| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kobbie Boateng Mainoo | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (2005-04-19)19 April 2005 (age 20) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Stockport, Greater Manchester, England | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Manchester United | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 37 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| Cheadle & Gatley | |||||||||||||||||
| Failsworth Dynamos | |||||||||||||||||
| –2022 | Manchester United | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Manchester United | 58 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | England U17 | 5 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022 | England U18 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023 | England U19 | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | England | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 08:09, 25 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 22:05, 7 September 2024 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Kobbie Boateng Mainoo (/ˈkɔːbɪˈmeɪnuː/;[3] born 19 April 2005) is an English professionalfootballer who plays as amidfielder forPremier League clubManchester United and theEngland national team. He is known for his dribbling and composure.[4][5][6]
Mainoo is a graduate ofManchester United's youth system and won theJimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in 2023. He made his first-team debut in anEFL Cup match in January 2023. Mainoo played for England fromunder-17 youth level, before making his debut for the senior team in March 2024.
Kobbie Boateng Mainoo[7] was born on 19 April 2005[1] inStockport, Greater Manchester,[8] to parents from Ghana.[9] His older brother is Jordan Mainoo-Hames, who appeared as a contestant on thefifth series ofLove Island.[10] He was raised inCheadle Hulme, a suburb of Stockport,[11] and started his youth career at Cheadle & Gatley Junior Football Club.[12] He then joined Failsworth Dynamos, where he played as a forward.[13] He was scouted forManchester United at the age of six,[14] signed up at the age of seven,[15] and joined the academy at the age of nine. Mainoo studied atAshton-on-Mersey School.[12]
Mainoo signed his first professional contract with Manchester United in May 2022.[16] His performances earned him a call-up to the first-team squad for training in October.[17]
Mainoo was named on the bench for the first time on 16 October 2022, for aPremier League match againstNewcastle United,[18] followed by making his senior debut on 10 January 2023, starting in a 3–0 home win overCharlton Athletic in theEFL Cup.[19] He made his league debut on 19 February by coming on as a substitute in a 3–0 home win againstLeicester City in thePremier League.[20]
Mainoo travelled with the Manchester United squad on their2023–24 pre-season tour in the United States.[21] However, he picked up an injury which kept him out for the start of the upcoming season.[22] Returning from injury, Mainoo made his first league start for Manchester United on 26 November 2023, in a 3–0Premier League victory away toEverton, in which he was namedman of the match.[23] On 29 November, he made hisUEFA Champions League debut, coming off the bench in agroup stage 3–3 away draw againstGalatasaray.[24]
On 28 January 2024, Mainoo scored his first goal for Manchester United in a 4–2 win away toNewport County in theFA Cup fourth round.[25] A few days later, on 1 February, he scored his first Premier League goal, a stoppage time winner in a 4–3 away victory overWolverhampton Wanderers.[26] The goal was later awardedPremier League Goal of the Month for February 2024.[27] On 7 April, he netted his first professional goal atOld Trafford in a 2–2 draw withrivalsLiverpool in the Premier League.[28]
In theFA Cup final, Mainoo scored the eventual winning goal in a 2–1 victory overlocal rivalsManchester City and was awarded Man of the Match.[29] He became the first English teenager to score in a final sinceSteve MacKenzie in1981 and the youngest sinceJohn Sissons in1964.[30] His performances for the season were widely praised, with him being nominated for thePremier League Young Player of the Season award.[31]
On 17 October 2024, Manchester United confirmed that Mainoo would be out for a few weeks following a muscle injury he picked up during a 0–0 away toAston Villa on 6 October.[32] He made his return on 1 December 2024, starting in a 4–0 win against Everton in new head coachRuben Amorim's first Premier League match at Old Trafford.[33]
On 30 January 2025, Mainoo scored his first goal of the season and his first in Europe in a 2–0 away win overFCSB. He also got an assist and was namedman of the match.[34]
On 17 April 2025, following a return from injury, Mainoo scored a last-minute extra-time equaliser in the second-leg of aEuropa League tie againstOlympique Lyon. United scored only a minute later to win 5-4, as they became the first team to score two goals in the 120th minute of a European match.[35]
Mainoo has represented England atunder-17,under-18, andunder-19 youth levels, and at thesenior level.[36]
In March 2024, Mainoo was called up to the senior squad for the first time for England'sfriendlies againstBrazil andBelgium, after previously being drafted for the under-21s.[37] Aged 18, he made his debut on 23 March as a substitute forConor Gallagher in a 1–0 defeat to Brazil atWembley Stadium.[38] He made his first England start in a 2–2 draw against Belgium, in which he was named man of the match.[39]
On 6 June, Mainoo was named in England's 26-man squad forUEFA Euro 2024.[40] He made his competitive debut in the team's opening match, playing the last four minutes as a substitute forJude Bellingham in a 1–0 win overSerbia.[41] On 25 June, he played the second half againstSlovenia in a 0–0 draw in the team's finalgroup stage match, replacing Conor Gallagher at half time.[42] In theround of 16 match againstSlovakia, he became the third-youngest player to start for England at a knockout stage of a major tournament in a 2–1 win.[43] On 10 July, in a 2–1 win in thesemi-finals againstNetherlands, he became the youngest England player to play a semi-final of a major tournament.[44] Four days later, he started in thefinal, which ended in a 2–1 defeat toSpain.[45]
Mainoo is primarily acentral midfielder who is also capable of playing as adefensive midfielder andattacking midfielder.[2] An intelligent and composed player, he excels in driving the ball forward, using hisdribbling skills to navigate through tight spaces and evade defenders.[4][5][6] Former Manchester United defenderRio Ferdinand has compared his style of play to that ofClarence Seedorf.[46] Former Manchester United managerErik ten Hag praised his ability to "quickly adapt to high levels", as well as his willingness to progress and develop as a player.[47][48] Pundit and former United midfielderPaul Scholes praised him, saying that "Just love the way he receives the ball, the calmness, the awareness of what's around him, and of course big goals in big games."[29]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester United U21 | 2022–23[49] | — | — | — | — | 3[a] | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||||
| 2023–24[50] | — | — | — | — | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Manchester United | 2022–23[49] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023–24[50] | Premier League | 24 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | — | 32 | 5 | ||
| 2024–25[51] | Premier League | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8[c] | 2 | 1[d] | 0 | 37 | 2 | |
| 2025–26[52] | Premier League | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Total | 58 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 81 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 58 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 85 | 7 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2024 | 10 | 0 |
| Total | 10 | 0 | |
Manchester United U18
Manchester United
England
Individual
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