Max Aarons

Max Aarons

Aarons warming up for Norwich City in 2021
Personal information
Full name	Maximillian James Aarons [1]
Date of birth	(2000-01-04) 4 January 2000 (age 24) [2]
Place of birth	Hammersmith, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) [2]
Position(s)	Right-back
Team information
Current team	AFC Bournemouth
Number	37
Youth career
0000–2016	Luton Town
2016–2018	Norwich City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2023	Norwich City	201	(5)
2023–	AFC Bournemouth	20	(0)
International career
2018–2019	England U19	7	(0)
2019–2023	England U21	27	(0)
Medal record Representing   England UEFA European Under-21 Championship Winner 2023 Georgia–Romania
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:16, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

Maximillian James Aarons (born 4 January 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Premier League club Bournemouth.

Club career

Norwich City

Aarons began his career at Luton Town, and moved to join Norwich City's academy in 2016. ^[3] He signed a three-year professional contract with the Canaries in June 2018, ^[3] before making his debut in an EFL Cup game against Stevenage on 14 August. ^[4] His first senior goal also came in the EFL Cup, as he concluded a 3–1 win over Cardiff City two weeks later. ^[5] Aarons made his first league appearance on 2 September, starting in the East Anglian derby against Ipswich Town, a 1–1 draw. ^[6] On 10 October, he extended his contract at the club until June 2023. ^[7]

In March 2019 Aarons was included in the 2018–19 Championship Team of the Season, ^[8] and was also awarded the 2018–19 EFL Young Player of the Season award. ^[9] He was promoted with Norwich to the Premier League after a 2–1 victory over Blackburn Rovers. ^[10]

In April 2021 Aarons was nominated for the EFL Young Player of the Season. ^[11] In January 2022, Aarons made his 150th appearance for Norwich City in a Premier League match against West Ham United. ^[12] By now, he was well-established as Norwich's first choice right back and would miss only two games during the rest of the season, as a result of an injury sustained in a match against Leeds United. ^[13] At the end of the season, he would experience relegation from the Premier League for the second time.

Aarons remained with Norwich for the subsequent 2022–23 season back in the Championship. In Norwich's first home game, Aarons scored an equaliser in a 1–1 draw with Wigan Athletic. ^[14] He had to be substituted for Liam Gibbs in the match against Burnley in October, ^[15] with Sam Byram replacing him for the subsequent game against Stoke City. This would be the only game of the season in which Aarons played no part, as he returned to the side as a substitute for Byram in the following game against Queens Park Rangers. ^[16] After a strong start, Norwich slumped and had soon lost any hope of being promoted again. The season, and ultimately Aaron's time with Norwich, ended with a 1–0 defeat to Blackpool. ^[17]

AFC Bournemouth

On 10 August 2023, Aarons transferred to AFC Bournemouth for a fee of £7m. ^[18] On 12 August, he made his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw against West Ham United in the Premier League. ^[19]

International career

After breaking into the Norwich City first team at the start of the 2018–19 season, Aarons earned a call-up to the England under-19 team in September 2018. ^[20]

On 30 August 2019, Aarons was included in the England U21 squad for the first time. ^[21] He made his debut during the 3–2 qualifying win against Turkey on 6 September 2019. ^{[22] [23]} Aarons was a member of the squad that were eliminated at the group stage of the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. ^[24]

Despite his England caps, in March 2021 it was reported that Aarons would be called up to the Jamaica national team, as part of a plot by the Jamaican Football Federation to purposely target a number of English and English-born players for call ups in order to increase the nation's chances of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. ^{[25] [26]} JFF president Michael Ricketts claimed that Aarons was going to apply for a Jamaican passport in order to play for the nation. ^[25] However, Aarons subsequently revealed he had not been contacted by Jamaica, stating: "I am able to play for Jamaica but I never heard anything from them or whatever. I had people messaging me, a few family members from Jamaica, and I had to say that I hadn't heard anything". ^[27] Aarons also revealed that he had no interest in playing for anyone other than his home nation, commenting: "my full focus is definitely on England". ^[27]

On 14 June 2023, Aarons was included in the England squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. ^{[28] [29]} He started in the final as England beat Spain 1–0 to win the tournament. ^{[30] [31]}

Personal life

Aarons is of Jamaican descent. ^[32] He is the cousin of former Huddersfield Town player Rolando Aarons. ^[33]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 19 May 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Norwich City	2018–19 [34]	Championship	41	2	0	0	2	1	—		43	3
	2019–20 [35]	Premier League	36	0	3	0	1	0	—		40	0
	2020–21 [36]	Championship	45	2	2	0	0	0	—		47	2
	2021–22 [37]	Premier League	34	0	1	0	0	0	—		35	0
	2022–23 [16]	Championship	45	1	1	0	2	0	—		48	1
Total			201	5	7	0	5	1	—		213	6
AFC Bournemouth	2023–24 [38]	Premier League	20	0	1	0	2	0	—		23	0
Career total			221	5	8	0	7	1	—		236	6

International

As of match played 8 July 2023

Appearances and goals by national team, year and competition

Team	Year	Competitive		Friendly		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
England U19	2018	1	0	3	0	4	0
	2019	3	0	0	0	3	0
England U21	2019	3	0	2	0	5	0
	2020	4	0	0	0	4	0
	2021	5	0	1	0	6	0
	2022	3	0	2	0	5	0
	2023	4	0	3	0	7	0

