 Bailey withBayer Leverkusen in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leon Patrick Bailey[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1997-08-09)9 August 1997 (age 28)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Kingston, Jamaica | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Right winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Roma (on loan fromAston 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 | 110 | (16) |
| 2025– | →Roma (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015 | Jamaica U23 | 1 | (1) |
| 2019– | Jamaica | 39 | (7) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 12:11, 11 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 03:37, 25 June 2025 (UTC) | |||
Leon Patrick Bailey (born 9 August 1997) is a Jamaican professionalfootballer who plays as aright winger forSerie A clubRoma, on loan fromPremier League clubAston Villa. He also plays for theJamaica national team.
Bailey arrived in Europe at the age of 13 and played for a number of clubs at youth level before being signed by Belgian sideGenk in 2015, where he was named BelgianYoung Footballer of the Year. His success in Belgium earned him a move toBundesliga sideBayer Leverkusen in 2017. After four years at the club, he was signed by Aston Villa in 2021 for a fee of around £30 million.[3]
Bailey started his career playing for the Phoenix All-Star Academy operated by his adoptive father, Craig Butler.[4] In 2011, Butler arrived in Europe to find a club for Bailey and Butler's biological son,Kyle. Bailey caught the eye ofGenk in Belgium, but because of the very strict regulations on minors by FIFA, they could not offer him a contract.[5] Bailey almost joinedStandard Liège,[6] but the transfer was not approved because Butler had no work permit. Aged 13, Bailey signed for Austrian non-league side Anif Jugend,[7] before moving toLiefering.
In the beginning of 2013, Bailey signed a professional contract with Slovakian sideTrenčín.[8] In October 2013, Bailey reached a verbal agreement withAjax, but a transfer did not materialise due to FIFA rules.[9]
Bailey joinedGenk in 2015 from Trenčín. He made hisBelgian Pro League debut on 21 August 2015 in a 3–1 away defeat againstSint-Truiden replacingSiebe Schrijvers after 62 minutes.[10] He scored his first professional goal for KRC Genk on 21 November versusOH Leuven. At the end of the 2015–16 season he won the BelgianYoung Footballer of the Year award. His goal in theEuropa League againstRapid Wien on 15 September 2016 was chosen as the top goal of the competition for the 2016–17 season by UEFA.[11]
Bailey joinedBayer Leverkusen in January 2017 for a fee of €20 million, after interest fromManchester United andChelsea. He made his debut forLeverkusen on 3 February 2017, in a 1–0 defeat against Hamburg. HisChampions League debut came on 24 February 2017, in a 2–2 draw againstAtlético Madrid. He made ten appearances for Leverkusen in his first half season at the club.[12]
He scored his first goal for the club on 11 August 2017, in the first game of the 2017–18 season in a 3–0 victory in the German Cup againstKarlsruher SC. His first league goal for the club came on 29 September againstSchalke 04.[13] He finished the season scoring 12 goals in 34 games in all competitions, helping guide Bayer Leverkusen to a fifth-place finish in theBundesliga.[14] On 30 November 2019, he scored twice in a 2–1 win over championsBayern Munich, one goal with each foot.[15]
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On 4 August 2021, Bailey signed forPremier League clubAston Villa.[16] On 14 August 2021, he made his Premier League debut as a substitute in a 3–2 loss toWatford.[17] On 18 September, he scored his first goal for Villa in a 3–0 home victory overEverton, in which he also took a corner that led to aLucas Digne own goal.[18] Bailey's first season with Aston Villa was punctuated with injuries – suffering a hamstring injury in August that ruled him out for a month, aquad injury in the game above against Everton that ruled him out for another month, another thigh injury in December that ruled him out until February, which was followed by an ankle injury in April which prematurely ended his season – ultimately limiting Bailey to only 7 starts.[19][20]
On 6 November 2022, Bailey scored the first goal underUnai Emery in a 3–1 home victory overManchester United and was later named player of that month.[21] On 6 December 2023, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory overManchester City, which was his club's first win against the latter since 2013.[22]
Bailey scored against Hibernian in both home (3–0) & away legs (0–5) to help qualify Villa for theUEFA Conference League group stage as well as against Ajax (4–0) in the Round of 16 eventually bowing out to Olympiakos (6–2 on aggregate) in the semi-finals.[23][24] In that season, Bailey scored 10 goals in the Premier League to help Villa finish fourth & qualify for theUEFA Champions League.[25] In the 24/25 season, Bailey scored his first goal of the season against Leicester at home on the 20th match day.
