have his football boots sponsored. He signed a deal with Adidas when he was just 14 years old.

Two years later, he started his professional career at Leeds United. He became the youngest player to appear in the Premier League. He was 16 years and 129 days old. This happened in August 2003, when he came on as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur.

Lennon scored his only goal for Leeds on 26 December 2004. It was in a 3–2 win against Sunderland. He started playing more often after that. His speed and skills on the wing made Leeds fans excited. He was one of the best players for Leeds in their first season in the Championship.

His last game for Leeds was a special match for Lucas Radebe. Leeds had money problems, so Lennon was sold to Spurs for a lower price.

Playing for Tottenham Hotspur

Lennon in 2008

Because Leeds United had financial difficulties, Aaron Lennon moved to Tottenham Hotspur. This move happened on 15 June 2005, for £1 million. He played his first game for Spurs on 27 August 2005. It was a 2–0 loss at home against Chelsea. On 18 March 2006, Lennon scored his first Premier League goal for Tottenham. This was in a 2–0 win against Birmingham City.

He was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award twice. This was for the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. However, he lost to Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. Lennon signed a new contract with Tottenham on 8 January 2007. This deal lasted for five and a half years.

Winning the League Cup

On 24 February 2008, Lennon won his first major trophy. Tottenham beat Chelsea 2–1 after extra time in the 2008 League Cup Final. The game was played at Wembley Stadium.

He signed an improved contract in March 2009, keeping him at Spurs until 2014. Lennon was named Tottenham's Fans' Player of the Season for 2008–09. He was also the club's Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season. He was nominated for PFA Young Player of the Year again, but Ashley Young won. He played 47 matches and scored five goals that season. This included a late goal in a 4–4 draw against Arsenal. This was manager Harry Redknapp's first game in charge.

Key Moments at Spurs

In the 2009–10 season, Lennon scored early goals against West Ham United and Birmingham City. These goals helped Tottenham stay at the top of the league. This was their best start to a league season since 1960–61. On 24 October 2009, Lennon got injured in a match against Stoke City. Tottenham lost the game 1–0.

He returned on 22 November in a huge 9–1 win against Wigan Athletic. He made three assists and scored one goal. The fans gave him a standing ovation when he left the field.

Lennon playing for Tottenham Hotspur in 2011

Lennon had a groin injury in December 2009. This kept him out of the team for a few months. He returned from injury on 24 April 2010. This was in a 3–1 loss against Manchester United.

On 28 November 2010, he scored a winning goal in the last minute. This was in a 2–1 victory against Liverpool. On 15 February 2011, Lennon made a brilliant run. He then passed the ball to Peter Crouch for a goal. This helped Tottenham win 1–0 against A.C. Milan in the UEFA Champions League.

On 18 August 2011, Lennon scored in a 5–0 win against Hearts. This was in a UEFA Europa League play-off game. He scored his first league goal of the season against Fulham. In December, he scored his second goal of the season in a 3–0 win against Bolton. His next goal came on 11 January 2012, in a 2–0 win against Everton.

On 1 September 2012, he signed a new four-year contract. He was named captain for the first time in a Europa League match. This was against Lazio on 20 September 2012. The game ended in a 0–0 draw. Lennon scored four goals during the 2012–13 season. Spurs finished fifth in the Premier League that year.

Moving to Everton

On 2 February 2015, Lennon was loaned to Everton. He played for them for the rest of the season. He made his debut for Everton as a substitute on 7 February. This was in a match against Liverpool. He scored his first goal for Everton on 22 March 2015. It was in a 2–1 win against Queens Park Rangers.

He went back to Spurs briefly for the start of the 2015–16 season. However, he was sent to train with the Under-21 team. On 1 September 2015, Lennon joined Everton permanently. He signed a three-year deal for about £4.5 million.

He started 2016 in great form. He scored in a 1–1 draw against his old club Tottenham. He also scored in three wins for Everton in January and February. Lennon continued scoring in a 3–1 away win at Aston Villa. He also scored in a 3–2 home loss to West Ham United on 5 March. However, his good form did not last. The team's results got worse, and manager Roberto Martínez was sacked.

The next season was harder for Lennon. He did not play much under the new manager, Ronald Koeman. Lennon only played 14 minutes of league football in the first two months. His first league start came on 19 November 2016. This was in a home match against Swansea City.

Time at Burnley and Kayserispor

On 23 January 2018, Lennon signed for Burnley. He joined them for an unknown fee on a two-and-a-half-year contract. He made his debut on 31 January. He came on as a substitute in an away game against Newcastle United. The game ended in a 1–1 draw.

Lennon scored his first and only goal for Burnley in September 2018. It was in a 4–0 home win against AFC Bournemouth. He left the club in June 2020 when his contract ended. He had played 55 games for Burnley.

Lennon then joined Süper Lig club Kayserispor in Turkey. This was on 2 September 2020, as a free transfer.

Return to Burnley and Retirement

Lennon rejoined Burnley on 25 August 2021. This was after his contract with Kayserispor ended. He played his second debut against Newcastle United in the EFL Cup on the same day. Burnley announced on 10 June that Lennon would leave the club at the end of June 2022.

Lennon officially announced he was retiring from football on 15 November 2022.

Playing for England

Lennon was first called up to the England U21 team in October 2005. On 8 May 2006, he was chosen for England's 2006 FIFA World Cup squad. He was only 19 years old and had not yet played for the senior team.

He was named the best player in an England B match against Belarus. This was on 25 May 2006. England B lost the game 2–1. He made his full England debut on 3 June. He came on as a substitute in a 6–0 win over Jamaica.

Lennon played as a substitute for England in their 2006 World Cup group match. This was against Trinidad and Tobago. England scored twice after he and Wayne Rooney came on. England won the match 2–0. Lennon then played in the quarter-final match against Portugal. He came on for the injured David Beckham. Lennon was then substituted himself before a penalty shootout, which England lost.

Lennon also came on as a substitute in a 5–0 win against Andorra. This was a Euro 2008 qualifying game on 2 September 2006. He made an immediate impact by helping Peter Crouch score. He started his first game for England in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel in March 2007. He also started the next game against Andorra.

This was Lennon's last appearance for two years. He was called up again on 28 March 2009. He started in a friendly match against Slovakia. Lennon started again for England when they played Ukraine on 1 April 2009.

He was called up for a friendly against Slovenia. He also played in a World Cup qualifier against Croatia. This was because he was playing very well for Tottenham. He was named the best player in the 5–1 win over Croatia.

Lennon was chosen for manager Fabio Capello's 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In South Africa, he started England's first two games. These were a 1–1 draw against the United States and a 0–0 draw with Algeria.

After two years, Lennon was called back to the England squad. This was for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in October 2012. He came on as an early substitute against San Marino. He provided the cross for Danny Welbeck's first goal. He played his last game for England in a friendly against Brazil in February 2013. He missed the next World Cup qualifiers due to injury.

Personal Life

On 30 April 2017, Aaron Lennon received support for his well-being. He was taken to hospital for assessment after police were called. Everton Football Club reported that he was "receiving care and treatment for a stress-related illness."

In March 2019, he spoke about his experience. He shared that other players had asked him for advice on similar issues.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

International Appearances

Honours

Tottenham Hotspur

• Football League Cup: 2007–08; runner-up: 2008–09

See also

In Spanish: Aaron Lennon para niños