 Lennon playing forTottenham Hotspur in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aaron Justin Lennon[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1987-04-16)16 April 1987 (age 37)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Leeds, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | 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) | |
| International career | |||
| 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) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Aaron Justin Lennon (/ˈɑːrən/; born 16 April 1987) is an English former professionalfootballer who played as aright winger.
Lennon began his career at hometown clubLeeds United, making his first-team debut in 2003 and becoming the youngest player to play in thePremier League at that time. He moved toTottenham Hotspur in 2005 for £1 million, where he made 364 appearances across all competitions and scored 30 goals. In 2008, Lennon won his first major honour, theLeague Cup, as Tottenham defeated London rivalsChelsea in thefinal.
He joinedEverton in 2015 for £4.5 million, after his successful spell with the club onloan. He scored nine goals in 77 appearances for Everton before joining fellow Premier League clubBurnley in 2018 on a two-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee. He made 55 appearances for the Lancashire club and scored one goal before departing on a free transfer toKayserispor in Turkey in September 2020. He returned to Burnley in August 2021 at the expiry of his contract with Kayserispor.
Lennon made his senior debut for theEngland national team in 2006, and earned 21caps over the next seven years. He was selected by England for the2006 and2010 FIFA World Cups.
Born inLeeds, West Yorkshire,[4] Lennon has a younger brother and a younger sister, and is of Irish and Jamaican heritage.[5][6] He attendedCity of Leeds High School.[6] He was first spotted by scouts when he was eight years old;[citation needed] his older brother Anthony played for Manchester United's youth team.[7]
In 2001, Lennon joined theLeeds United Academy.[8] He set a record as the youngest player ever to have his boots sponsored when he signed up withAdidas at the age of just 14.[8] Two years later, he began his professional career at Leeds United, where he became the youngest player to appear in thePremier League at the age of 16 years and 129 days, coming off the bench atWhite Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur in a 2–1 loss in August 2003.[9]
Lennon scored his only goal for Leeds againstSunderland on 26 December 2004 during a 3–2 win.[10] Lennon had been featuring from the bench up until that point, but he soon took his chance whenJohn Oster was sacked for bad behaviour, becoming a regular starter from then on.[11][12] His pace and skills on thewing excited Leeds fans, and he was one of the star performers in Leeds' first season in theChampionship under the management ofKevin Blackwell with his performances earning rave reviews.[13]
His last involvement at Leeds was playing and scoring inLucas Radebe's testimonial.[14] With Leeds' financial problems, Lennon was sold to Spurs for a heavily reduced fee, with a sell-on clause inserted into the deal.[15]
With Leeds suffering financial difficulties, Lennon made a £1 million move to Tottenham Hotspur on 15 June 2005.[16] His Spurs debut came a couple of months later in a 2–0 home defeat against Chelsea on 27 August 2005.[17] On 18 March 2006, Lennon scored his first Premier League goal in Tottenham's 2–0 victory overBirmingham City atSt Andrew's.[18]
He was nominated by fellow players for thePFA Young Player of the Year for both the2005–06 and2006–07 seasons, but lost out toWayne Rooney andCristiano Ronaldo, respectively.[19][20] Lennon signed a new five-and-a-half-year deal with Tottenham on 8 January 2007.[21]
On 24 February 2008, Lennon won his first major career honour as Tottenham came from a goal down to defeat Chelsea 2–1 after extra time atWembley Stadium in the2008 League Cup Final.[22]
An improved deal was signed in March 2009 which contracted him to Spurs until 2014.[23] Lennon finished the 2008–09 season as the Tottenham Fans' Player of the Season, the club's Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season, and was nominated for a third successive year for PFA Young Player of the Year, this time losing out to Ashley Young.[24] He played in 47 matches in all competitions and scored five goals, including a late equaliser in a memorableNorth London derby which ended 4–4 and was managerHarry Redknapp's first match in charge.[25] Spurs finished eighth in the league and reached the2009 League Cup Final, which they lost on penalties toManchester United after a goalless draw at Wembley Stadium.[26]
