Born in Jamaica on 9 August 1997, Leon Bailey is a skilled forward who coasts down the flanks as a right winger for Aston Villa. With sound physical attributes, Bailey stands tall at 5ft 10in (1.78m) and weighs about 12st 1lb (77kg). Known for his speed and agility, Bailey dons the 31 jersey both for his club and his home country, Jamaica.
Deemed quite the asset, Bailey's market value hovers around £32.5m as of the present day, according to Transfermarkt. His contract with Aston Villa is secured until 30 June 2027, with a duration of 1 year and 11 months to go.
Fashioning his career through clubs spread across Europe, Bailey initially kicked off his professional journey with AS Trenčín in Slovakia's First Football League before finding himself in Genk, Belgium, in August 2015. Here, he put up an impressive performance, managing to strike the back of the net four times in 25 initial appearances and following up with two more goals the next season.
The burgeoning forward then attracted the attention of Bayer Leverkusen, a top-tier German club playing in the Bundesliga. In January 2017, Bailey made his move to Germany for approximately £12m. This was followed by a productive period where he marked his attendance in several matches, scoring around 9 goals each in the 2017-2018 and 2020-2021 seasons, amongst others.
His enviable form attracted the English Premier League side Aston Villa, who signed Bailey in August 2021 for an approximated £29m fee. His tenure with Villa has seen ups and downs, including notable ten-goal scoring season in 2023-2024.
Bailey has also proven himself outside the league matches. For instance, in the FA Cup 2024-2025, he appeared four times on the field for Villa. The World Cup Qualifiers for North & Central America 2024 - 2026 saw Bailey representing his homeland, showing up both in the starting eleven and as a substitute. Making strides in the Gold Cup 2025, Bailey scored once in three starts. Back at his club, in the Champions League 2024-2025, he made his mark by scoring once in six starts, making Villa supporters proud.
