Aaron Evans

Aaron Evans

Evans with PSM Makassar in the 2019 AFC Cup against Tampines Rovers at the Jalan Besar Stadium
Personal information
Full name	Aaron Michael Evans
Date of birth	(1994-11-21) 21 November 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth	Canberra, Australia
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) [1]
Position(s)	Centre-back, defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team	Maziya
Youth career
2005–2008	Capital Football Academy
2009–2010	ACT Academy of Sport
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011–2014	Canberra Croatia	64	(10)
2014	Tai Po	2	(0)
2015–2016	Kamphaengphet	51	(4)
2016	Lanexang United	0	(0)
2017–2018	Barito Putera	63	(2)
2019	PSM Makassar	29	(2)
2020–2022	PSS Sleman	31	(2)
2022	Persis Solo	1	(0)
2022–2023	NorthEast United	19	(2)
2024	Dandenong Thunder	4	(0)
2024	Abahani Limited Dhaka	4	(0)
2024–	Maziya	0	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 September 2024

Aaron Michael Evans (born 21 November 1994) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for Maziya in the Dhivehi Premier League.

A product of Capital Football Academy and ACT Academy of Sport, in 2011, he moved to his first senior club, playing with Canberra FC in the Capital Premier League as a 16-year-old. He signed his first professional contract with Hong Kong Premier League club Tai Po in September 2014 aged 19. ^[2]

Career

Youth

Capital Football Academy

From U11 to U15 was selected in the Capital Football Academy playing squads and participated in the Premier League competition. Whilst a member of the Academy squads Evans was selected to participate in the U14 and U15 Boys National Football Championships in Coffs Harbour.

ACT Academy of Sport (ACTAS)

Football scholarship with the ACT Academy of Sports for 2 years. During his scholarship, Evans toured Europe and Asia training and playing. Countries toured include England, Germany, Holland and China.

Australian Schoolboys ^[3]

In January 2013 selected in the Australian U19 Schoolboys Squad ^[4] to participate in a 3-week tour of Brazil and Argentina. Played games against Boca Juniors, Botafogo, Estudiantes. Evans was awarded the Man of the Match in the game vs Rosario. Also participated in two-day training camps at Boca Juniors and Botafogo.

Canberra Croatia FC

Joined Canberra Croatia in 2011 commencing his senior career at 16 years old. During his debut season, he made 10 Premier League appearances. In June of the 2011 season, Evans travelled to Croatia and trained with Dinamo Zagreb for two weeks before playing with Canberra Croatia in the Croatian Club World Cup where they finished as runners-up.

He went on to make 64 appearances for Canberra Croatia before signing with Tai Po during the 2014 season as a 19-year-old.

During his time at Canberra Croatia, Evans trained with A-League teams Central Coast Mariners and Adelaide United. ^[5] He also spent a short period training with Sydney Olympic in the National Premier League NSW.

Tai Po FC

On transferring to Tai Po in September 2014 ^[6] he made his debut a few days later against Kitchee. ^[7] He went on to make 8 appearances for Tai Po in Premier League and Cup competitions.

Kamphaengphet F.C.

In January 2015 he transferred to Kamphaengphet in the Thailand AIS Regional League Division 2. He debuted for the club at the start of the 2015 season in February where he established himself as a first team player. Evans an instrumental role in getting Kamphaengphet into the round of 16 in the Thai FA Cup.

The 2016 season saw Kamphaengphet finish 2nd in the Northern Regional League Competition making the Champions League finals for the first time in club history, reaching the final 8 teams just missing promotion to Division 1. Kamphaeng Phet will now play in the new Northern Championship League in 2017.

He was recognised widely^{[ by whom? ]} as a major contributor to the success of the team. Solid performances defensively and his trademark long throw-in,^{[ original research? ]} ensured he was a player teams analysed.^{[ citation needed ]} By the end of the 2016 season he had made 64 appearances and scored 4 goals.

Lanexang United FC

At the completion of an outstanding 2016 season he signed with Lanexang United ^{[8] [9]} the 2016 Laos Premier League Champions who will compete in the 2016 Toyota Mekong Club Championship ^[10] and the 2017 AFC Cup Group Stage. He debuted for Lanexang United on 5 November 2016 in Vientiane in the opening Toyota Mekong Club Championship game vs SHB Da Nang coming on as a sub in the second half. Lanexang United won the game 2–1. ^[11] On 27 December 2016 he made his starting debut vs Yadanarbon at the Mandalar Thiri Stadium in Myanmar. ^[12] Lanexang United drew the game 3 -3 and progressed to the semi-finals of the Mekong Club Championships where they met Boeung Ket Angkor in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. ^[13] Lanexang won the semi-final 3-0 and play Buriram United in the two legged final on 4 January 2017 and 8 January 2017. ^[14] In the first leg of the final Lanexang United won 1 - 0.