His goals early in the2009–10 season – againstWest Ham United at theBoleyn Ground, and Birmingham City – kept Tottenham at the top of the league table with four successive wins, their best start to a league season since the1960–61 season.[27] On 24 October 2009, Lennon was injured in a match againstStoke City. Tottenham were consequently reduced to ten men as manager Harry Redknapp had used all three available substitutes and they would go on to lose the match 1–0.[28] He returned on 22 November in a 9–1 victory againstWigan Athletic and provided three assists and scored one goal. He was substituted in the 79th minute forDavid Bentley, receiving a standing ovation from the fans at White Hart Lane.[29]
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Lennon suffered a groin injury in December 2009 which kept him out of the team during the first months of 2010 and in the run up to the2010 World Cup.[30] He made his return from injury in a 3–1 defeat against Manchester United atOld Trafford on 24 April 2010, appearing as a second-half substitute.[31]
On 28 November 2010, he scored a last minute winner in a 2–1 victory againstLiverpool at White Hart Lane after aBenoît Assou-Ekotto long ball.[32] On 15 February 2011, Lennon went on a blistering run as Tottenham counter-attacked and then delivered a perfect pass to assistPeter Crouch in a 1–0 win overA.C. Milan at theSan Siro in the Round of 16 of theChampions League.[33]
On 18 August 2011, Lennon scored in a 5–0 win againstHearts in aUEFA Europa League play-off tie.[34] He scored his first league goal of the season againstFulham atCraven Cottage.[35] In December, he scored his second goal of the season in a 3–0 win againstBolton at White Hart Lane.[36] His next goal came on 11 January 2012 in a 2–0 home win againstEverton.[37]
On 1 September 2012, he signed a four-year deal keeping him at the club until 2016.[38] Following that, he was named captain for the first time for a Europa League match againstLazio on 20 September 2012 which ended in a 0–0 draw.[39] Lennon scored four goals during the 2012–13 season as Spurs finished in fifth place in the Premier League.[40][41]
On 2 February 2015, Lennon wasloaned to fellow Premier League club Everton for the remainder of the season.[42] He made his debut for the club as a substitute in theMerseyside derby against Liverpool on 7 February.[43] He scored his first goal for Everton in a 2–1 win againstQueens Park Rangers atLoftus Road on 22 March 2015.[44]
He returned to Spurs briefly, for the beginning of the2015–16 season, but was sent to train with the Under-21 squad and was not given a squad number.[45][46] On 1 September 2015, Lennon rejoined Everton permanently on a three-year deal for a reported fee of £4.5 million.[47][48] He began 2016 in a rich vein of form, scoring in a 1–1 draw at home to former club Tottenham,[49] and in three successive Everton wins in late January and early February.[50] Lennon continued his scoring run in a 3–1 away win atAston Villa[51] and he also netted in a 3–2 home loss to West Ham United on 5 March.[52] However, this form proved to be short-lived as results for the team worsened and a poor end to the season led to the sacking of managerRoberto Martínez.[53]
The new season had a more frustrating feel as Lennon found himself well down the pecking order when new bossRonald Koeman took charge of the club. Lennon had played just 14 minutes of football during the first two months of Everton's league campaign[54] with his first league start coming on 19 November 2016 in a home match againstSwansea City.[55]
On 23 January 2018, Lennon signed for Premier League clubBurnley for an undisclosed fee on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[56] His debut came on 31 January, coming on as a substitute in an away game againstNewcastle United which ended in a 1–1 draw.[57] Lennon did not get on the scoresheet until the following season when he scored his first and only goal for the club came in a September 2018 home game againstAFC Bournemouth which finished 4–0.[58] He left the club on the expiration of his contract in June 2020 having made a total of 55 appearances.[59]
Lennon joinedSüper Lig clubKayserispor on 2 September 2020 on a free transfer.[60]
Lennon re-joined Burnley on 25 August 2021 after the expiry of his Kayserispor contract.[61] He made his second debut against Newcastle United in theEFL Cup the same day.[62] Burnley announced on 10 June that Lennon would leave the club at the end of June when his contract expired.[63]
Lennon announced his retirement from football on 15 November 2022.[64]
Lennon was called up to theEngland U21 team for the first time in October 2005 and on 8 May 2006, he was picked inEngland's2006 FIFA World Cup squad, despite being only 19 years of age and uncapped at senior level.[65]
He was namedman of the match in theEngland B encounter againstBelarus on 25 May 2006 in England's World Cup warm-up match at theMadejski Stadium inReading, which England B ultimately lost 2–1.[66] He made his full England debut as a second-half substitute in the 6–0 win overJamaica on 3 June.[67]
Lennon appeared as a second-half substitute for England in their 2006 World Cup group stage match againstTrinidad and Tobago (his first World Cup finals appearance). England scored twice following his and Wayne Rooney's arrival on the field, winning the match 2–0.[68] Lennon then played in the quarter-final match againstPortugal, coming on as a substitute for the injuredDavid Beckham. Lennon was then himself substituted forJamie Carragher immediately prior to a penalty shootout, in which England lost.[69]
