Aaron Connolly (Irish footballer)

Aaron Connolly

Connolly with Hull City in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Aaron Anthony Connolly [1]
Date of birth	(2000-01-28) 28 January 2000 (age 24) [2]
Place of birth	Oranmore, County Galway, Ireland
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) [3]
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Sunderland
Number	24
Youth career
2005–2011	Maree/Oranmore FC
2011–2016	Mervue United
2016–2019	Brighton & Hove Albion
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017–2023	Brighton & Hove Albion	45	(5)
2019	→ Luton Town (loan)	2	(0)
2022	→ Middlesbrough (loan)	18	(2)
2022–2023	→ Venezia (loan)	5	(0)
2023	→ Hull City (loan)	5	(2)
2023–2024	Hull City	28	(8)
2024–	Sunderland	9	(1)
International career‡
2016–2017	Republic of Ireland U17	10	(7)
2017–2018	Republic of Ireland U19	3	(1)
2019–2022	Republic of Ireland U21	13	(1)
2019–	Republic of Ireland	9	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 08:29, 13 December 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:26, 7 September 2023 (UTC)

Aaron Anthony Connolly (born 28 January 2000) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Sunderland and the Republic of Ireland national team.

Club career

Brighton & Hove Albion

Connolly was born in Galway and started his career in the youth team of Maree/Oranmore FC in 2005. ^[4] He joined Mervue United's youth team at the age of 11. ^[5] In the summer of 2016 he joined Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion on trial, impressing enough for the club to offer him a two-year scholarship with the under-18 side. ^[5] He was fast-tracked in the under-23 side and also went on to make his debut for the first team at the age of 17 when he appeared as a substitute for Tomer Hemed in the 1–0 EFL Cup win over Barnet in August 2017. ^[6] He signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract with Brighton on 31 January 2019.

Loan to Luton Town

On 31 January 2019, Connolly joined League One leaders Luton Town on loan for the remainder of the 2018–19 season. ^[7] He officially joined up with Luton on 2 April 2019 after returning from injury. Connolly made his football league and Luton debut on 13 April coming on in the 68th minute at 1–1 away to Charlton. Luton went on to lose 3–1 at The Valley. ^[8]

Return to Brighton

On 27 August 2019, Connolly scored his first senior goal in a 2–1 away win over Bristol Rovers in the EFL Cup. ^[9] He made his league debut for Brighton four days later, coming on as a substitute for Neal Maupay in the 66th minute of a 4–0 defeat away to Manchester City. ^[10] Connolly made another appearance from the bench in The Seagulls' next fixture, a 1–1 home draw against Burnley on 14 September. ^[11] He made his first Premier League start on 5 October in a match against Tottenham Hotspur where he scored his first two Premier League goals in the 3–0 home victory. ^[12] Connolly's next goal came in the last game of the season in a 2–1 away win over Burnley, finishing the season with three goals in 24 league appearances. ^[13] He signed a new four-year contract with Brighton in July 2020. ^[14]

Connolly scored his first goal of the 2020–21 season in Brighton's second league match scoring The Albion's third in a 3–0 away win at Newcastle. ^[15] He scored his second goal of the season on the second day of the new year tapping The Seagulls into the lead in an eventual 3–3 draw in which he came off injured at the break against Wolves. ^[16] Connolly came on as a substitute in Brighton's 1–0 away victory over defending champions Liverpool on 3 February claiming their first league win at Anfield since 1982. ^[17]

Connolly scored his first goal of the 2021–22 season scoring a brace and the only goals in the 2–0 EFL Cup third round home victory over Swansea City on 22 September. ^[18] He made his first Premier League start of the campaign on 15 December, where his fourth overall league appearance of the season only lasted 61 minutes, being replaced by Alexis Mac Allister in the 1–0 home defeat against Wolves. ^[19]

Loan to Middlesbrough

On 2 January 2022, Connolly joined Championship club Middlesbrough on loan until the end of the season. ^[20] He made his Boro and Championship debut on 15 January, playing 67 minutes before being replaced by fellow loanee Folarin Balogun in the eventual 2–1 home victory over Reading. ^[21] Connolly featured as a substitute in the eventual penalty shootout victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup fourth round at Old Trafford on 4 February. ^[22] Eight days later he scored his first goal for Boro, in the 4–1 home victory over Derby County, putting Middlesbrough into a play-off spot. ^[23] It took Connolly eight further games to score his second goal for the side, opening the scoreline in the 2–0 away win over Birmingham City on 15 March. ^[24]

