Rory Finneran
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rory James Finneran[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 29 February 2008 | ||
| Place of birth | Manchester, England | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
Notts County (on loan from Newcastle United) | ||
| Number | 27 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2016–2024 | Blackburn Rovers | ||
| 2024–2026 | Newcastle United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024 | Blackburn Rovers | 0 | (0) |
| 2026– | Newcastle United | 0 | (0) |
| 2026– | → Notts County (loan) | 3 | (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 | 2 | (0) |
| 2026– | Republic of Ireland | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:31, 5 September 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 22:27, 25 September 2026 (UTC) | |||
Rory James Finneran (born 29 February 2008) is a footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for EFL League One club Notts County, on loan from Premier League club Newcastle United. Born in England, he is a senior Republic of Ireland international, having made his debut in May 2026.
In January 2024, he became Blackburn Rovers' youngest ever player, debuting in the FA Cup third round against Cambridge United.
Early life
[edit]Finneran attended St Ambrose College in Altrincham in his school years.[2]
Club career
[edit]Described as a left-footed defensive midfielder, Finneran joined the Blackburn Rovers academy at eight years old.[3] In December 2023, Finneran was named in 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 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]
In July 2024, Finneran joined Newcastle United's academy, with a tribunal required to determine the compensation fee owed to Blackburn Rovers.[8][9][10] On 29 August 2026, Finneran joined EFL League One side Notts County on a season-long loan.[11]
International career
[edit]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.[12] 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.[13] Finneran was named in the squad for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar in November 2025.[14]
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.[15][16][17] On 16 May, Finneran made his debut, replacing Jayson Molumby from the bench in a 5–0 win over Grenada.[18]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]- As of match played on 29 August 2026[19]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup[a] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Blackburn Rovers | 2023–24[19] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Newcastle United U21 | 2024–25[19] | – | 2 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | |||||
| 2025–26[19] | – | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | – | 3 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | ||||||
| Notts County (loan) | 2026–27[19] | League One | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career total | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
- ↑ Includes EFL Cup & National League Cup
International
[edit]- As of match played on 16 May 2026[20]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland | |||
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
References
[edit]- 1 2 "LISTE D'ÉQUIPE" (PDF). FIFA. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ↑ @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).
- ↑ Jackson, Elliot (14 December 2023). "Tomasson explains decision to include 15 year old on Blackburn bench". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ↑ O'Rourke, Pete (1 January 2024). "Newcastle United ready formal move for Blackburn star Rory Finneran". Footballinsider247.com. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ↑ "Blackburn debut for Irish 15-year-old Rory Finneran as Szmodics hits hat-trick". Irish Times. 6 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Tribunal to decide Finneran fee". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ↑ "Rory Finneran's Blackburn goodbye ahead of Newcastle move". Lancashire Telegraph. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ↑ "Record-breaking midfielder spotted at St James' Park as Newcastle United transfer confirmed". The Shields Gazette. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ↑ "SIGNING: RORY FINNERAN". Notts County F.C. 29 August 2026. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Sharpe, Rich (1 July 2023). "Blackburn Rovers prodigy Rory Finneran earns international acclaim". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ↑ "Ireland squad named for FIFA Under-17 World Cup". FAI.
- ↑ "Finneran gets Ireland call, Bagan and McAteer withdraw". www.rte.ie. 8 May 2026.
- ↑ "Republic of Ireland squad: Rory Finneran in as Jaden Umeh pulls out of Republic of Ireland squad". BBC Sport. 11 May 2026.
- ↑ "Hallgrímsson names 21-player squad for Grenada international friendly". FAI. 5 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ McCann, Lauren (16 May 2026). "Republic of Ireland 5–0 Grenada". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Rory Finneran at Soccerway
- ↑ "Finneran, Rory". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
External links
[edit]- Rory Finneran at Soccerbase
- 2008 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Manchester
- Republic of Ireland men's association footballers
- Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers
- Republic of Ireland men's under-21 international footballers
- Republic of Ireland men's international footballers
- English men's footballers
- English people of Irish descent
- Men's association football midfielders
- Blackburn Rovers F.C. players
- Newcastle United F.C. players
- Notts County F.C. players
- English Football League players
- 21st-century Irish sportsmen
- 21st-century English sportsmen
- People educated at St. Ambrose College