Aaron Mooy

Aaron Frank Mooy (; ; born 15 September 1990) is an Australian former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He is considered to be one of the great Australian midfielders and one of Huddersfield Town's greatest players in recent decades. Mooy was voted PFA Footballer of the Year a record three times, consecutively, and was nominated for the 2017 Asian Footballer of the Year award. He was named in the A-League Men Team of the Season twice, and was named in the PFA Team of the Year and EFL Team of the Season once. He was voted and named in Australia's Team of the Century.

Born in Sydney, Mooy made his professional debut with St Mirren in 2010 before returning to Australia with Western Sydney Wanderers, winning the A-League Premiers' title in their inaugural season. However, after inconsistent playing time, he left for Melbourne City and eventually joined Manchester City in 2016. Mooy was immediately loaned to Huddersfield, achieving promotion to the Premier League for the first time in the club's history. He signed a permanent deal the following season. After spending two more seasons and being relegated, Mooy was loaned out to Brighton in August 2020 and signed a permanent deal in January 2021. The same year, he then agreed a transfer deal to the Chinese Super League with Shanghai Port but was released due to the COVID outbreak. He joined Celtic in July 2022, being a key part in their 8th treble, winning the Scottish Premiership, Scottish League Cup and Scottish Cup, mainly playing in the World Cup qualifying campaigns. He played in two World Cups, the 2018 World Cup and 2022 World Cup, with his final appearance against Argentina before retiring in June 2023.

Early life

Aaron Frank Mooy was born on 15 September 1990 in Sydney, Australia. At birth, he was given the name Aaron Kuhlman, but his surname was changed by his Dutch mother after she divorced his father during Mooy's early childhood. Mooy had minimal contact with his father, with their only meeting occurring when Mooy was a toddler, and briefly again at 14 during which his father signed forms for his Dutch passport. During this time, Mooy met his brother Nathan at a shopping centre whilst accompanied by his Wanderers teammates.

During his upbringing, Mooy developed an interest in watching Premier League matches, particularly favouring Manchester United. David Beckham became his favourite player, and he would watch Beckham's games and practice free kicks, often pretending to be him. One day, Mooy expressed his enjoyment of playing with friends to his mother, who promptly registered him with the Carlingford Redbacks, a club that his German stepfather, Alan Todd, would soon join to coach his team.

Mooy's early football journey included stints with various clubs such as the Carlingford Redbacks, Granville Magpies, Blacktown City, and Northern Spirit. He enrolled at the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) at Sydney Olympic Park and attended Westfields Sports High School. Mornings were dedicated to training, while afternoons were reserved for academic classes. Following the path of many aspiring footballers, Mooy left his home country at the age of 15 to pursue his ambitions.

Club career

Early career

Mooy started his career in Europe as a youth scholar at Bolton Wanderers after being spotted by Chris Sulley. He rejected a contract extension from Bolton in July 2010 in search of more first team football. Mooy joined Scottish Premier League 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 and the next game, he scored his first league goal for the club against Rangers at St Mirren Park on Christmas Eve 2011. On 20 June 2012, Mooy was released from St Mirren, expected to return to Australia, and join an A-League club in West Sydney. He departed the club, making a total of 30 appearances.

Western Sydney Wanderers

On 25 June 2012, Mooy signed with Western Sydney Wanderers, becoming one of the club's first signings for their inaugural season in the A-League. The official media launch took place at Parramatta Stadium, where he was introduced alongside two players, Tarek Elrich and Kwabena Appiah, ahead of the 2012–13 A-League season. Following the launch, Mooy would be joined with Mark Bridge, Michael Beauchamp and Shannon Cole prior to the club's first training session on 2 July. Mooy made his unofficial debut at Cook Park, St Marys, in front of a crowd of 3,612, in the Wanderers' 5–0 debut win against Nepean on 26 July.

On 6 October, Mooy made his competitive debut in the opening game of the season in a 0–0 home draw against Central Coast Mariners. He played in the first Sydney Derby match on 20 October, where his side succumbed to a 1–0 defeat after Alessandro Del Piero scored the winner for Sydney FC. On 23 February 2013, Mooy scored his first goal for the club, netting the winner in a 1–0 win against Perth Glory, but was benched the next game by Tony Popovic before the Wanderers' won their 8th successive win in a row. Mooy would miss the final games against Brisbane Roar and Newcastle due to a knee injury, as the Wanderers lifted the Premiers' Plate in the last round at Hunter Stadium in front of 8,000 Wanderers fans.

