Concacaf Spotlight: Leon Bailey fires up Aston Villa to the UCL Quarterfinals | OneFootball

MIAMI – Concacaf standout Leon Bailey has proven to be one of the pillars for Premier League side Aston Villa, as the Jamaican men’s national team winger was a key element in The Villans’ UEFA Champions League Round of 16 series against Club Brugge to advance to the quarterfinals.

Bailey captured the spotlight from the opening moments of the first leg, opening the scoring in the 3’ to give Aston Villa the energy to compete for their first Round of 16 win. With his goal, Bailey became the second Jamaican international to score in the Champions League alongside Wes Morgan.

The 27-year-old Bailey shined again in the second leg against Brugge, coming off the bench to assist Marco Asensio’s opening goal. Aston Villa won its series with a 6-1 aggregate and will meet Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals.

Debut in Belgium and continued development in Germany

Bailey began his professional career in the Belgian Pro League at KRC Genk in 2015. He scored his first professional goal with the Blauw-Wit and finished his first season in Europe as the Belgian Young Footballer of the Year winner.

The Jamaican winger showed his skills in the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League season, scoring a goal against Rapid Wien that would be recognized as one of the tournament's best goals.

Bailey joined German Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen in 2017, where he made his UEFA Champions League debut. The Jamaican’s game stood out, leading him to join Aston Villa in the Premier League in 2021.

A star for the Reggae Boyz

Leon Bailey has brought his talent and club experience to his national team, taking part in the 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals with the Jamaican men’s national team, where the Reggae Boyz fell short of getting past the reigning champions, the United States, to be part of the CNL Finals.

Out of the CNL Finals, Bailey and Jamaica will participate in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims in March. There, they will play to earn one of the final seven spots in the group stage of the competition in June.

With a lot to play for in both club and country, Leon Bailey has become a player to follow in all competitions. Fans from Jamaica, England, and the world are ready to see how he keeps pushing his teams to be the best on the pitch.