Trai Hume

Trai Hume

Personal information
Full name	Trai Hume
Date of birth	(2002-03-18) 18 March 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth	Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Full-back
Team information
Current team	Sunderland
Number	32
Youth career
0000–2013	Ballymena United
2013–2019	Linfield
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2022	Linfield	21	(3)
2020–2021	→ Ballymena United (loan)	34	(5)
2022–	Sunderland	83	(3)
International career‡
2018–2019	Northern Ireland U17	6	(0)
2019	Northern Ireland U19	4	(0)
2020–	Northern Ireland U21	9	(0)
2022–	Northern Ireland	15	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:45, 31 August 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:24, 8 September 2024 (UTC)

Trai Hume (born 18 March 2002) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a full-back for EFL Championship club Sunderland and the Northern Ireland national football team. He previously played in the Irish Premiership for Linfield and Ballymena United.

Early and personal life

Hume attended Slemish College in Ballymena and the NIFL Academy. His younger brother Mason is also a semi professional footballer who is currently playing for Ballymena United's reserves. ^{[1] [2]}

Club career

Hume played youth football for Ballymena United and Linfield. He signed a professional contract with Linfield in January 2019 until the end of the 2020–21 season. ^[3] Hume made his first team debut for Linfield as a substitute in a 5-1 Irish Premiership win against Cliftonville on 23 April 2019. ^[4] On 7 September 2020 he agreed two-year contract extension with Linfield.

On 11 September 2020, Hume signed a season-long loan deal with his hometown club Ballymena United. ^[5] He made his debut for the Sky Blues in a 1–0 Irish Premiership win against Coleraine on 16 October 2020. ^[6] He made a total of 37 appearances in all competitions for Ballymena, scoring six goals.

He returned to Linfield for the 2021–22 season and played in the qualifying rounds for both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa Conference League, establishing himself as the club's first-choice right back.

Hume scored his first goal for Linfield in a 3–0 Irish League win against Glentoran on 28 September 2021. He also scored in his final game for the club against Dungannon Swifts on 1 January 2022.

On 4 January 2022, Hume signed for EFL League One club Sunderland on a four-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee. ^[7] He had made a total of 31 appearances in all competitions for Linfield, scoring three goals. ^[8] He made his debut for Sunderland in a 2–1 league defeat to Cheltenham Town on 8 February 2022. ^[9]

Having established himself as a regular starter in the team during the 2022–23 season, in June 2023 Hume extended his contract with the English club for a further year, until 2027, with an option for another year. ^{[10] [11]}

International career

Hume has played for Northern Ireland at under-17, under-19 and under-21 youth levels. ^{[12] [13]} He was sent-off in a 2-0 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification defeat against Malta on 16 November 2021. ^[14]

Hume was called up to the senior Northern Ireland squad in March 2022. He made his debut in a 1–0 friendly defeat against Hungary. ^[15]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 31 August 2024 ^[16]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Linfield	2018–19	NIFL Premiership	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	2019–20	NIFL Premiership	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	2020–21	NIFL Premiership	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2021–22	NIFL Premiership	17	3	0	0	1	0	5 [lower-alpha 1]	0	23	3
	Total		21	3	0	0	1	0	5	0	27	3
Ballymena United (loan)	2020–21	NIFL Premiership	34	5	3	0	0	0	0	0	37	5
Sunderland	2021–22	League One	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	2022–23	Championship	28	2	3	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 2]	1	33	3
	2023–24	Championship	46	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	47	1
	2024–25	Championship	4	0	0	0	0	0	—		4	0
	Total		81	3	4	0	1	0	1	1	86	4
Career total			136	11	7	0	2	0	6	1	151	12

1. One appearance in UEFA Champions League and four in UEFA Europa Conference League
2. Appearances in EFL Championship play-offs

International

As of match played 8 September 2024

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Northern Ireland	2022	2	0
	2023	8	0
	2024	5	0
Total		15	0

Honours

Sunderland

• EFL League One play-offs: 2022 ^[17]

References

1. "WATCH | Clinical U16 Schoolboys side put seven past Australians". IFA. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
2. "U16 and U18 Schoolboys squads to face Australians revealed". IFA. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
3. FC, Linfield. "First Team Profiles : Trai Hume". The Official Website of Linfield FC. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
4. FC, Linfield. "Match Report: The Champions turn on the style!". The Official Website of Linfield FC. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
5. "DOUBLE SIGNING FOR SKY BLUES". NI Football League. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
6. "Trai Hume | Player Statistics | Ballymena United (Ballymena United Archive)". bufchistory.com. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
7. "Trai Hume signs up". Sunderland Association Football Club. 4 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
8. FC, Linfield. "Interview: Linfield FC confirms signing of Trai Hume by Sunderland". The Official Website of Linfield FC. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
9. "How Hume, Matete and Clarke fared on their full SAFC debuts - despite dismal defeat at Cheltenham". www.sunderlandecho.com. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
10. "Trai Hume extends contract with SAFC". Sunderland Association Football Club. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
11. "Defender Hume signs four-year deal at Sunderland". BBC Sport. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
12. "Northern Ireland U17s complete Euro qualifiers elite round with a draw". IFA. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
13. "Northern Ireland U19s lose out to Norway in tournament opener". IFA. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
14. "Watch: Trai Hume shown controversial red card as Northern Ireland U21s lose out to Malta at Mourneview Park". belfasttelegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 5 January 2022.
15. "Northern Ireland: Hume and Lane called up to NI squad for Luxembourg and Lithuania friendlies". BBC. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
16. Trai Hume at Soccerway
17. Paddy, Chris (21 May 2022). "Sunderland 2–0 Wycombe". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 June 2022.