Leon Bailey is a Jamaican professional footballer who plays as a winger for Aston Villa and the Jamaica national team. He is known for his speed, dribbling, and finishing. Bailey began his career with Phoenix All-Stars in Jamaica before moving to Belgium in 2015 to join Genk. He made his professional debut in 2016 and helped the club win the Belgian Cup that year.
In 2017, he was named the Belgian Pro League’s Young Player of the Year. Bailey signed with Bayer Leverkusen in 2018. He has represented Jamaica at the senior level since 2019.
Family Background Of Leon Bailey
Leon Bailey was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and was adopted by Craig Butler. He has one brother, Kyle, who is an athlete. Bailey grew up in the Phoenix All-Star Academy, run by his adoptive father. Craig Butler is his adoptive father, and he is from the Cassava Piece region of Kingston, Jamaica.
He was a teammate with Karim Bellarabi on Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Kyle is also an adopted member of the family. The Baileys are a close-knit family that enjoys spending time together. They are all active and love to participate in sports and other activities. The Baileys have a strong bond and love for one another. They are truly a family unit.
Leon Bailey | International Career
Jamaica U23
On March 8, 2015, he was on the scoresheet in a friendly match for Jamaica’s under-23s against the Cayman Islands’ under-23s, scoring from a free-kick.
Jamaica
Bailey has refused to join Jamaica’s national team until the country’s football quality improves. According to March 2017, he would refuse call-ups until Jamaican football improved. “They’ve been asking me to play for Jamaica since I was eleven or twelve years old,” he said in an interview with German football magazine Kicker in September 2017.
In January 2018, Winfried Schäfer, the former Jamaica national team coach, said in a German newspaper that he wanted to make Bailey a national player. He had invited Bailey several times to events such as the Gold Cup in America and international matches. But Bailey’s step-father blocked everything.
In October 2018, The Jamaican national team thought that Bailey had accepted a call-up, but he changed his mind after demanding that his brother Kyle Butler be called up too.
In May 2019, the Jamaican national team included Bailey in the Jamaican preliminary squad for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. With his selection confirmed, Bailey officially announced that he would join the team and play for Jamaica.
On June 17, 2019, he debuted for the Senior Men’s National Team against Honduras. Then, on September 6, 2019, in a CONCACAF Nations League match against Antigua and Barbuda, Bailey notched his first goal for Jamaica.
Bailey was considered eligible to play for England as he had two British grandparents, each of whom was a citizen. However, because none of his grandparents were born in England, he is not qualified to represent England.
Leon Bailey | Club Career
Early Career
Bailey began his career playing for the Phoenix All-Star Academy, which was run by his adoptive father, Craig Butler. In 2011, when Butler traveled to Europe to find a club for Bailey and Kyle, his biological son, he discovered that none were available. Belgium’s K.R.C. Genk noticed Bailey and wanted him on their team, but they could not do so because of FIFA’s stringent youth regulations.
The agent for the 16-year-old Bailey initially tried to sell him to Standard Liège, but FIFA blocked the transfer because he didn’t have a work permit. Bailey reached an oral agreement with A.F.C. Ajax in October 2013, but the deal failed due to FIFA restrictions. When Bailey was 13, he signed for the Austrian non-league side Anif Jugend. A few years later, he moved to FC Liefering.
In early 2013, Bailey signed a professional contract with Slovakian club AS Trencin.
Genk
Bailey began his career with Trencin before moving to K.R.C. Genk in 2015. He made his Belgian Pro League debut on August 21, 2015, as a substitute for Siebe Schrijvers in Sint-Truiden’s 3–1 away defeat of K.R.C. Genk. On November 21 versus O.H. Leuven, he scored his first professional goal for K.R.C. Genk.
He was also named Belgian Young Footballer of the Year in June 2016. On September 15, 2016, he scored a hat-trick for Club Brugge in the Europa League against Rapid Wien and was chosen as the competition’s top goal for 2016–17 by UEFA.
Bayer Leverkusen
He arrived at Leverkusen in January 2017 for a fee of €20 million after interest from Manchester United and Chelsea. On February 3, 2017, he made his debut for Leverkusen, playing the full 90 minutes as they were beaten 1–0 by Hamburg. His Champions League debut came on February 24, 2017, when he played the full game in a 2–2 draw with Atlético Madrid. He made ten appearances for Leverkusen during his first half-year at the club.
On August 11, 2017, in the club’s first game of the season, he scored his first goal for them in a 3–0 win over Karlsruher SC in the German Cup. His first league goal for Schalke came against Schalke 04 on September 29.
He finished the campaign with 12 goals in 34 appearances across all competitions, helping Leverkusen finish fifth in the Bundesliga. On November 30, 2019, he scored twice against Bayern Munich, both with his left foot.
Aston Villa
On August 4, 2021, he joined Premier League club Aston Villa. He made his debut in the competition as a substitute in a 3–2 loss to Watford on August 14. On September 18, 2021, he scored his first goal for Villa in a 3-0 home win against Everton, with him also taking and resulting in an own goal by Lucas Digne.
Leon Bailey | Accomplishments And Titles
Individual
- Belgian Young Professional Footballer of the Year: 2015–16
- V.D.V. Newcomer of the Season: 2017–18
- V.D.V. Team of the Season: 2017–18
- Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2017–18
- Bundesliga Goal of the Month: December 2020
Relationship Of Leon Bailey
Leon Bailey is in a relationship with Stephanie Hope, a breakthrough vlogger, and a full-time mother. The two have been together for over a year and have a beautiful daughter. Stephanie is also Leon’s manager and has been instrumental in his success. She is a hardworking woman who always strives to better herself and her family. Stephanie inspires all women, and we can’t wait to see what she does next.
Leon Bailey | Net Worth | Business & Endorsements
Leon Bailey’s net worth is estimated to be around €15 Million as of 2021. His primary source of income is his football career. However, he also earns a good amount of money through endorsements and sponsorships. He has a sponsorship deal with Adidas. He also has an endorsement deal with Huawei. His other sponsors include Nike, Puma, and Under Armour.
Social Media Presence
Leon Bailey is quite active on social media. He has over 1.4 million followers on Instagram and over 400k followers on Twitter. In addition, he often posts about his personal life, football, and endorsements on his social media accounts.
He also has a YouTube channel with over 200k subscribers. His channel mostly consists of vlogs and behind-the-scenes footage of his life as a professional footballer.
Additional Information
| Сеlеbrаtеd Nаmе: | Leon Bailey |
| Rеаl Nаmе/Full Nаmе: | Leon Patrick Bailey |
| Gеndеr: | Male |
| Аgе: | 24 |
| Віrth Dаtе: | 9 August 1997 |
| Віrth Рlасе: | Kingston, Jamaica |
| Nаtіоnаlіtу: | Jamaican |
| Неіght: | 1.78m |
| Wеіght(s): | 79 kg |
| Ѕехuаl Оrіеntаtіоn: | Straight |
| Relationship Ѕtаtuѕ: | In a relationship |
| Girlfriend (Nаmе): | Stephanie Hope |
| Рrоfеѕѕіоn: | Footballer |
| Nеt Wоrth іn 2022: | 15 million euros |
Instagram: @leonbailey
Twitter: @leonbailey