Rolando Aarons
Rolando Aarons | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 16, 1995 Kingston, Jamaica |
| Occupation | Professional footballer |
| Years active | 2012– |
| Known for | Winger for Morecambe, former clubs include Newcastle United, Huddersfield Town, Hellas Verona, Slovan Liberec, Sheffield Wednesday, Wycombe Wanderers, Motherwell, Celje |
Rolando Aarons (born 16 November 1995) is a professional football player who operates primarily as a winger for Morecambe, a club competing in the National League. Although born in Jamaica, Aarons has represented England at various youth international levels.
Throughout his career, Aarons has played for several clubs across different countries, including Italian side Hellas Verona, Czech team Slovan Liberec, Scottish outfit Motherwell, Slovenian club Celje, and multiple English teams such as Newcastle United, Huddersfield Town, Sheffield Wednesday, and Wycombe Wanderers.
Newcastle United
After being released by his local club Bristol City, Aarons joined Newcastle United in 2012. He made his debut with the reserves on 8 February 2013 against Stoke City and found the net in his subsequent reserve appearance against Crystal Palace 17 days later.
Although he traveled with the first team to an away fixture versus Fulham, he was not selected for the matchday squad. On 1 April 2014, Aarons formalized his status by signing a professional contract with Newcastle United.
2014–15 season
During pre-season for the 2014–15 campaign, Aarons delivered notable performances, contributing goals and assists in the 2014 Schalke 04 Cup against Bundesliga competitors Schalke. Subsequently, he was allocated the squad number 16. Aarons made his Premier League debut on 17 August 2014 as a substitute in a home fixture that ended in a 2–0 loss to Manchester City. He netted his first senior goal on 30 August during a thrilling 3–3 draw with Crystal Palace, also providing an assist; his display was described by The Guardian as "thrillingly incisive."
Following his participation with the England U20s, Aarons sustained a hamstring injury that necessitated approximately six weeks of recovery. Upon returning on 29 October, he scored in a 2–0 League Cup victory over the defending champions, Manchester City. Unfortunately, he suffered another hamstring setback in early November, which kept him sidelined for an additional month.
Loans
In 2018, Aarons experienced loan spells at several clubs, including Italian side Hellas Verona where he reunited with Fabio Pecchia, former assistant to Benítez at Newcastle, and Czech outfit Slovan Liberec. After making 13 appearances for the Czech club, he returned to Newcastle in December of that year. On 31 January 2019, he secured a loan move to Sheffield Wednesday for the remainder of that season.
On 2 September 2019, Aarons embarked on a short-term loan with Wycombe Wanderers lasting until 12 January 2020. Concurrently, he transitioned on loan to Scottish Premiership team Motherwell for the rest of the season, concluding on 31 May 2020.
Huddersfield Town
Aarons signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Huddersfield Town on 7 January 2021 for an undisclosed transfer fee. He made his first appearance two days later as a substitute during a 3–2 defeat to Plymouth Argyle in the Third Round of the FA Cup. His Championship debut followed a week later when he played 62 minutes in a narrow 2–1 loss against Watford.
Motherwell (loan)
Aarons rejoined Motherwell on loan on 30 August 2022, having previously been part of the squad in 2020. However, his loan spell was prematurely ended on 2 November 2022 due to injury.
Celje
On 8 January 2024, Aarons signed as a free agent with NK Celje. He made his first appearance for the club on 13 January 2024 in a match against Dinamo Zagreb, which ended in a 2–0 defeat.
Free agent
During June 2025, Aarons underwent a trial period with Dinamo Tbilisi, participating in a 1-1 draw versus Pyunik.
Morecambe
On 22 September 2025, Aarons secured a contract with National League side Morecambe.
International career
Aarons holds eligibility to represent both England and Jamaica at the international level. He made his debut for the England U20 team in August 2014, scoring in a commanding 6–0 victory over Romania. Despite overtures from Jamaica, Newcastle manager Alan Pardew noted that Aarons aspired to pursue an international career with England.
