1. He started out with a renowned junior club
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was born in Croydon, south London, on 26 November 1997, and grew up a few miles south in New Addington, where he attended Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School. He started his football career with the famous Junior Elite FC in Beckenham, which has also given a grounding to England midfielder Emile Smith Rowe and Tottenham Hotspur full-back Djed Spence, among dozens who have gone onto join professional Academies. He wore the No14 shirt as a youngster as his hero was Arsenal and France forward Thierry Henry.
2. He joined Crystal Palace aged eleven
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was scouted and invited for a six-week trial by Crystal Palace at the age of eleven. However, it took just two weeks for the schoolboy to sign for the Eagles, so impressed were they by him. Wan-Bissaka started out as a winger and sometimes as a No10, but eventually moved to full-back during Roy Hodgson’s tenure as Palace manager after being asked to mark Wilfried Zaha and impressing during a training game.
3. He won LOTS of awards at Crystal Palace
Aaron Wan-Bissaka broke into Crystal Palace’s first team on 25 February 2018, when he debuted in a Premier League derby with Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park. He would start seven Premier League matches at the end of the 2017/18 season and was named Palace’s Young Player of the Year. The following season, 2018/19, Wan-Bissaka kicked off by winning the club’s August, September and October 2018 Player of the Month awards, then started 39 matches in all competitions and was voted the Eagles’ Player of the Year.
4. He has international experience
Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s parents were born in DR Congo and lived in the Netherlands and Germany before settling in south London. The defender is proud of his Congolese heritage and played as a forward for DR Congo U20s in a friendly defeat by England at St George’s Park in October 2015, aged 17. England’s team featured Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold. Wan-Bissaka switched his international allegiance and was called-up by England U20s for the first time in March 2018, and debuted in a 1-0 friendly win over Poland in Bielsku-Bialej that month. He has since earned three U21 caps, too.
5. He moved north at the age of 21
Manchester United signed Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace for a reported £45million at the end of June 2019, becoming the most-expensive uncapped English player of all-time. Then just 21, the right-back played 46 times in all competitions, made his European debut, earned his first senior England call-up and led the Premier League in tackles made in his first season, 2019/20. The following season, in October 2020, Wan-Bissaka scored his first senior goal in Manchester United’s Premier League win at Newcastle United.
6. He is a trophy winner
Aaron Wan-Bissaka reached four major finals during his five seasons at Manchester United, winning two of them – the EFL Cup in 2023 and FA Cup in 2024. The right-back started the Red Devils’ 2021 UEFA Europa League final defeat by Villarreal CF, but was substituted just before the penalty shootout, which his team lost 11-10. He won the 2023 EFL Cup as a half-time substitute in the 2-0 final victory over Newcastle United, then started as Manchester United lost 2-1 to Manchester City in the FA Cup final two months later. However, Wan-Bissaka and his teammates bounced back to beat their local rivals 2-1 in the final of the same competition last season.
7. He is a community champion
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was recognised for his community work during his time at Crystal Palace, and remains committed to the area of south London where he grew up. He was named the Eagles’ PFA Community Champion in 2019, having given his time to the Palace for Life Foundation by supporting the Gloves not Gunz community boxing group and visiting his old primary school to give an assembly.
