Wikipedia

Rory Finneran

Rory James Finneran (born 29 February 2008) is a footballer who plays as a midfielder for the academy team of Premier League club Newcastle United. In January 2024, he became Blackburn Rovers' youngest ever player, debuting in the FA Cup third round against Cambridge United.

Rory Finneran
Personal information
Full name Rory James Finneran[1]
Date of birth (2008-02-29) 29 February 2008 (age 18)
Place of birth Manchester, England
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Newcastle United
Youth career
2016–2024 Blackburn Rovers
2024– Newcastle United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024 Blackburn Rovers 0 (0)
International career‡
2022–2023 Republic of Ireland U15 13 (0)
2023–2025 Republic of Ireland U17 29 (1)
2026– Republic of Ireland U19 3 (1)
2026– Republic of Ireland U21 1 (0)
2026– Republic of Ireland 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10:26, 17 February 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 18:37, 6 June 2026 (UTC)

Born in England, he is a senior Republic of Ireland international, having made his debut in May 2026.

Early life

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Finneran attended St Ambrose College in Altrincham in his school years.[2]

Club career

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Blackburn Rovers

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Described as a left-footed defensive midfielder, Finneran joined the Blackburn Rovers academy at eight years old.[3]

In December 2023, Finneran was named among the match day squad for Blackburn in the EFL Championship against Bristol City, but was an unused substitute.[4] On 6 January 2024, he made his senior debut for Blackburn in the FA Cup against Cambridge United.[5] At 15 years old, ten months and eight days, he became Blackburn's youngest ever debutant.[6] However, he was not allowed to wear a kit with the main Blackburn shirt sponsor, an electronic cigarette manufacturer, due to his young age.[7]

Newcastle United

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In July 2024, Finneran joined Newcastle United's academy, with a tribunal required to determine the compensation fee owed to Blackburn Rovers for the young midfielder.[8][9][10]

International career

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A Republic of Ireland youth international, he first played for the U15 team against Cyprus in 2022. He went on to play for Ireland at U16 and U17 levels, making his competitive debut in a 4–0 Euro U17 qualifying win over Armenia in October 2023.[11] He captained Ireland for the first time in a 3–1 victory over Australia at the start of 2023. Finneran was named the Republic of Ireland's under-15 player of the year in 2023.[12] Finneran was named in the squad for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar in November 2025.[13]

In May 2026, he received his first call up to the senior Republic of Ireland team as a late call up for a friendly against Granada.[14][15][16] On 16 May, Finneran made his debut, replacing Jayson Molumby from the bench in a 5–0 win over Grenada.[17]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played on 2 December 2025[18]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup[a] Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Blackburn Rovers 2023–24[18] Championship 0010000010
Newcastle United U21 2024–25[18] –20–20
2025–26[18] –10–10
Total –30–30
Career total 0010300040

International

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As of match played on 16 May 2026
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Republic of Ireland
202610
Total10

References

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  1. 1 2 "LISTE D'ÉQUIPE" (PDF). FIFA. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  2. ↑ @altrinchamtoday (6 January 2024). "Huge congratulations to St Ambrose College pupil Rory Finneran, who became Blackburn @Rovers' youngest ever player (aged 15 years and 312 days) when he came on as a substitute in their FA Cup win over Cambridge United 👏 👏 👏 @stambrosesports" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 May 2025 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  3. ↑ Jackson, Elliot (14 December 2023). "Tomasson explains decision to include 15 year old on Blackburn bench". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  4. ↑ O'Rourke, Pete (1 January 2024). "Newcastle United ready formal move for Blackburn star Rory Finneran". Footballinsider247.com. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "Blackburn debut for Irish 15-year-old Rory Finneran as Szmodics hits hat-trick". Irish Times. 6 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  6. ↑ "Blackburn Rovers 5–2 Cambridge United: Sammie Szmodics hits hat-trick as Championship side win in FA Cup". BBC Sport. 6 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  7. ↑ Stanley, Colman (6 January 2024). "15-Year-old Ireland Star Makes Blackburn History, But Can't Wear Official Kit". Balls.ie. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  8. ↑ "Tribunal to decide Finneran fee". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  9. ↑ "Rory Finneran's Blackburn goodbye ahead of Newcastle move". Lancashire Telegraph. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  10. ↑ "Record-breaking midfielder spotted at St James' Park as Newcastle United transfer confirmed". The Shields Gazette. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  11. ↑ Fitzmaurice, Aidan (6 January 2024). "Blackburn boss praises 15-year-old Ireland underage cap Rory Finneran after making first-team debut". Independent.ie. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  12. ↑ Sharpe, Rich (1 July 2023). "Blackburn Rovers prodigy Rory Finneran earns international acclaim". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  13. ↑ "Ireland squad named for FIFA Under-17 World Cup". FAI.
  14. ↑ "Finneran gets Ireland call, Bagan and McAteer withdraw". www.rte.ie. 8 May 2026.
  15. ↑ "Republic of Ireland squad: Rory Finneran in as Jaden Umeh pulls out of Republic of Ireland squad". BBC Sport. 11 May 2026.
  16. ↑ "Hallgrímsson names 21-player squad for Grenada international friendly". FAI. 5 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  17. ↑ McCann, Lauren (16 May 2026). "Republic of Ireland 5–0 Grenada". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Rory Finneran at Soccerway
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