He made his return in the Grand Final where his side lost 2–0 to Central Coast Mariners. In January 2014, Mooy handed in a request for a transfer, effective immediately, to Western Sydney Wanderers after being unhappy with inconsistent game time during the season. In the following games, he scored in two consecutive matches, netting his 2nd and 3rd goals of the season against Perth Glory and Newcastle respectively. Leading into February, Mooy was in the finalised squad for the Wanderers in their first AFC Champions League campaign. He scored his first AFC Champions League goal in a 5–0 group stage victory over Guizhou Renhe, securing his side qualification to the Round of 16. Two weeks later, Mooy was subbed on in his second consecutive Grand Final where he was booked in extra time before losing 2–1 to Brisbane Roar in front of 51,153 attendees at Suncorp Stadium. On 21 May, Mooy was released by the club.

Melbourne City

2014–15

On the day of his release, Mooy signed a two-year contract with Melbourne City. He made his league debut on 11 October 2014 against Sydney FC, sitting in midfield behind a forward line consisting of David Villa. The following matches, after registering two assists, Mooy was named as Melbourne City's inaugural Etihad Player of the month for October, and soon for November due his performance in City's first win of the season against Brisbane Roar. Mooy scored his first goal on 7 December, the only goal from a penalty in the home fixture against Brisbane. He was voted Man of the match for his performance. On 27 December, Mooy received his second Man of the match award, scoring a goal in City's 1–1 draw against Perth Glory.

Continuing his form in February, Mooy scored the winning goal from 20 metres against his former club, Western Sydney Wanderers, to secure his side a 2–1 win. His performances labelled him by John van 't Schip as his "most stable and most important player". By the end of the season, Mooy was named on three awards; collecting the Golden Boot (7 goals), Supporters’ Player of the Year and the Player of the Year in Melbourne City's award ceremony. In reflection to this, he contributed to 47% of City's total goals, led the A-League for balls into the penalty area, completed crosses, completed through balls and shot assists, while defensively he was second in the competition for effective tackles.

2015–16

On 11 August 2015, Mooy re-signed with the club, a three-year deal as the club's marquee player ahead of the 2015–16 season. He started his campaign, scoring the opening goal from a penalty, in a 5–1 win over Wellington Phoenix in the FFA Cup. In the subsequent round, Mooy scored his first hat-trick, the first City player to do so in a cup match, in a 5–0 victory against Heidelberg United at Olympic Village. In the first Melbourne Derby of the league season, Mooy assisted twice, giving Bruno Fornaroli his first league goal for the club, before losing 3–2 to Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium. In the following month, Mooy would accumalte 13 goal contributions, including 6 goals and 7 assists, piquing interest from Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr whom City rejected a record $2 million offer from.

Following pasts the New Year, Mooy missed the game against Sydney FC due to a rib fracture he received three weeks before. Mooy made his return on 9 January 2016, against his former side Western Sydney Wanderers, helping his side to a 3–2 win and ending the Wanderers' 10-game unbeaten streak. On 26 February, Mooy scored his 10th goal of the season, from a deflected free kick, in a 2–1 league defeat to Wellington at Westpac Stadium. Mooy would score his 11th on 18 March against Brisbane, followed by Harry Novillo who scored his 10th on 28 March, with City becoming the first A-League club to have three players with double-figures in goals; with Novillo (10), Mooy (11) and Fornaroli (21). City finished their league campaign, following a 4–1 loss to Adelaide United in the A-League semi-final.

By the end of the season, Mooy finished with 11 goals and 21 assists in the league, setting a new record for the most assists in an A-League season and became the first player in A-Leagues history to reach double digits in both goals and assists in a single season. Mooy was placed second in the Johnny Warren Medal, losing to Perth Glory's Diego Castro.

Huddersfield Town

2016–17: Acquisition from Man City and loan to Huddersfield

Mooy was signed by Manchester City on a three-year deal on 30 June 2016. His contract was understood to be around $4 million per year, making him one of the highest-paid Australian footballers. Six days after signing for Manchester City, 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 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. On 28 November 2016, he scored the equaliser in an eventual 2–1 loss at home to Wigan Athletic. Huddersfield Town fans voted Mooy as the best player of the season. Mooy was involved in the squad that won the play-off final, scoring one of Huddersfield's four penalties in the penalty shootout against Reading, which secured them Premier League status for the 2017–18 season, the first time in the club's history.

