Leon Bailey
Leon Patrick Bailey is a Jamaican footballer who plays as a winger for Olympiacos. He represented Genk, Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa, and spent part of the 2025-26 season on loan at Roma. Bailey won Young Footballer of the Year in Belgium, was recognized by the Bundesliga, and won Aston Villa’s 2025-26 UEFA Europa League title.
UEFA Europa League 2025–26
Belgian Young Footballer of the Year
Olympiacos
Signed 3 September 2026
41
Club report, September 2026
39
156 appearances
163
23 goals · 25 assists
10
Villa finished fourth
Profile
Career
Jamaica · Austria · Slovakia
Bailey developed at Phoenix All-Star Academy under Craig Butler, his stepfather and football mentor. He moved to Europe as a teenager, training with clubs in Austria and Slovakia before securing a route into senior football.
Rules governing international transfers of minors complicated early moves. Bailey spent time with Anif Jugend and Liefering, while a proposed switch to Ajax did not go ahead.
He signed with Slovak club Trenčín before joining Genk in Belgium in 2015.
2015–2017
Bailey joined KRC Genk from Trenčín in 2015. He made his Belgian Pro League debut against Sint-Truiden on 21 August, coming on for Siebe Schrijvers in the 62nd minute.
His first Genk goal came against OH Leuven on 21 November 2015. At the end of the season, he was named Belgian Young Footballer of the Year.
His strike against Rapid Wien on 15 September 2016 earned UEFA Europa League Goal of the Season recognition. Genk went on to reach the 2016–17 competition’s quarter-finals.
2017–2021
Bayer Leverkusen signed Bailey for €20 million in January 2017. He made his first appearance for the team in a 2-1 win over Hamburg and then played for them in the Champions League later that month.
In the first half of the 2017-2018 season, Bailey played 10 matches, scoring once each in the DFB-Pokal and the Bundesliga.
In the 2017-2018 season, he played 34 matches for Bayer Leverkusen, scoring 12 goals. Bailey was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season, as well as winning the VDV Newcomer of the Season award.
He was known for his pace and his skill in cutting inside from the wing.
2021–2025
Bailey joined Aston Villa on 4 August 2021. He made his Premier League debut against Watford and scored his first Villa goal against Everton on 18 September.
Injuries disrupted his first season in England. Hamstring, thigh and ankle problems restricted his starts and interrupted his progress. Bailey scored in Villa’s win over Manchester United on 6 November 2022, Unai Emery’s first match in charge. On 6 December 2023, his goal secured a 1–0 victory over Manchester City.
He also scored against Hibernian and Ajax during Villa’s 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League run. Villa reached the semi-finals, while Bailey finished the Premier League campaign with ten goals as the club qualified for the Champions League.
Villa finished fourth in 2023–24 and returned to the Champions League. The club later won the 2025–26 UEFA Europa League, an honour included in Bailey’s record.
In March 2025, Bailey scored against Club Brugge in the Champions League and assisted Marco Asensio in the return leg.
2025–2026
Bailey joined Roma on loan in August 2025, with an option for a permanent transfer. His time in Italy brought limited appearances. Villa recalled him on 20 January 2026. Five days later, he appeared as a substitute in a 2–0 win away to Newcastle United.
Salary and Contract
€20m
Reported transfer fee paid to sign Bailey.
~£30m
Reported transfer fee.
Loan
Included an option to buy.
Undisclosed
Signed after his return to Villa; pay not disclosed in the club’s announcement.
Not verified
The figures above are transfer fees, not wages. No verified salary details are provided in the available club announcement.
Career Statistics and Honours
Bailey has received individual recognition in Belgium and Germany, and his honours include the 2025–26 UEFA Europa League with Aston Villa.
| Honour or distinction | Season or date |
|---|---|
| Belgian Young Footballer of the Year | 2015–16 |
| UEFA Golden Boy nomination | 2016 |
| UEFA Europa League Goal of the Season | 2016–17 |
| VDV Newcomer of the Season | 2017–18 |
| VDV Team of the Season | 2017–18 |
| Bundesliga Team of the Season | 2017–18 |
| Bundesliga Goal of the Month | December 2020 |
| Aston Villa Player of the Month | February 2024 |
| UEFA Europa Conference League Team of the Season | 2023–24 |
| UEFA Europa League (Aston Villa) | 2025–26 |
| Club / competition | Appearances / goals / assists |
|---|---|
| Genk | 77 / 15 / 19 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 156 / 39 / 25 |
| Aston Villa | 163 / 23 / 25 |
| Roma (loan) | 11 appearances; goals and assists not specified |
| Aston Villa, Premier League 2023–24 | 10 league goals |
Jamaica International Career
Bailey represents Jamaica at senior international level. He made his debut against Honduras on 17 June 2019 and scored his first senior international goal against Antigua and Barbuda that September.
| Leon Bailey – Jamaica | Record |
|---|---|
| Senior international debut | 17 June 2019 v Honduras |
| First senior international goal | 6 September 2019 v Antigua and Barbuda |
| Senior appearances | 41 (Olympiacos announcement, September 2026) |
| Preferred position | Right winger |
| International break | Announced March 2024 |
| Copa América 2024 | Selected; did not participate |
He had previously played for Jamaica’s under-23 side against the Cayman Islands in March 2015, scoring from a free-kick. Olympiacos reported 41 senior international appearances in its September 2026 announcement.
Bailey’s relationship with the national federation has not always been straightforward. In 2017, he publicly discussed disagreements that had delayed his involvement with the senior side.
In March 2024, Bailey announced a break from international football. Although selected for Jamaica’s Copa América squad that June, he did not take part, and the federation temporarily suspended his eligibility for selection.
2026–27 Season
Olympiacos announced Bailey’s signing on 3 September 2026. The transfer marked a move to Greece after his Premier League career and short loan spell in Serie A. Source for club and Jamaica appearance totals: Olympiacos FC, official signing announcement, 3 September 2026. Figures reflect the club’s published record, not live statistics.
His Olympiacos appearances, goals and assists for 2026–27 should be updated as the season progresses. No verified season totals were included in the club’s signing announcement.