JJ Gabriel
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Junior Andreou O'Cearuill | ||
| Date of birth | 6 October 2010 | ||
| Place of birth | Enfield, England | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Manchester United | ||
| Number | 77 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Chelsea | |||
| Arsenal | |||
| West Ham United | |||
| 2022– | Manchester United | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2025 | England U15 | 6 | (0) |
| 2025 | England U16 | 2 | (0) |
| 2026– | England U17 | 2 | (0) |
| ‡ National team caps and goals as of 15:17, 31 March 2026 (UTC) | |||
Joseph Junior Andreou O'Cearuill (born 6 October 2010), commonly known as JJ Gabriel, is an English footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United.
Early life
Gabriel was born to Joe O'Cearuill and a Greek-Cypriot mother. He grew up in London and developed his skills at top academies including Chelsea, Arsenal and West Ham United's.[1] By age nine, Gabriel gained widespread attention after a viral YouTube video earned him the nickname "Kid Messi".[2] In March 2025, he signed a long-term sponsorship deal with Nike.[3]
Club career
On 5 April 2025, 14-year-old Gabriel became youngest-ever player to play for Manchester United's under-18 team, scoring twice on his debut in the U18 Premier League against Leeds United.[4][5]
Prior to the 2025–26 season, Gabriel was given a shirt number 95[6] and was permitted to train with the first team of Manchester United.[7][8] In October, the fifteen-year-old player took part in first team training.[9] On 9 December 2025, he scored in the FA Youth Cup match against Peterborough United at Old Trafford.[10][11] On 12 May 2026, Gabriel was named the U18 Premier League Player of the Season.[citation needed]
On 1 August 2026, he made his first-team debut in a pre-season friendly against Atlético Madrid at Nationalarenan in Stockholm, Sweden, coming on as a substitute for Bryan Mbeumo in the 82nd minute. He became the youngest Manchester United player to appear in an unofficial match at 15 years old.[12] On 10 September, Gabriel scored a hat-trick in a UEFA Youth League match against Sabah which ended 5–0, becoming the youngest goalscorer for Manchester United in the competition.[13][14]
International career
Gabriel made his England U15 debut in February 2025.[15]
In August 2025, Gabriel turned down an England U16 international call-up for a pair of friendly matches against Italy. His father confirmed that he would instead remain with Manchester United's U18 side. The decision was made because staying with his club was considered more beneficial for his development.[16]
On 1 November 2025, Gabriel made his England U16 debut in a 3–2 loss against Turkey U16, starting the game.[17]
Gabriel made his England U17 debut on 25 March 2026 during a 2027 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification match against Faroe Islands at St George's Park National Football Centre.[18]
Style of play
Gabriel can best play as a centre-forward or a winger, and his best skills are technique, dribbling, and ball control. He also likes to do tricks.[1][2]
Personal life
His father Joe O'Cearuill is a former professional footballer and played for the Republic of Ireland.[1]
Gabriel is eligible to play for England, Ireland, Cyprus, and Trinidad and Tobago. He was born and raised in England, but is eligible to play for other countries because of his Irish paternal grandmother, Cypriot mother, and Trinidadian grandfather.[19]
Honours
References
- 1 2 3 "JJ Gabriel: Man Utd's 14-year-old 'Kid Messi' who is growing up fast and on the Lamine Yamal path to superstardom". goal.com. Goal. 12 September 2025.
- 1 2 "Who is JJ Gabriel - the Man Utd Youth Star Dubbed 'Kid Messi'". givemesport.com. 22 August 2025.
- ↑ Smith, Matt (18 May 2025). "14-Year-Old Man Utd Academy Starlet Tipped to Become Youngest-Ever Player". GiveMeSport. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
- ↑ "Man Utd's 14-year-old wonderkid JJ Gabriel dubbed 'Kid Messi' makes history after scoring twice on dream debut as Under-18s smash 13 goals past Leeds". goal.com. Goal. 5 April 2025.
- ↑ "Who are Victor Musa, JJ Gabriel and the other stars of Man Utd U18's 13-1 win over Leeds?". nytimes.com. The Athletic. 10 April 2025.
- ↑ "Manchester United hand extraordinary squad number to young starlet labelled 'Kid Messi' and close in on new contract for teen sensation JJ Gabriel". goal.com. Goal. 3 July 2025.
- ↑ "14-year-old JJ Gabriel to train with Manchester United first team". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "'Protect him' - Manchester United wonderkid causes huge stir after 22-minute goal rampage". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Manchester Evening News. 31 August 2025.
- ↑ "Fifteen-year-old JJ Gabriel trains with Man Utd senior squad". bbc.com. BBC Sport. 23 October 2025.
- ↑ Stone, Simon (9 December 2025). "Gabriel, 15, among crop aiming to preserve 87-year Man Utd record". bbc.com.
- ↑ "JJ Gabriel, the 15-year-old Manchester United forward breaking records and creating a buzz". nytimes.com. The Athletic. 10 December 2025.
- ↑ Stone, Simon (23 July 2026). "JJ Gabriel, 15, gets senior Man Utd call-up". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 September 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Mitten, Andy (11 September 2026). "JJ Gabriel's record-breaking Manchester United hat-trick: 'He's in a really good place'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 11 September 2026.
- ↑ Johnson, Jack (10 September 2026). "15-year-old wonderkid makes Man United history with stunning debut hat-trick". talkSPORT. Retrieved 11 September 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "JJ Gabriel Internationals". Worldfootball.
- ↑ "JJ Gabriel turns down England international call-up". Yahoo Sports. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ↑ "Türkiye U16 vs England U16 live score, H2H and lineups". Sofascore. 1 November 2025. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ↑ "eport: England MU17s 3-0 Faroe Islands". England Football.
- ↑ Brent, Harry (20 August 2025). "Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim 'being kept updated' about son of Ireland international". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ↑ "Man Utd's JJ Gabriel named U18 PL Player of the Season". Premier League. 12 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
External links
- JJ Gabriel at WorldFootball.net