Aaron Frank Mooy (; ; born 15 September 1990) is an Australian professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who plays as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish ...

club

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

and the

Australia national team Sport is an important part of Australia that dates back to the early colonial period. Australian rules football, rugby league, rugby union, association football, cricket and tennis are among the earliest organised sports in Australia. Sport ha ...

. Born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Mooy played youth football for the

New South Wales Institute of Sport The New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) is a high performance sports training institute located in New South Wales, Australia. The New South Wales government agency provides world leading coaching, performance support and daily training ...

and

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

before making his professional debut with St Mirren. He returned to Sydney to play for Western Sydney Wanderers in 2012, and moved to Melbourne City two years later. Signing for Manchester City in 2016, Mooy was immediately loaned to Huddersfield Town and helped the club gain promotion to the Premier League. He signed with Huddersfield permanently in June 2017. In January 2020, Mooy was signed permanently by Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion before moving to Shanghai SIPG in China during August 2020. Mooy has been capped by the national team on over 50 occasions since his debut in 2012, netting a total of seven goals. He also played in the

2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which was hosted by Egypt from 24 September to 16 October 2009. The tournament was initially going to take place between 10 and 31 July. However, the 2009 FIFA Confedera ...

Club career

Bolton Wanderers

Mooy started his career in Europe as a youth scholar at

after being spotted by

Chris Sulley Christopher Stephen Sulley (born 3 December 1959) is an English former professional footballer who played as a left-back. He played 401 games in the Football League and seven games in the Scottish Football League. He began his career at Chelsea ...

. He rejected a contract extension from Bolton in July 2010 in search of more first team football.

St Mirren

Mooy joined

Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football' ...

club St Mirren on 23 October 2010, and made his league debut for the Saints on the same day in a 3–0 loss to Hearts. On 18 January 2011, he scored his first goal for the club, in the fourth-round replay, in a 6–1 win over Peterhead. Having made 18 appearances and scoring once in all competitions, he was offered a new contract in April 2011 before agreeing a two-year contract with the club in May. The 2011–12 season was marked by Mooy having suffered a stress fracture in his back. As months went by, his recovery started going well. Soon after, he went to a specialist to get over his injury. On 17 December 2011, Mooy made his return, coming as a substitute, in a 1–1 draw against

Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...

and the next game, he scored his first league goal for the club against

Rangers A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...

at St Mirren Park on Christmas Eve 2011.

Western Sydney Wanderers

After leaving St Mirren on a free transfer, Mooy returned to Australia and was announced as one of the three inaugural signings for new A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers on 25 June. He made his debut in the opening game of the season in a 0–0 draw against

Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Ma ...

and on 23 February 2013, he scored his first goal, in a 1–0 win over

Perth Glory Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues. Founded in 19 ...

. He made 23 appearances and scored one goal in his first season with the Wanderers, who won the Premiership and made the grand final in their inaugural season. Mooy took part in his second successive A-League grand final the following season, as the Wanderers were named runners-up to the Championship for the second time in a row.

Melbourne City

Mooy was released by Western Sydney Wanderers on 21 May 2014, and was announced to have joined A-League rivals Melbourne City the same day. He scored his first goal against Brisbane Roar, and also scored in both fixtures against his former club Western Sydney Wanderers. At the end of the season he claimed Melbourne City's Player of the Year award and was the club's top scorer that season, also racking up eight assists. Mooy became the youngest ever marquee player in

A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...

history when he re-signed with Melbourne City for the 2015–16 season. On 29 September, he scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

against

Heidelberg United Heidelberg United Alexander Football Club (founded as Alexander the Great-Melbourne Soccer Club) established in 1958 is a football (soccer) club based in the northern Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg West, Victoria, Australia. The team currently ...

in the FFA Cup quarter finals with two of the goals coming from outside the box, and in doing this he also became the first ever City player to score a hat-trick in the FFA Cup. During his time with Melbourne City,

Socceroos The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliated with ...

manager

Ange Postecoglou Angelos Postecoglou ( el, Άγγελος Ποστέκογλου, ; born 27 August 1965) is an Australian association football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Scottish Premiership club Celtic. Born in Greece, he moved ...

labelled him the "best and most exciting player in the

", while former Socceroo goalkeeper Mark Bosnich described him as "the best Australian midfielder playing anywhere in the world". Melbourne City were reported to have rejected a $2m offer for Mooy from Saudi Arabia club

Al-Nassr Al Nassr Football Club ( ar, نادي النصر السعودي; '' Naṣr'' meaning ''Victory'') is a Saudi Arabian football club based in Riyadh. Formed in 1955, the club plays its home games at the Mrsool Park. Their home colours are yello ...

. On 5 March 2016, he assisted

Bruno Fornaroli Bruno Fornaroli Mezza (; born 7 September 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for Melbourne Victory. Born in Uruguay, he plays for the Australian national team. Club career Fornaroli was born in ...

for two of his three goals to move to 20 assists for the season; an all time

record.

Manchester City

Mooy was signed by

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

on a three-year deal on 30 June 2016.

Huddersfield Town

Six days after signing for

, Mooy was loaned to Championship side Huddersfield Town for the 2016–17 season. He made his Huddersfield debut in their 2–1 win over

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

on 6 August, and scored his first goal for them on 10 September in a 1–0 win over Leeds United in a

West Yorkshire derby The West Yorkshire derbies are a series of football matches or rugby league matches taking place between football or rugby league clubs from West Yorkshire. In football History Leeds United's relegation to League One in 2007 may have reignite ...