After good performances during the Toyota Mekong Cup, he was selected to play in the Laos Premier League All - Stars squad. The squad played Thailand Premier League giants Muangthong United in a game in Vientiane.

PS Barito Putera

After the demise of Lanexang United he signed with Barito Putera ^[15] for the 2017 President's Cup and 2017 Liga 1 competitions. Debuting on 7 February 2017 in a Presidents Cup game against Borneo Samarinda, which ended 0-0, his Liga 1 debut came on 15 April 2017 in the season opening game versus Mitra Kukar in a home match at May 17th Stadium. Barito won the game 2–1. After a good start to the league he scored his first goal in the third game when Barito played Perseru Serui. ^[16] He went on to play every minute of all 17 games played in Leg 1. At the completion of the 2017 Liga 1 season, Evans had played 31 games as a centre-back or defensive midfielder.

His performances throughout the 2017 season saw him offered a contract extension for the 2018 Liga 1 season. ^[17]

PSM Makassar

Evans' signed with PSM Makassar ^[18] for the Indonesian Liga 1 2019 season. He debuted on 26 January 2019 in a 2018–19 Piala Indonesia game vs Kalteng Putra ^[19] with PSM winning 2–1. He played in his debut AFC Cup match ^[20] vs Home United at Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore on 27 February 2019. His Liga 1 debut game vs Semen Padang ^[21] was in the first round on 20 May 2019. PSM won 1-0 and Evans played 90 mins.

He scored his first goal for PSM playing in the second leg of the 2019 AFC Cup ASEAN Semi final vs Becamex Binh Duong, ^[22] with PSM winning the game 2–1. PSM made the final of the 2018–19 Piala Indonesia. The two legged final resulted in Persija Jakarta winning the first leg 1–0 at home. The second leg in Makassar saw PSM win 2-0 ^[23] with Evans scoring the first goal and then providing an assist for the second. As a result, PSM became Piala Indonesia Champions and earned the right to play in AFC Cup 2020. The Piala Indonesia Final Leg 1 played at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta was played in front of 70,306 fans, making it the 15th highest attendance at a football game in the world in 2019.

PSS Sleman

He joined PSS Sleman ^[24] in January for the 2020 Liga 1 season. His debut for PS Sleman came in Round 1 of Liga 1 vs PSM Makassar at Andi Mattalata Stadium in Maksassar on 1 March 2020. PSM won the game 2–1. He scored his first goal for PSS ^[25] vs Persib Bandung in Round 3 in Bandung.

After the suspension of Liga 1 2020 due to COVID-19, he re-signed for the 2021 Liga 1 ^[26] season. His first appearance for the season was in the second game of the pre season 2021 Menpora Cup vs Persela.

NorthEast United FC

On September 24, 2022, he signed for ISL side NorthEast United.

On 8 October 2022 he made his Indian Super League debut coming on as a late substitute in their controversial 1-0 away defeat to Bengaluru. Evans spent one season at the club and registered 19 league appearances and scored two goals.

Dandenong Thunder

Evans returned to his homeland signing for Dandenong Thunder in the NPL Victoria. ^[27] Evans made 4 appearances for the club and departed in March 2024.

Abahani Limited Dhaka

After a brief stint in his homeland, Evans returned to Asia having signed for Bangladesh Premier League side Abahani Limited Dhaka. ^[28] He made 4 appearances for the club and left at the end of the season.

Maziya

In September 2024, Evans signed for Dhivehi Premier League club Maziya. ^[29]

Career statistics

Club

As of 24 February 2023 ^[30]

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Canberra FC	2011–12	National Premier Leagues Capital Football	21	2	0	0	—		21	2
	2012–13		21	2	0	0	—		21	2
	2013–14		22	6	0	0	—		22	6
	Total		64	10	0	0	0	0	64	10
Tai Po	2014–15	Hong Kong Premier League	2	0	2 [a]	0	—		4	0
Kamphaengphet	2015	Regional League Northern Region	26	2	5	0	—		31	2
	2016		25	2	1	0	—		26	2
	Total		51	4	6	0	0	0	57	4
Lanexang	2016	Mekong Club Championship	0	0	0	0	5	0	5	0
Barito Putera	2017	Liga 1	31	1	3	0	—		34	1
	2018		32	1	1	0	—		33	1
	Total		63	2	4	0	0	0	67	2
PSM	2019	Liga 1	29	2	12 [b] [c]	2	6 [d]	1	47	5
PSS	2020		3	1	0	0	—		3	1
	2021		28	1	6 [e]	0	—		34	1
	Total		31	2	6	0	0	0	37	2
Persis Solo	2022–23	Liga 1	1	0	4 [c]	0	—		5	0
NorthEast United	2022–23	Indian Super League	19	2	0	0	—		19	2
Career total			260	22	34	2	11	1	305	25