Loan to Venezia

On 14 July 2022, Connolly joined Italian Serie B club Venezia on a loan deal for the 2022–23 season. ^{[25] [26]}

Loan to Hull City

On 6 January 2023, Connolly returned early from Venezia and joined Hull City on a loan deal until the end of the season. ^[27] He made his debut a day later, coming on as 61st minute substitute replacing Harvey Vale, in the 2–0 FA Cup third round home loss to Premier League opposition Fulham. ^[28] On 28 January, Connolly's 23rd birthday, he scored his first Hull goals, netting two in the 3–0 home win over Queens Park Rangers. ^[29]

Hull City

On 2 August 2023, Connolly signed a one-year deal with Hull City for an undisclosed fee. ^[30] On 12 August 2023, Connolly came off the bench against Sheffield Wednesday to score his first goal as a permanent player for Hull City. ^[31] On 19 May 2024, the club announced he would be released in the summer when his contract expired. ^[32]

Sunderland

On 24 September 2024, Connolly joined Championship side Sunderland on a one-year deal. ^[33] On 23 November 2024, Connolly scored his first goal for Sunderland in a 1-1 draw at Millwall. The game was temporarily suspended towards the end of the first half because of a medical emergency in the crowd. ^[34]

International career

Connolly has represented the Republic of Ireland at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level. ^[35] He was leading goalscorer in the qualifying stage for the 2017 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, scoring seven goals in six matches. ^[36] He featured in all four matches in the final tournament held in Croatia, but failed to score as Ireland were eliminated by England in the quarter-finals. ^[35]

Connolly was included in the Republic of Ireland U21 squad for the 2019 Toulon Tournament. Connolly started Ireland's opening group match vs China U23 and marked it with a goal and an assist for Zak Elbouzedi in a 4–1 win. ^[37]

On 5 October 2019, he received his first call-up for the Republic of Ireland senior team for the Euro 2020 qualifying matches against Georgia and Switzerland. ^[38] He made his debut against Georgia on 12 October 2019, replacing James Collins when he came on as a substitute in the 79th minute in the 0–0 away draw. ^[39]

After over a year without a cap at senior level, Connolly made a return to the Republic of Ireland U21 side in November 2022, when he was called up for their double header of games against Israel U21 in the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification Play-offs. ^[40]

Personal life

On 10 October 2024, World Mental Health Day, Connolly spoke of his alcohol addiction issues and the impact it had on his football career. ^{[41] [42]}

Career statistics

Club

As of match played on 10 December 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup [a]		League Cup [b]		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Brighton & Hove Albion U21	2017–18 [43]	—			—		—		2 [c]	0	2	0
	2018–19 [44]	—			—		—		3 [c]	5	3	5
	Total		—		—		—		5	5	5	5
Brighton & Hove Albion	2017–18 [43]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
	2018–19 [44]		0	0	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
	2019–20 [45]		24	3	1	0	2	1	—		27	4
	2020–21 [46]		17	2	0	0	0	0	—		17	2
	2021–22 [47]		4	0	0	0	2	2	—		6	2
	Total		45	5	1	0	6	3	—		52	8
Luton Town (loan)	2018–19 [44]	League One	2	0	—		—		—		2	0
Middlesbrough (loan)	2021–22 [47]	Championship	18	2	2	0	—		—		20	2
Venezia (loan)	2022–23 [48]	Serie B	5	0	0	0	—		—		5	0
Hull City (loan)	2022–23 [49]	Championship	5	2	1	0	—		—		6	2
Hull City	2023–24 [49]		28	8	1	0	1	0	—		30	8
	Total		34	10	2	0	1	0	—		37	10
Sunderland	2024–25 [49]	Championship	9	1	0	0	—		—		9	1
Career total			113	18	5	0	7	3	5	5	130	26

1. Includes FA Cup & Coppa Italia
2. Includes EFL Cup
3. Appearances in EFL Trophy

International

As of match played 7 September 2023 ^[3]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Republic of Ireland
	2019	2	0
	2020	3	0
	2021	3	0
	2022	0	0
	2023	1	0
Total		9	0