Bailey became the second Jamaican player to score in the UEFA Champions League, followingWes Morgan, after scoring for Aston Villa againstClub Brugge in a 1–3 win on 4 March 2025.[26] He also became the first Jamaican player to assist a goal in the UEFA Champions League, after assistingMarco Asensio during the second leg of the round of 16 tie against Club Brugge on 12 March 2025.[27]
On 20 August 2025, Bailey joined ItalianSerie A clubRoma on loan for the2025–26 season, with the option to make the move permanent once the season concludes.[28]
Bailey played in afriendly match forJamaica under-23s on 8 March 2015 versus the Cayman Islands under-23 side, where he scored directly from a free kick.[29]
In March 2017 it was reported that Bailey would refuse Jamaica call ups until the standards of Jamaican football improved.[30] In September 2017, Bailey told German football magazine Kicker: "They always want me to play for Jamaica, but I've had personal problems with theassociation since I was eleven or twelve years old".[31] In January 2018,Winfried Schäfer, the formerJamaica national team coach told a German newspaperBild "I really wanted to make him a national player. I have invited him several times – among others to the Gold Cup in America and to international matches. I also called at Genk. But his step-father blocked everything."[32] Bailey was thought to have accepted a call-up in October 2018, but reneged after demanding that his brother Kyle Butler, who at the time played for the reserves ofFC Juniors OÖ in the Austrian2. Liga, be called up too.[33]
In May 2019, Bailey was named to the Jamaican provisional squad for the2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, with Bailey officially announcing that he would accept the call-up and represent the Reggae Boyz.[34][35][non-primary source needed] The 21-year-old would earn his first Jamaica international cap on 17 June 2019 againstHonduras.[36] Bailey scored his first goal for Jamaica on 6 September 2019 againstAntigua and Barbuda, netting the fifth goal in a 6–0 victory inCONCACAF Nations League play.[37]
Bailey was thought to have been eligible to represent England as he has two grandparents who have British citizenship.[38] However, it was discovered he was not eligible to play for England as none of his grandparents were born in England.[33]
On 20 March 2024, Bailey announced via a podcast on YouTube that he will be taking a break from the Jamaican National Team. In his interview Bailey highlighted key issues he faces whenever he comes to represent the Reggae Boyz, such as the unprofessionalism of theJamaica Football Federation towards the team and himself.[39]
On 12 June 2024, Bailey was listed in Jamaica'sCopa America 2024 squad. His agent and step-father subsequently stated on social media that Bailey's position regarding his participation with Jamaica was unchanged and he would not be joining up with the squad for the tournament.[40] In response, the Jamaica Football Federation announced that Bailey had been temporarily suspended from selection for the Jamaican national team.[41]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | 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[c] | 7 | 35 | 9 | |||
| Total | 56 | 8 | 9 | 1 | — | 12 | 7 | 77 | 16 | |||
| Bayer Leverkusen | 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 8 | 0 | — | — | 2[d] | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | 30 | 9 | 4 | 3 | — | — | 34 | 12 | ||||
| 2018–19 | 29 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | 8[c] | 0 | 39 | 5 | |||
| 2019–20 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 1 | — | 8[e] | 1 | 33 | 7 | |||
| 2020–21 | 30 | 9 | 2 | 1 | — | 8[c] | 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[f] | 4 | 52 | 14 | ||
| 2024–25 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8[d] | 1 | 38 | 2 | ||
| Total | 110 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 21 | 5 | 144 | 22 | ||
| Roma (loan) | 2025–26 | Serie A | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Career total | 289 | 52 | 29 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 60 | 18 | 382 | 77 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamaica | 2019 | 6 | 1 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 7 | 2 | |
| Total | 39 | 7 | |
| 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 |
| 6 | 21 March 2025 | Arnos Vale Stadium,Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification |
| 7 | 20 June 2025 | PayPal Park,San Jose, United States |  Guadeloupe | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
Individual
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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