Aaron Mooy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Aaron Mooy

Mooy playing for the Australia national team in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Aaron Frank Mooy
Birth name	Aaron Frank Kuhlman
Date of birth	(1990-09-15) 15 September 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
	Carlingford Redbacks
2005–2006	NSWIS
2006–2009	Bolton Wanderers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2010	Bolton Wanderers	0	(0)
2010–2012	St Mirren	21	(1)
2012–2014	Western Sydney Wanderers	49	(4)
2014–2016	Melbourne City	53	(18)
2016–2017	Manchester City	0	(0)
2016–2017	→ Huddersfield Town (loan)	45	(4)
2017–2020	Huddersfield Town	66	(7)
2019–2020	→ Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)	17	(2)
2020	Brighton & Hove Albion	14	(0)
2020–2022	Shanghai Port	23	(6)
2022–2023	Celtic	29	(4)
Total		317	(46)
International career
2006	Australia U17	2	(0)
2009–2010	Australia U20	10	(4)
2011–2012	Australia U23	4	(2)
2012–2022	Australia	57	(7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Aaron Frank Mooy (born 15 September 1990) is a retired Australian professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He is seen as one of Australia's greatest midfielders and one of Huddersfield Town's best players in modern times.

Mooy won the PFA Footballer of the Year award three times in a row, which is a record. He was also named in the A-League Men Team of the Season twice.

Born in Sydney, Mooy started his professional career in Scotland with St Mirren. He later returned to Australia to play for Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne City. In 2016, he was signed by Manchester City and was immediately loaned to Huddersfield Town. He helped them get promoted to the Premier League for the first time.

After playing for Brighton & Hove Albion and Shanghai Port in China, he joined the Scottish club Celtic in 2022. He was a key player in their team that won three major trophies in one season. He retired from soccer in June 2023. Mooy also played 57 times for the Australian national team, including at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Early life

Aaron Frank Mooy was born on 15 September 1990 in Sydney, Australia. His birth name was Aaron Kuhlman, but his Dutch mother changed his last name to Mooy when he was a child.

Growing up, Mooy loved watching Premier League matches, especially Manchester United. His favorite player was David Beckham. He would watch Beckham play and practice taking free kicks, pretending to be him. He told his mom he loved playing soccer with his friends, so she signed him up for a local club called the Carlingford Redbacks.

To follow his dream of becoming a professional soccer player, Mooy moved from Australia to England when he was only 15 years old.

Club career

Starting in Europe

Mooy playing for St Mirren in 2011

Mooy began his career in Europe as a youth player for Bolton Wanderers. In 2010, he joined the Scottish club St Mirren to get more playing time. He made his debut on 23 October 2010. On 18 January 2011, he scored his first goal for the club.

During the 2011–12 season, Mooy had a back injury that kept him from playing for several months. He returned to the field on 17 December 2011. A week later, on Christmas Eve, he scored his first league goal against the famous club Rangers. In June 2012, he left St Mirren to return to Australia.

Western Sydney Wanderers

Mooy (left) at the Western Sydney Wanderers launch, with Tarek Elrich and Kwabena Appiah

On 25 June 2012, Mooy became one of the first players to sign for the new A-League club, Western Sydney Wanderers. He made his official debut on 6 October 2012 in a 0–0 draw.

On 23 February 2013, Mooy scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory against Perth Glory. The Wanderers had a fantastic first season and won the Premiers' Plate, which is given to the team that finishes first in the league. Mooy played in the Grand Final, but his team lost 2–0 to the Central Coast Mariners.

The next season, Mooy scored his first goal in the AFC Champions League, Asia's biggest club competition. The Wanderers made it to the Grand Final again but lost to Brisbane Roar. Mooy was released by the club on 21 May 2014.

Melbourne City

Mooy playing for Western Sydney Wanderers in 2013

The same day he left the Wanderers, Mooy signed with Melbourne City. He quickly became one of the team's most important players. He scored his first goal for the club on 7 December 2014. By the end of the season, he was named Melbourne City's Player of the Year.

In the 2015–16 season, Mooy was even better. He scored a hat-trick (three goals in one game) in an FFA Cup match. He finished the season with 11 goals and a record-breaking 21 assists in the league. An assist is when a player passes the ball to a teammate who then scores a goal. He was the first player in A-League history to have more than 10 goals and 10 assists in the same season.

Huddersfield Town

On 30 June 2016, Mooy was signed by the major English club Manchester City. Just six days later, he was loaned to Huddersfield Town, who played in the Championship, the second level of English soccer.

He scored his first goal for Huddersfield in a 1–0 win against their rivals, Leeds United. Mooy was voted the club's best player of the season. He helped Huddersfield win the play-off final, scoring a penalty in the shootout. This victory promoted Huddersfield to the Premier League for the first time in the club's history.

Huddersfield then signed Mooy permanently. He made his Premier League debut in a 3–0 win over Crystal Palace. A week later, he scored his first Premier League goal to beat Newcastle United 1–0. On 21 October 2017, he scored the first goal in a famous 2–1 victory over Manchester United. After that match, a young fan gave Mooy £5 for his great performance. Mooy donated the money to the club's charity for children.