References

1. "Premier League clubs publish 2019/20 retained lists". Premier League. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
2. "Aaron Connolly". Premier League. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
3. "Aaron Connolly". National Football Teams. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
4. "Club News – League and Cup Action and Former Player starts in Premiership". Maree/Oranmore FC. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
5. "Interview: Aaron Connolly". Eire Guide. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
6. Naylor, Andy (22 August 2017). "Brighton and Hove Albion v Barnet: Big chance for Aaron Connolly and Jayson Molumby". The Argus. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
7. "Striker heads out on loan". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
8. "Charlton Athletic 3–1 Luton Town". BBC Sport. 13 April 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
9. Garry, Tom (27 August 2019). "Bristol Rovers 1–2 Brighton: Late Glenn Murray winner sees Brighton beat Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
10. Johnston, Neil (31 August 2019). "Manchester City 4–0 Brighton & Hove Albion". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
11. Collins, Ben (14 September 2019). "Brighton & Hove Albion 1–1 Burnley". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 September 2019..
12. Collins, Ben (5 October 2019). "Brighton & Hove Albion 3–0 Tottenham Hotspur". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
13. "Burnley 1–2 Brighton: Yves Bissouma's stunning strike sees of Clarets". BBC Sport. 26 July 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
14. "Ireland's Aaron Connolly earns new four-year contract with Brighton". The 42. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
15. "Newcastle United 0–3 Brighton & Hove Albion: Neal Maupay scores two in superb Seagulls win". BBC Sport. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
16. "Brighton 3–3 Wolves: Lewis Dunk salvages point for Seagulls". BBC Sport. 2 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
17. "Liverpool 0–1 Brighton & Hove Albion: Steven Alzate scores in shock win". BBC Sport. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
18. "Brighton & Hove Albion 2–0 Swansea City: Aaron Connolly double sends Seagulls through". BBC Sport. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
19. "Brighton 0–1 Wolves: Romain Saïss goal takes visitors up to eighth in Premier League". BBC Sport. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
20. "Aaron Connolly joins Middlesbrough on loan". Brighton & Hove Albion. 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
21. "Middlesbrough 2–1 Reading: Matt Crooks double gives Boro victory". BBC Sport. 15 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
22. "FA Cup LIVE: Man Utd v Middlesbrough score, commentary & updates from fourth-round tie – Live". BBC Sport. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
23. "Middlesbrough 4–1 Derby County: Play-off hopefuls Boro move into top six". BBC Sport. 12 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
24. "Birmingham City v Middlesbrough". BBC Sport. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
25. "Aaron Connolly joins Venezia on season-long loan". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
26. "Aaron Connolly has spoken about his move to Italy says 'I'm in a better headspace'". irishpost.com. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
27. "Connolly heads to Hull". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
28. "Hull City 0–2 Fulham: Premier League side progress to FA Cup fourth round". BBC Sport. 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
29. "Hull City 3–0 Queens Park Rangers: Aaron Connolly scores twice in Tigers win". BBC Sport . 28 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
30. "Connolly completes permanent City switch". Hull City A.F.C. 2 August 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
31. "Hull City 4–2 Sheffield Wednesday". BBC Sport. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
32. "Greg Docherty to leave as Hull City release seven players". BBC Sport. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
33. "Aaron Connolly joins Sunderland AFC". www.safc.com. 24 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
34. "Millwall 1-1 Sunderland: Substitute Femi Azeez scores added-time equaliser for Lions". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
35. "Aaron Connolly". UEFA. Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
36. Owen, Brian (23 March 2017). "Aaron Connolly leads the UEFA goal chart – after putting football before hurling". Eire Guide. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
37. Fallon, John (3 June 2019). "Ireland U21s impress in demolition of China in Toulon". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
38. "Aaron Connolly: Brighton winger called up to Republic of Ireland squad". BBC Sport. 5 October 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
39. "Georgia 0–0 Republic of Ireland". ESPN. 12 October 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
40. Fallon, John (21 September 2022). "Aaron Connolly: I've made so-called mistakes but I'm ready to focus on football". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
41. "Sunderland: Striker Aaron Connolly talks about alcohol addiction". BBC Sport. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
42. "My Story: Aaron Connolly". www.safc.com. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
43. "Games played by Aaron Connolly in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
44. "Games played by Aaron Connolly in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
45. "Games played by Aaron Connolly in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
46. "Games played by Aaron Connolly in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
47. "Games played by Aaron Connolly in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
48. "Games played by Aaron Connolly in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
49. https://int.soccerway.com/players/aaron-anthony-connolly/453853/

External links

• Aaron Connolly at Soccerbase