Lennon also came on as a substitute during a 5–0Euro 2008 qualifying victory overAndorra on 2 September 2006 and made an instant impact by assisting Peter Crouch's second goal after receiving the ball for the first time.[70] He made his first start for England in a Euro 2008 qualifier againstIsrael in March 2007[71][72] and was also selected in the first XI for the following match against Andorra.[73] This proved to be Lennon's last appearance for exactly two years as he was selected again by England on 28 March 2009, starting in a friendly match withSlovakia at Wembley Stadium.[74][75] Lennon started again for England when they playedUkraine on 1 April 2009 at Wembley Stadium.[76]
He was called up for the friendly againstSlovenia and theWorld Cup qualifier versusCroatia, following his fine form for Tottenham,[77] and was named man of the match in the 5–1 win over Croatia.[78]
Lennon was named in managerFabio Capello's 23-man squad for the2010 FIFA World Cup.[79] At the tournament in South Africa, he started in England's opening two fixtures; the 1–1 draw against theUnited States and in the 0–0 draw withAlgeria.[80][81]
After a two-year absence, Lennon was recalled to the England squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers againstSan Marino andPoland in October 2012,[82] appearing as an early substitute in the San Marino match and providing the cross forDanny Welbeck's first goal.[83] He won his final cap in a friendly against Brazil in February 2013, missing the following month's World Cup qualifiers due to injury.[84][85]
On 30 April 2017, Lennon was detained under theMental Health Act 2007. He was taken to hospital "for assessment" after police were called to reports of danger to a man's life inSalford. Lennon was said to be "receiving care and treatment for a stress-related illness", Everton reported.[86]
In March 2019, he spoke about the incident, and said that other players had asked him for advice.[87]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Leeds United | 2003–04[88] | Premier League | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | |
| 2004–05[12] | Championship | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 1 | ||
| Total | 38 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 43 | 1 | |||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2005–06[89] | Premier League | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 2 | |
| 2006–07[90] | Premier League | 26 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8[a] | 1 | 43 | 5 | |
| 2007–08[91] | Premier League | 29 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 9[a] | 0 | 47 | 3 | |
| 2008–09[92] | Premier League | 35 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6[a] | 0 | 47 | 5 | |
| 2009–10[93] | Premier League | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 24 | 3 | ||
| 2010–11[94] | Premier League | 34 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10[b] | 0 | 46 | 3 | |
| 2011–12[95] | Premier League | 23 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[c] | 1 | 32 | 4 | |
| 2012–13[40] | Premier League | 34 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11[c] | 0 | 46 | 4 | |
| 2013–14[96] | Premier League | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 33 | 1 | |
| 2014–15[97] | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6[c] | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| Total | 266 | 26 | 19 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 58 | 2 | 364 | 30 | ||
| Everton (loan) | 2014–15[97] | Premier League | 14 | 2 | — | — | — | 14 | 2 | |||
| Everton | 2015–16[98] | Premier League | 25 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 31 | 6 | |
| 2016–17[99] | Premier League | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 13 | 1 | ||
| 2017–18[100] | Premier League | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| Total | 65 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 77 | 9 | ||
| Burnley | 2017–18[100] | Premier League | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19[101] | Premier League | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6[c] | 0 | 22 | 1 | |
| 2019–20[102] | Premier League | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | ||
| Total | 46 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 55 | 1 | ||
| Kayserispor | 2020–21[103] | Süper Lig | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 0 | ||
| Burnley | 2021–22[104] | Premier League | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 32 | 2 | |
| Career total | 479 | 37 | 29 | 2 | 33 | 2 | 66 | 2 | 607 | 43 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2006 | 7 | 0 |
| 2007 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 21 | 0 | |
Tottenham Hotspur
England squads | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
