Aaron Mooy

Early career

Mooy started his career in Europe as a youth scholar at Bolton Wanderers after being spotted by Chris Sulley. He rejected a contract extension from Bolton in July 2010 in search of more first team football, and duly joined Scottish Premier League club St Mirren the following October, making his league debut in a 3–0 loss to Hearts. On 18 January 2011, he scored his first goal for the club, in the fourth-round replay, in a 6–1 win over Peterhead. Having made 18 appearances and scoring once in all competitions, he was offered a new contract in April 2011 before agreeing a two-year contract with the club in May. The 2011–12 season was marked by Mooy having suffered a stress fracture in his back. On 17 December 2011, Mooy made his return, coming as a substitute, in a 1–1 draw against Motherwell and in the next game on Christmas Eve 2011 he scored his first league goal for the club against Rangers at St Mirren Park. On 20 June 2012, Mooy was released from St Mirren, having made 30 appearances.

Western Sydney Wanderers

On 25 June 2012, Mooy signed with Western Sydney Wanderers, becoming one of the club's first signings for their inaugural season in the A-League. The official media launch took place at Parramatta Stadium, where he was introduced alongside Tarek Elrich and Kwabena Appiah. Mooy would be joined byMark Bridge, Michael Beauchamp and Shannon Cole prior to the club's first training session on 2 July. Mooy made his unofficial debut on 26…

2009–2012: U20 World Cup and Olympic

As a dual Australian-Dutch national, Mooy was eligible to play for the national team of either country. In recognition of his performances with the Australia under-20 side, senior manager Pim Verbeek gave Mooy his first call-up for a friendly match against Republic of Ireland on 12 August 2009. He was an unused substitute on the day as Australia won 3–0 at Thomond Park. Returning to the youths, Mooy represented the Australia U20 side in the U-20 World Cup, being benched and playing one group match before starting on 3 October 2009, where he scored the opening goal for his side, a 40-yard free kick, against Brazil in the final group stage match. Australia lost 3–1 at full time, and came last in the group, their worst-ever finish at the tournament. In June 2011, Mooy was named in the Australia U23 squad under coach Aurelio Vidmar. Ahead of the Olympic Games qualifiers, Australia played two legs, between 19 and 23 June, against Yemen in which Mooy recorded an assist off the bench in a 7–0 aggregate victory that saw the team qualify for the group stage. Australia were knocked out after failing to score a goal throughout the whole group stage; finishing bottom of the group with 4 draws and 2 losses, thus missing the Olympics for the first time since 1984. Mooy declared his desire to represent Australia in December 2011.

2012–2017: Senior debut and World Cup qualifiers

On 7 December 2012, Mooy made his senior debut for…

Aaron Frank Mooy was born on 15 September 1990 in Sydney, Australia. At birth, he was given the name Aaron Kuhlman, but his surname was changed by his Dutch mother after she divorced his father during Mooy's early childhood. Mooy had minimal contact with his father, with their only meeting occurring when Mooy was a toddler, and briefly again at 14 during which his father signed forms for his Dutch passport. Mooy was unaware that he had a brother with the same biological father until his brother approached him during his time at Western Sydney Wanderers. During his upbringing, Mooy developed an interest in watching Premier League matches, particularly favouring Manchester United. David Beckham became his favourite player, and he would watch Beckham's games and practice free kicks, often pretending to be him. His mother responded to his interest in football by registering him with the Carlingford Redbacks. His German stepfather, Alan Todd, would soon join to coach his team. Mooy's early football journey included stints with various clubs such as the Carlingford Redbacks, Granville Magpies, Blacktown City, and Northern Spirit. He enrolled at the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) at Sydney Olympic Park and attended Westfields Sports High School. Mornings were dedicated to training, while afternoons were reserved for academic classes. Mooy left his home country at the age of 15 to pursue his ambitions.

Mooy's mother Sam has described him as a "quiet soul" who prefers a low-key lifestyle, a characteristic she said comes from his biological father. When he turned 21 during his time in Scotland, Mooy chose to celebrate with his 15-year-old brother, Alex, instead of drinking at a local pub. Mooy's stepfather, Alan Todd, a former rugby league referee, helped his development as a footballer, particularly his ambidextrous abilities. He married Nicola Mooy in May 2017 (six years after meeting) in Glasgow, just before a play-off final match with Huddersfield Town at Wembley Stadium. The couple has two children: daughter Skylar Mooy, born in 2015, and son Maximilian Andrew Mooy, born in 2018. The family faced challenges when Mooy signed for Shanghai, as his family couldn't join him due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mooy described the experience as a valuable life lesson. Mooy dedicated a celebration to his daughter Skylar after scoring his fourth goal for Celtic, forming an "S" gesture, symbolizing her name. Mooy's cousin, Brodie Mooy, is also a retired professional footballer. His uncle, Paul Cosgrove, is a senior constable police officer at Quakers Hill and his father in law, Ian, is a lifelong Celtic supporter. His brother Alex, who is six years younger than Mooy, played football in the National Premier Leagues, and died in June 2021. At the age of 16, Mooy had a guardian angel tattooed on his shoulder, symbolizing the support he sought while being away from his family during his…