Huddersfield was relegated back to the Championship in 2019.

Brighton & Hove Albion

On 8 August 2019, Mooy joined Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion on loan. He joined his Australian teammate Mathew Ryan at the club. He scored his first goal for Brighton on 28 December 2019 in a 2–0 win over Bournemouth.

In January 2020, Brighton made his signing permanent. He played 32 games for the club in his first season.

Shanghai Port

On 28 August 2020, Mooy moved to the Chinese Super League to play for Shanghai Port. He scored the winning goal on his debut. His time in China was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which made it difficult to travel. He was released from his contract in July 2022.

Celtic

On 19 July 2022, Mooy signed a two-year deal with Scottish champions Celtic. This reunited him with his former Australian national team manager, Ange Postecoglou.

He scored his first goals for Celtic on 28 December 2022, getting two goals in a 4–0 win. On 26 February 2023, Mooy helped Celtic win the League Cup final against their rivals, Rangers.

Celtic went on to win the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish Cup, completing a "treble" (winning three major trophies in one season). This was the 8th treble in the club's history. Mooy announced his retirement from all soccer on 30 June 2023.

International career

Mooy playing for Australia in 2017

Mooy was able to play for either Australia or the Netherlands because of his Dutch mother. He chose to represent Australia.

He played for Australia's under-20 and under-23 teams before making his debut for the senior national team, the Socceroos, on 7 December 2012. He scored a goal with a free kick in his first match against Guam.

Mooy became a key player for Australia during the qualifying matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He scored goals and created many chances for his teammates with his excellent passing. Australia qualified for the World Cup in Russia after beating Honduras in a play-off match.

World Cups and Retirement

Mooy (second from the left) with the Australian team in 2018

Mooy played in all of Australia's games at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Although the team played well, they did not make it past the group stage.

He was also a very important player in the qualifying campaign for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In the final play-off match against Peru, the game went to a penalty shootout. Mooy scored his penalty, and Australia won 5–4 to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar.

At the 2022 World Cup, Mooy's strong performances in midfield helped Australia beat Tunisia and Denmark. This meant Australia reached the Round of 16 for the first time since 2006. They lost 2–1 to the eventual champions, Argentina. This was his final match for Australia. When he retired from soccer in June 2023, he had played 57 times for his country and scored 7 goals.

Player profile

Mooy was known for his amazing technical skill, vision, and smart playing style. He was often called the "Pasty Pirlo" or "Aussie Iniesta," comparing him to the famous midfielders Andrea Pirlo and Andrés Iniesta.

He could play as a deep-lying playmaker, controlling the game from a deeper position, or as a box-to-box midfielder, helping with both defense and attack. He was excellent at passing the ball, finding open teammates, and creating scoring chances. He was also known for his calm attitude on the field.

Many players and coaches praised Mooy. Famous coach Pep Guardiola said his performances were "amazing." A Huddersfield Town legend, Andy Booth, even said Mooy might be the best player in the club's history. Huddersfield fans loved him so much they created a special song for him.

Personal life

Mooy is married to Nicola, whom he met in Glasgow in 2011. They have two children, a daughter named Skylar and a son named Maximilian.

He has several tattoos that are important to him. One is of a guardian angel, and another has the Dutch words "Leven, Lachen, Liefde," which means "Live, Love, Laugh." The name "Mooy" is also special to him, as it connects him to his family's Dutch roots.

His stepfather, Alan, was a rugby league referee and helped him practice soccer from a young age. He taught Mooy to use both his left and right foot equally well, which made him a very skilled and unpredictable player.

Career statistics

Club

International

Australia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Mooy goal.

International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	7 December 2012	Hong Kong Stadium, So Kon Po, Hong Kong	1	Guam	1–0	9–0	2013 EAFF East Asian Cup qualification
2	9 December 2012		2	Chinese Taipei	6–0	8–0
3	28 July 2013	Seoul Olympic Stadium, Seoul, South Korea	3	China	1–1	3–4	2013 EAFF East Asian Cup
4	3 September 2015	Perth Oval, Perth, Australia	7	Bangladesh	5–0	5–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	29 March 2016	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia	13	Jordan	2–0	5–1
6	10 September 2019	Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait	40	Kuwait	3–0	3–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
7	1 February 2022	Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat, Oman	49	Oman	2–1	2–2	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Western Sydney Wanderers

• A-League Premiership: 2012–13

Huddersfield Town

• EFL Championship play-offs: 2017

Celtic

• Scottish Premiership: 2022–23
• Scottish Cup: 2022–23
• Scottish League Cup: 2022–23

Individual

• Melbourne City Player of the Year: 2014–15, 2015–16
• PFA A-League Team of the Season: 2014–15, 2015–16
• Fox Sports Alex Tobin Medal: 2014–15
• PFA Footballer of the Year: 2015–16, 2016–17
• EFL Team of the Season: 2016–17
• PFA Team of the Year: 2016–17 Championship
• Huddersfield Town Player of the Year: 2016–17

See also

In Spanish: Aaron Mooy para niños