Honours

Norwich City

• EFL Championship: 2018–19, ^[39] 2020–21 ^[40]

England U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2023 ^[30]

Individual

• EFL Young Player of the Year: 2018–19 ^[41]
• EFL Championship Team of the Season: 2018–19, ^[42] 2020–21 ^[43]
• PFA Team of the Year: 2018–19 Championship, ^[44] 2020–21 Championship ^[45]
• EFL Young Player of the Month: December 2020 ^[46]

References

1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Norwich City" (PDF). English Football League. p. 47. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
2. "Max Aarons". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
3. "Max Aarons signs first professional contract". www.canaries.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
4. "Norwich City vs Stevenage on 14 Aug 18 – Match Centre – Norwich City". www.canaries.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
5. "Cardiff City vs Norwich City on 28 Aug 18 – Match Centre – Norwich City". www.canaries.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
6. "Ipswich Town vs Norwich City on 02 Sep 18 – Match Centre – Norwich City". www.canaries.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
7. "Max Aarons rewarded with new deal at Norwich City". www.canaries.co.uk. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
8. "EFL awards: Che Adams, Teemu Pukki & Billy Sharp on Championship shortlist". BBC Sport. 26 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
9. "Twitter". mobile.twitter.com. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
10. Law, James (27 April 2019). "Norwich City 2–1 Blackburn Rovers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
11. "Norwich duo Teemu Pukki and Emiliano Buendia head nominees ahead of 2021 EFL Awards ceremony". Sky Sports. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
12. Southwell, Connor (15 January 2022). "Max at 150: The story behind Aarons' rise to Norwich City prominence". The Pink un. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
13. Mutch, Michael (1 April 2022). "Max Aarons and Brandon Williams set to miss Brighton clash". Norfolk Live. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
14. "Norwich City 1–1 Wigan Athletic". BBC Sport. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
15. Southwell, Connor (27 October 2022). "Norwich City v Stoke City: Sargeant a doubt; Aarons fit". Evening News. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
16. "Games played by Max Aarons in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
17. "Norwich City 0–1 Blackpool". BBC Sport. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
18. "Max Aarons Joins The Cherries". afcb.co.uk. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
19. "Bournemouth 1–1 West Ham: Dominic Solanke rescues point for Cherries after Jarrod Bowen's stunning opener". 12 August 2023.
20. Davitt, Paddy (31 August 2018). "England calling for Max Aarons". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
21. Veevers, Nicholas (30 August 2019). "England U21s kick-off a new campaign and Aidy Boothroyd has picked his squad". The Football Association. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
22. "Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson score as England U21s win opening Euro qualifier". The Football Association. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
23. "Turkey U21 2-3 England U21". BBC Sport. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
24. "Uefa U21 Euros squad". BBC Sport. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
25. Low, Jonathan (3 March 2021). "Southampton star Nathan Redmond in line for shock international call-up ahead of World Cup 2022". Hampshire Live. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
26. Delaney, James (4 March 2021). "Kemar Roofe's World Cup dream as Rangers star tops list for international side". Glasgow Live. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
27. Freezer, David (7 March 2021). "Aarons 'fully focused' on U21 Euros with England amid Jamaica interest". The Pink Un. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
28. Veevers, Nicholas (14 June 2023). "England MU21s squad named for EURO Finals". England Football. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
29. "England Under-21s: Gibbs-White, Smith Rowe & Gordon in but Lewis left out". BBC Sport. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
30. Howell, Alex (8 July 2023). "England beat Spain to win Euro U21 Championship". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
31. Reid, James (8 July 2023). "England win U21 EURO title after 1-0 win over Spain". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
32. Steinberg, Jacob (26 October 2019). "Norwich's Max Aarons: 'When I came here it almost felt like home'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
33. Freezer, David (4 September 2018). "Rapid rise continuing for Canaries prospect Aarons after derby debut". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
34. "Games played by Max Aarons in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
35. "Games played by Max Aarons in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
36. "Games played by Max Aarons in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
37. "Games played by Max Aarons in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
38. "Games played by Max Aarons in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
39. Anderson, John, ed. (2019). Football Yearbook 2019–2020. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 258–259. ISBN   978-1-4722-6111-3.
40. "Norwich 4-1 Reading: Daniel Farke's Canaries win Sky Bet Championship title". Sky Sports. 1 May 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
41. "Live blog: EFL Awards 2019". EFL.com. 7 April 2019. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
42. "Max Aarons, Jamal Lewis and Teemu Pukki named in EFL Team of the Season". www.canaries.co.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
43. EFL (English Football League) [@EFL] (29 April 2021). "It's time to introduce your @SkyBetChamp Team of the Season! #EFL | #EFLAwards" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 October 2021– via Twitter.
44. "Championship: Norwich and Leeds dominate PFA selection of team of 2018–19". BBC Sport. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
45. "Norwich City dominate with six players in PFA Championship team of the year". BBC Sport. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
46. "Max Aarons named EFL Young Player of the Month". www.canaries.co.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2020.

External links

• Profile at the Norwich City F.C. website
• Max Aarons at Soccerway