. On 28 November 2016, he scored the equaliser in an eventual 2–1 loss at home to

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...

. Huddersfield Town fans voted Mooy as the best player of the season. Mooy was involved in the squad that won the

play-off final The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

, scoring one of Huddersfield's four penalties in the penalty shootout against

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

, which secured them

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

status for the 2017–18 season, the first time in the club's history. On 15 June 2017, it was reported that Huddersfield had agreed a fee with Manchester City to sign Mooy on a permanent basis. The fee was reported to be an initial £8 million, potentially rising to £10 million depending on add-ons. City would also have a buy-back clause for Mooy. The transfer was finalised on 30 June. Mooy made his Premier League debut for Huddersfield in their first game of the 2017–18 season, a 3–0 win over Crystal Palace, Mooy himself involved in two of the goals. He scored his first Premier League goal one week later, the only goal of the game as Huddersfield defeated

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

. On 21 October 2017, Mooy scored the opening goal as Huddersfield upset

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

2–1 in a Premier League clash at John Smith's Stadium.

Brighton & Hove Albion

On 8 August 2019, Mooy joined Brighton & Hove Albion on a season long loan from Huddersfield Town. Mooy made his debut for ''The Seagulls'' coming on as a substitute in a 1–1 home draw against West Ham United on 17 August. Mooy's first start for ''The Albion'' came in the

EFL Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...

on 27 August in a 2–1 away win over Bristol Rovers. He made his first league start for Brighton in a 0–0 away draw at

on 21 September. Mooy signed a permanent deal with Brighton on 24 January 2020, signing a three-and-a-half year contract.

Shanghai Port

On 28 August 2020, it was announced that Mooy had signed for

Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Association Super League, commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the China Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional football in ...

team Shanghai SIPG (now known as Shanghai Port) after activating a £4 million release clause. Brighton head coach

Graham Potter Graham Stephen Potter (born 20 May 1975) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of club Chelsea. In a 13-year playing career, Potter, who played as a left-back, made 307 appearances in the ...

said upon his departure "I have really enjoyed working with him, and on behalf of everyone at the club I would like to thank him for his contribution and wish him well for the future".

Celtic

On 19 July 2022, Mooy joined

on a two-year deal.

International career

Mooy was eligible to represent

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

or the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

through his parents. Mooy made 10 appearances for the

Young Socceroos The Australia national under-20 soccer team, known colloquially as the Young Socceroos, represents Australia in international under-20 soccer. The team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia (FA), which ...

between 2008 and 2009 and scored four goals. He played at the

and played in two group stage games before Australia were eliminated, scoring in his second game against

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. He was called up to the senior Australian side in August 2009, for a friendly match against the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

. In late 2011, Mooy declared his desire to play for

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, however, they were unsuccessful in their qualifying campaign for

London 2012 The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. On 7 December 2012, he made his international debut with the

against

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

scoring a free-kick to open the scoring in a game the Socceroos would win 9–0. In the following game against

Chinese Taipei "Chinese Taipei" is the term used in various international organizations and tournaments for groups or delegations representing the Republic of China (ROC), a country commonly known as Taiwan. Due to the One-China principle stipulated by th ...

, Mooy again scored a free-kick as the Socceroos won 8–0 and qualified for the

EAFF East Asian Cup EAFF E-1 Football Championship, known as the East Asian Football Championship from 2003 to 2010, and the EAFF East Asian Cup for the 2013 and 2015 editions, is a men's international football competition in East Asia for member nations of the Eas ...

. On 11 March 2015, Mooy was selected in a squad to play

and

Macedonia Macedonia most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...

. On 3 September 2015, he scored the fifth goal in a 5–0 defeat of

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Perth. He also holds a Dutch passport due to his mother's heritage. In May 2018 he was named in Australia's 23-man

squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and US doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a team, but smaller than a section." while US Army do ...

for the

2018 World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...

in Russia. Mooy was named in Australia's squad for the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international association football, football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022 ...

in November 2022.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''As of match played 1 February 2022. Australia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Mooy goal.''

Honours

Western Sydney Wanderers *

Premiership:

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

Huddersfield Town *

EFL Championship play-offs The English Football League Championship play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from third to sixth in the EFL Championship table and are part of the English Football League play-offs. , t ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

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 The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's English football; the Premie ...

: 2016–17 Championship * Huddersfield Town Player of the Year: 2016–17

References

External links

Profile
at the Huddersfield Town A.F.C. website
Profile
at the Football Federation Australia website * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mooy, Aaron 1990 births Living people Australian people of Dutch descent Australian people of German descent Soccer players from Sydney Australian soccer players Association football midfielders Bolton Wanderers F.C. players St Mirren F.C. players Western Sydney Wanderers FC players Melbourne City FC players Manchester City F.C. players Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players Shanghai Port F.C. players Chinese Super League players Scottish Premier League players A-League Men players Marquee players (A-League Men) English Football League players Premier League players Scottish Professional Football League players Australia youth international soccer players Australia under-20 international soccer players Australia international soccer players 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2018 FIFA World Cup players Australian expatriate soccer players Australian expatriate sportspeople in China Australian expatriate sportspeople in England Australian expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Expatriate footballers in China Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Scotland New South Wales Institute of Sport alumni 2022 FIFA World Cup players