1. Appearance(s) in HKFA League Cup
2. Appearance(s) in Indonesia Cup
3. Appearance(s) in Indonesia President's Cup
4. Appearance(s) in AFC Cup
5. Appearance(s) in Menpora Cup

Honours

PSM Makassar

• Piala Indonesia: 2018–19 ^[31]

PSS Sleman

• Menpora Cup third place: 2021 ^[32]

References

1. "Aaron Evans: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
2. "Locker Room: Terry Campese skips awards, but gets a trolley trophy". The Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
3. "School Sport Australia: Football". School Sports Australia. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
4. "Australian Schools Football: 2013 Australian Schoolboys Brazil and Argentina Tour Final Report" (PDF). NSW Schools Football. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
5. "Meet the A-League Snub starring in Asia, SBS Sport". SBS Sport. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
6. "Tai Po FC Transfers". Worldfootball.net. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
7. "Kitchee vs Tai Po". Soccerway. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
8. "Lanexang United FC: Lanexang sign Australian defender/mdifielder Aaron Evans". Camsports website. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
9. "Official: Lanexang sign Aaron Evans". Lanexang United FC Facebook. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
10. "2106 Toyota Mekong Club Championships: Lanexang United FC Players & Profile". Toyota Mekong Club Championship website. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
11. "2106 Toyota Mekong Club Championships: Match Report". Toyota Mekong Club Championship website. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
12. "2106 Toyota Mekong Club Championships: Match Report". Toyota Mekong Club Championship website. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
13. "2106 Toyota Mekong Club Championships: Match Report". Toyota Mekong Club Championship website. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
14. "2106 Toyota Mekong Club Championships: Match Fixtures". Toyota Mekong Club Championship website. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
15. "PS Barito Putera". PS Barito Putera Instagram page website. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
16. "PS Barito Putera vs Perseru Serui". bola.com/Indonesia website. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
17. "PS Barito Putera". PS Barito Putera Instagram page website. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
18. "Aaron Evans Merasa Senang Bergabung dengan PSM Makassar". You Tube. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
19. "Hasil PSM vs Kalteng Putra: Saling Serang di Babak Pertama". Hendi Abdurahman. 6 March 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
20. "Piala AFC 2019: Prediksi Susunan Pemain Home United vs PSM Makassar". Foxsports Asia. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
21. "Hasil PSM vs Kalteng Putra: Saling Serang di Babak Pertama". Zulfirdaus Harahap. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
22. "Makassar vs Becamex Binh Duong". AFC Cup website. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
23. "Aaron Evans, Creator and Creator of the PSM Goals in the Indonesian Cup Final". Kompas.com. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
24. "PSS Sleman Resmi Rekrut Aaron Evans". Tribunjogja.com. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
25. "Shopee Liga 1 2020 - Sudah Ada 3 Gol, Persib Unggul atas PSS Sleman". Bolasport.com. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
26. "BREAKING NEWS : PSS Sleman Perpanjang Kontrak Aaron Evans". Tribunjogja.com. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
27. "It's official! Unveiling one of our new leaders at the back Aaron Evans to Dandenong Thunder! Coming from the @indiansuperleague joining us for the upcoming season. "I'm really looking forward to coming in with my years of experience throughout Asia to drive Dandenong Thunder through all the success this season" says Evans". Instagram . Dandenong Thunder. 8 February 2024.
28. Evans, Aaron (15 March 2024). "Delighted to have signed with 🇧🇩 most famous club @abahani_official Looking forward to getting started & achieving great things with the club". Instagram .
29. Front Page Football [@FrontPgFootball] (15 September 2024). "#ICYMI Two Aussies sign for the biggest club in the Maldives! 🇦🇺🇲🇻Maziya Sports & RC have confirmed the signings of Aussie duo Nicholas Olsen and Aaron Evans as they look to strengthen their squad ahead of their AFC Challenge League campaign" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
30. Aaron Evans at Soccerway
31. "Selamat untuk PSM Makassar, Juara!". PSSI - Football Association of Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 7 August 2019.
32. Donny, Afroni (24 April 2021). "Tekuk PSM Makassar, PSS Sleman Rebut Peringkat Tiga Piala Menpora". goal.com. Goal. Archived from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.

External links

• Aaron Evans at Soccerway
• Aaron Evans Interview