2017–2019: Permanent transfer and Premier league debut

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. On 21 October 2017, Mooy scored the opening goal as Huddersfield upset Manchester United 2–1 in a Premier League clash at Kirklees Stadium. Following the match, a young fan gifted Mooy £5 for his performance, which he later donated to the club's Town Foundation—a charitable organization dedicated to supporting children in the local community. On 17 December, Mooy added his 3rd and 4th goal of the season, including a brace in the 89th minute from the penalty spot, securing a 4–1 win over Watford. He helped Huddersfield clinch survival on 9 May 2018, assisting Laurent Depoitre, to draw 1–1 at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea.

After recovering from bad form in the early stages of the 2018–19 season, Mooy scored two goals, his second being a free kick past Rui Patrício, to secure a 2–0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers, sending his side above the relegation zone. In addition to this, Mooy ended his 29 game run without scoring a goal. However, during December, Mooy sustained a knee injury after a match against Arsenal which consigned him on the sidelined for two months. From there, Huddersfield recorded 6 losses and 1 draw in their next 7 games, returning to the bottom of the table and manager David Wagner departing soon afterwards. Mooy returned to fitness in late January 2019, but his side form began to falter resulting in relegation after a 3–0 defeat to Crystal Palace before the end of March; equalling Derby’s record for the earliest relegation from the division. Mooy would look to depart the club, having a reported asking price set on $25 million valuation before the transfer window closed on 9 August.

Brighton & Hove Albion

On 8 August 2019, Mooy joined Brighton & Hove Albion on a one-year loan from Huddersfield Town, joining alongside international teammate Mathew Ryan. He made his debut for the club as a substitute on 17 August, in a 1–1 home draw against West Ham United in the Premier League. On 19 October, Mooy was sent off for the first time in his club career after receiving two bookings in the 30th and 35th minute (for fouling Jack Grealish) in Brighton's eventual 2–1 loss to Aston Villa. On 9 December, Mooy assisted the winning goal, a cross to Neal Maupay, to win the game 2–1 against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium. In the same month, on 28 December, Mooy scored his first goal for ''The Albion'' in a 2–0 victory over Bournemouth. His goal was nominated in Premier League Goal of the Month. On 24 January 2020, Brighton announced the permanent signing of Mooy, on a three-and-a-half-year contract, in a deal reported to be worth £5 million. He finished his first season for the south-coast team, making 32 appearances.

Shanghai Port

On 28 August 2020, it was announced that Mooy had signed for Chinese Super League team Shanghai SIPG (now known as Shanghai Port) after activating a £4 million release clause. Brighton head coach Graham Potter 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".

On 15 September 2020, Mooy scored the winning goal on his debut, after coming on in the second half in a 2–1 win against Wuhan. He would lead his side to second in the AFC Champions League group stage, before getting knocked out in the Round of 16 after a 2–0 loss to Vissel Kobe. The next season, Mooy missed out on the 2021 AFC Champions League after Shanghai Port withdrawn due to lockdown rules in China. As the lockdowns extended, Mooy refused to return to China for pre-season despite multiple request from Shanghai, in fear of being caught in the pandemic. Shanghai soon negotiated an early release to Mooy in July 2022. His last competitive appearance for the club was on 9 January, after making 13 appearances and 5 goals during the campaign. In order to keep fit, Mooy returned to Glasgow, where his family were based, to train with a fitness coach who flew from Australia's training camp in Dubai.

Celtic

On 19 July 2022, Mooy signed a two-year deal with Celtic, reuniting with former manager, Ange Postecoglou. His contract was worth £1.2 million per year, having taken a salary cut from his £3 million per year contract in China.

Mooy made his debut for the club on 31 July, coming on as a late substitute in a 2–0 home win over Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership. He made his Champions League debut in a 3–0 home loss to defending champions Real Madrid on 6 September, and later earning his first start for the club in a 2–0 away loss against St Mirren on 18 September. On 28 December, Mooy scored his first goals for Celtic, leading his side by netting the opener and a brace in a 4–0 victory against Hibernian at Easter Road. Mooy went on to provide 6 goals and 6 assists in all competitions by 5 February 2023, after adding a goal and an assist in a 4–1 win over St Johnstone. On 26 February, Mooy started in Celtic's 2–1 victory over Rangers in the League Cup final, contributing to the build-up of the second goal and securing his side's first trophy of the season.

Continuing on his form in the Scottish Cup