Leon Bailey facts for kids
Bailey with Bayer Leverkusen in 2018
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 9 August 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Kingston, Jamaica | ||
| Height | 1.78 m | ||
| Playing position | Right winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Aston Villa | ||
| Number | 31 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2009–2011 | Phoenix All-Star Academy | ||
| 2011 | Anif Jugend | ||
| 2011–2013 | Liefering | ||
| 2013–2015 | Trenčín | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2015–2017 | Genk | 56 | (8) |
| 2017–2021 | Bayer Leverkusen | 119 | (28) |
| 2021– | Aston Villa | 104 | (16) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2015 | Jamaica U23 | 1 | (1) |
| 2019– | Jamaica | 32 | (5) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Leon Patrick Bailey (born August 9, 1997) is a professional football player from Jamaica. He plays as a right winger for the Premier League club Aston Villa in England. He also plays for the Jamaica national team.
Bailey moved to Europe when he was 13 years old. He played for several youth teams before joining the Belgian team Genk in 2015. There, he was named the Belgian Young Footballer of the Year. His great performance in Belgium led him to join Bundesliga team Bayer Leverkusen in Germany in 2017. After four years, he moved to Aston Villa in 2021.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out in Football
Bailey began his football journey at the Phoenix All-Star Academy. This academy was run by his adoptive father, Craig Butler. In 2011, his father took Leon and his brother, Kyle, to Europe. They hoped to find a professional club for them.
Bailey impressed Genk in Belgium. However, strict rules about young players made it hard for him to sign a contract. He almost joined another team, Standard Liège, but the transfer didn't happen. At 13, Bailey played for a small Austrian team called Anif Jugend. Later, he moved to Liefering.
In early 2013, Bailey signed a professional contract with Trenčín in Slovakia. He also had a verbal agreement with Ajax in October 2013. But again, FIFA rules for young players stopped the transfer.
Playing for Genk
Bailey officially joined Genk in 2015. He made his first appearance in the Belgian Pro League on August 21, 2015. He scored his first goal for Genk on November 21 against OH Leuven.
At the end of the 2015–16 season, Bailey won the award for Young Footballer of the Year in Belgium. In 2016, his goal in the Europa League against Rapid Wien was named the best goal of the tournament by UEFA.
Moving to Bayer Leverkusen
In January 2017, Bailey joined Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. He made his debut on February 3, 2017. His first Champions League game was on February 24, 2017. He played ten games in his first half-season.
He scored his first goal for Leverkusen on August 11, 2017, in a German Cup match. His first league goal came on September 29 against Schalke 04. He had a great 2017–18 season, scoring 12 goals in 34 games. This helped Bayer Leverkusen finish fifth in the Bundesliga. On November 30, 2019, he scored two goals against the champions, Bayern Munich, helping his team win 2–1.
Joining Aston Villa
On August 4, 2021, Bailey signed with Premier League club Aston Villa. He played his first Premier League game on August 14, 2021. On September 18, he scored his first goal for Villa in a 3–0 win against Everton. He also helped create another goal in that game.
His first season with Aston Villa was tough due to several injuries. These injuries limited him to only 7 starts.
On November 6, 2022, Bailey scored the first goal under new manager Unai Emery. This was in a 3–1 home win against Manchester United. He was later named player of that month. On December 6, 2023, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Manchester City. This was Villa's first win against them since 2013.
In the 2023–24 Premier League season, Bailey played very well. He scored ten goals and made nine assists. This helped Aston Villa finish in the top four. This amazing result earned Villa a spot in the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League. This is Europe's biggest club competition.
International Career
Playing for Jamaica Under-23s
Bailey played a friendly match for the Jamaica under-23s on March 8, 2015. He scored a goal directly from a free kick in that game.
Playing for the Senior Team
In May 2019, Leon Bailey was chosen for Jamaica's team for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He officially agreed to play for the "Reggae Boyz." He earned his first cap for Jamaica on June 17, 2019, against Honduras.
Bailey scored his first goal for Jamaica on September 6, 2019. It was against Antigua and Barbuda. He scored the fifth goal in a big 6–0 win during a CONCACAF Nations League game.
On March 20, 2024, Bailey announced he would take a break from the Jamaican National Team. He mentioned some issues with how the Jamaica Football Federation managed things.
However, on June 12, 2024, Bailey was listed in Jamaica's Copa America 2024 squad. His agent later said that Bailey's decision to not play for Jamaica had not changed. Because of this, the Jamaica Football Federation temporarily suspended him from being selected for the national team.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Genk | 2015–16 | Belgian Pro League | 37 | 6 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 42 | 7 | ||
| 2016–17 | 19 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 12 | 7 | 35 | 9 | |||
| Total | 56 | 8 | 9 | 1 | — | 12 | 7 | 77 | 16 | |||
| Bayer Leverkusen | 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 8 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | 30 | 9 | 4 | 3 | — | — | 34 | 12 | ||||
| 2018–19 | 29 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | 39 | 5 | |||
| 2019–20 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 1 | — | 8 | 1 | 33 | 7 | |||
| 2020–21 | 30 | 9 | 2 | 1 | — | 8 | 5 | 40 | 15 | |||
| Total | 119 | 28 | 11 | 5 | — | 26 | 6 | 156 | 39 | |||
| Aston Villa | 2021–22 | Premier League | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | |
| 2022–23 | 33 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 36 | 5 | |||
| 2023–24 | 35 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 52 | 14 | ||
| 2024–25 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 26 | 1 | ||
| Total | 104 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 4 | 132 | 21 | ||
| Career total | 279 | 52 | 26 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 56 | 17 | 365 | 76 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamaica | 2019 | 6 | 1 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 32 | 5 | |
- Scores and results list Jamaica's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bailey goal
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 September 2019 | Montego Bay Sports Complex, Montego Bay, Jamaica |  Antigua and Barbuda |
5–0 | 6–0 | 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League B |
| 2 | 30 March 2022 | Independence Park, Kingston, Jamaica |  Honduras |
1–1 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 14 June 2022 |  Mexico |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League A | |
| 4 | 28 June 2023 | CityPark, St. Louis, United States |  Trinidad and Tobago |
2–0 | 4–1 | 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 5 | 15 October 2023 | Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  Haiti |
3–1 | 3–2 | 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League A |
Awards and Achievements
Individual
- Belgian Young Professional Footballer of the Year: 2015–16
- UEFA Golden Boy (award) nomination: 2016
- Europa League goal of the season award: 2016–17
- VDV Newcomer of the Season: 2017–18
- VDV Team of the Season: 2017–18
- Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2017–18
- Bundesliga Goal of the Month: December 2020
- Aston Villa Player of the Month. February 2024
- UEFA Europa Conference League Team of the Season: 2023–24
See also
In Spanish: Leon Bailey para niños