In May 2022, Aarons earned his inaugural call-up to the senior Jamaica squad for CONCACAF Nations League fixtures against Suriname and Mexico. He made his senior debut as a substitute in the match against Suriname on 7 June 2022 at Kingston National Stadium.
Style of play
Primarily operating as a left winger or wide midfielder, Aarons is left-footed and distinguished by his speed and technical proficiency. His playing style has frequently been likened to Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling, with both players sharing Jamaican heritage and development through English football systems.
Personal life
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Aarons relocated to England at age five to live with his mother in Bristol. He is related to Max Aarons, who plays for Norwich City and Bournemouth.
In April 2018, Aarons was handed a suspended sentence of ten months alongside 100 hours of community service after admitting to violent disorder at Newcastle Crown Court.
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[lower-alpha 1] | League cup[lower-alpha 2] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Newcastle United | 2014–15 | Premier League | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 6 | 2 | |
| 2015–16 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 11 | 1 | |||
| 2016–17 | Championship | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 5 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 4 | ||
| Hellas Verona (loan) | 2017–18 | Serie A | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| Slovan Liberec (loan) | 2018–19 | Czech First League | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 2018–19 | Championship | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | |
| Wycombe Wanderers (loan) | 2019–20 | League One | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 3] | 1 | 13 | 2 |
| Motherwell (loan) | 2019–20 | Scottish Premiership | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 1 | |
| Huddersfield Town | 2020–21 | Championship | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | ٠ | ٠ | ٠ | ٠ | ٠ | colspan= "٢" | — | ١ | ٠ | |||||||||||
| 2022–23 | ٠ | ٠ | ٠ | ٠ | ٠ | colspan= "٢" | — | ٠ | ٠ | |||||||||||
| Total | — !12 !٠ | |||||||||||
| Motherwell (loan) | 2022–23 | Scottish Premiership | — !٣ !٠ | |||||||||
| NK Celje | 2023–24 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | — ! colspan= "٢" | — !١١ !٠ | |||||||||
| 2024–25 | — !!٦ !!١ !!٢٢ !!١ | |||||||||||
| Total | 16 | ٠ | ٠ | ٠ | — | ٦ | ١ | 22 | ١ | |||
| Morecambe | 2025–26 | National League | ۰ !!۰ !!۰ !!۰ !!۰ !!۰ !!۰ !!۰ !!۰ !!۰ | |||||||||
| Career total | 99 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 117 | 9 | ||
International
| National Team | Year | Appearances | Goals Scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamaica | 2022 | 2 | 0 |
| Overall | 2 | 0 | |
Honours
Celje
External links
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- 1995 births
- Footballers from Kingston, Jamaica
- Living people
- 21st-century English sportsmen
- 21st-century Jamaican sportsmen
- Men's association football midfielders
- Jamaican men's footballers
- English men's footballers
- England men's youth international footballers
- English people of Jamaican descent
- Sportspeople of Jamaican descent
- Black British sportsmen
- 21st-century British sportsmen
- 21st-century Black British people
- Jamaican emigrants to the United Kingdom
- Newcastle United F.C. players
- Hellas Verona FC players
- FC Slovan Liberec players
- Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players
- Wycombe Wanderers F.C. players
- Motherwell F.C. players
- Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players
- NK Celje players
- Morecambe F.C. players
- Premier League players
- English Football League players
- Serie A players
- Czech First League players
- Scottish Professional Football League players
- Slovenian PrvaLiga players
- Jamaican expatriate men's footballers
- English expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
- Jamaican expatriate sportspeople in Italy
- English expatriate sportspeople in Italy
- Expatriate men's footballers in the Czech Republic
- English expatriate sportspeople in the Czech Republic
- Expatriate men's footballers in Slovenia
- Jamaican expatriate sportspeople in Slovenia
- English expatriate sportspeople in Slovenia