Aaron Hickey

Early career

After spending time in the youth system at Heart of Midlothian, Hickey had a spell with the academy teams at Celtic. After four years at Celtic he chose to return to Hearts in 2018, with Celtic receiving 30% of a future transfer fee.

Hearts

On 10 May 2019, Hickey made his debut for the club in a 2–1 loss away to Aberdeen, in the penultimate game of the 2018–19 season. On 25 May 2019, Hickey started in the 2019 Scottish Cup Final against Celtic, becoming the youngest player to appear in the final since John Fleck in 2008. On 22 September 2019, he scored his first senior goal, the winner in the Edinburgh derby as Hearts won 2–1 away at Hibernian. In August 2020 he was linked with a transfer away from the club, with interest from German club Bayern Munich, Italian club Bologna, English club Aston Villa, and French club Lyon. Hearts manager Craig Levein also revealed that Celtic had made "five or six" attempts to sign Hickey. Towards the end of the month the BBC reported that Bologna had made the first official bid for Hickey, although Hearts said that the offer was too low.

Bologna

Bologna made an updated offer for Hickey, which was accepted by Hearts on 8 September 2020. On 24 September 2020, Hickey completed a moved to the Serie A side for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £1.5 million. He said he chose Bologna over Bayern due to the Italian club's family feel, and their intention to use him in their first-team. Due to the…

Hickey has represented Scotland U17, making his debut for the side in a goalless draw against France U17 on 5 February 2019. He was selected in the Scotland U21 squad for the first time in November 2020, but withdrew due to injury. He was recalled in September 2021, but pulled out from that squad due to another injury. He then also withdrew from the following squad, saying he wanted to rest. In March 2022, after being left out of the under-21 squad, Hickey was included in the senior Scotland squad for the first time. He made his senior international debut on 24 March in a 1–1 draw against Poland. Due to a hamstring injury suffered in October 2023, Hickey missed UEFA Euro 2024. Scotland manager Steve Clarke said in May 2025 that he was hopeful Hickey could recover in time for Scotland's friendlies against Iceland and Liechtenstein the following month, but Hickey was not called up. After returning to club play in August 2025 following injury, Hickey was recalled by Scotland for the first time in two years. Hickey said his long injury spell had made him stronger mentally. On 19 May 2026, Hickey was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Hickey primarily played for Hearts as a left-back, although he can also play as a central midfielder, and also right-back and centre-back, and his "versatility is yet another key attribute". Hickey has been compared to fellow Scottish left-back Andy Robertson, although Hickey has played down the links. He mainly played for Bologna as an attacking left wing-back, and scored five goals during the 2021–22 Serie A season. Brentford have used him as either a right-back or right wing-back, Most of his appearances for Scotland have also been as a right-back or right wing-back. Former Hearts manager Craig Levein described Hickey by saying that "he's got really good defensive qualities but I don't know if he'll end up being a full-back, he might end up going back into midfield [...] he could be a fantastic holding midfielder with his great awareness of danger and his ability to get out of tight situations with the ball at his feet". Levein has also said that Hickey is shy, quiet, and reserved. Hearts captain Steven Naismith praised Hickey's intelligence, while Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson praised his maturity, saying that "he's like a 24- or 25-year-old in an 18-year-old's body [...] he's very mature for his age, he's composed, has good physique, ticks all the boxes".

Hickey attended St Ninian's High School in Kirkintilloch.