Aaron Wan-Bissaka is an English professional footballer who serves as a right-back for Manchester United in the Premier League.
Early life and Education
Wan-Bissaka was born on November 26, 1997 in Croydon, Greater London, and raised in New Addington, Croydon, where he attended Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School.
Career
Wan-Bissaka joined the Crystal Palace academy at the age of 11, initially playing as a winger. He signed his first professional contract with the club in December 2016.
During the 2017 pre-season tour, Wan-Bissaka began to feature with the Palace first team under new manager Frank de Boer, participating in several friendlies. De Boer’s formation included wing-backs, which highlighted Wan-Bissaka’s defensive skills and prompted his transition from winger to full-back. Despite this, his opportunities were limited in the first half of the season as De Boer preferred Timothy Fosu-Mensah or Martin Kelly at right-back, and his successor Roy Hodgson favored Joel Ward. Wan-Bissaka was often an unused substitute but continued to shine for the Eagles’ U23 team.
Wan-Bissaka made his first-team debut for Crystal Palace on February 25, 2018, during a Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park, which ended in a 1-0 defeat. He played nearly every minute of Palace’s four matches in March and won the club’s Player of the Month award with 65% of the supporters’ votes.
On August 20, 2018, Wan-Bissaka was sent off in a 2-0 loss to Liverpool for denying Mohamed Salah a clear goalscoring opportunity. He was named the club’s Player of the Month for August, September, October, and March. On April 30, 2019, Wan-Bissaka was awarded the Crystal Palace Player of the Year for his performances throughout the season.
On June 29, 2019, Wan-Bissaka signed a five-year contract with Manchester United for an initial fee of £45 million, with an additional £5 million in potential bonuses. This transfer made him the sixth-most expensive defender of all time and the most expensive uncapped English player at the time.
Wan-Bissaka made his Manchester United debut on August 11, 2019, playing the full 90 minutes in a 4-0 league victory over Chelsea. By the end of his first season, he had made the highest number of tackles in the Premier League for the 2019-20 season. On October 17, 2020, he scored the first goal of his professional career in a 4-1 win against Newcastle United. On February 2, 2021, he scored the opening goal in United’s record-equalling 9-0 victory over Southampton.
During the first half of the 2022-23 season, Wan-Bissaka missed significant time due to illness and injuries, with Diogo Dalot taking the starting right-back position in most games. After the World Cup break, Wan-Bissaka returned to action in impressive form, earning praise from manager Erik ten Hag for his improvements.
He made a single appearance for the DR Congo U20 team in a friendly match against England U17s on October 7, 2015. Despite this, he remained eligible to represent England and was called up to the England U20 squad in March 2018 after impressing for Crystal Palace. During his debut against Poland, he was sent off, but England still secured a victory.
In September 2018, Wan-Bissaka was called up to the England U21 squad and made his debut, playing the full match in a draw against the Netherlands at Carrow Road. On May 27, 2019, he was included in England’s 23-man squad for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, where he made one appearance and unfortunately scored an own goal in a match against France.
Despite interest from DR Congo, Wan-Bissaka stated in May 2019 that he intended to pursue an international career with England, expressing his happiness in representing the country. In August 2019, he received his first call-up to the senior England team for UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers against Kosovo and Bulgaria but had to withdraw due to a back injury.
Since the injury withdrawal, Wan-Bissaka has faced stiff competition for a spot in the England squad from players like Kyle Walker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, and Reece James. Due to his inconsistent performances, he has expressed interest in representing DR Congo, with media speculation supporting the possibility of a nationality switch, though he had not done so by 2024.
Personal life
Wan-Bissaka was born in England and is of Congolese descent.
In December 2021, Wan-Bissaka was handed a six-month driving ban and fined £31,500 by Leeds Magistrates Court for driving while disqualified and uninsured, as well as for failing to provide driver details regarding two speeding offences. His lawyers explained that he was unaware of these offences because he had not updated his address with the DVLA.
Net Worth
Undisclosed