AJ Inia

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AJ Inia
Personal information
Full name Ata Jesse Inia
Date of birth (2000-04-25) 25 April 2000 (age 21)
Place of birth Melbourne, Australia
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Trang
Number 11
Youth career
2015–2017 Werribee City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2019 Melbourne Knights 27 (4)
2020 Caroline Springs George Cross 0 (0)
2020–2021 Angkor Tiger 19 (2)
2021– Trang 4 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 27 February 2022
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22 December 2021

Ata Jesse "AJ" Inia (born 25 April 2000) is a Tongan footballer who plays for Trang of the Thai League 3. He became Tonga's first-ever professional footballer when he joined the club in 2020.

Club career[]

Inia played for the Melbourne Knights of Australia's NPL Victoria from 2018 to 2020.[1] He competed with the team in the 2019 FFA Cup, including a Round of 32 match against Adelaide United of the A-League.[2] In 2020 he went on trial with Angkor Tiger of the Cambodian League. He joined the club the following year, becoming Tonga's first-ever professional footballer.[1]

By December 2021 Inia had joined Trang F.C. of the Thai League 3.[3]

International career[]

Born in Melbourne, Australia,[4] Ata was called up to the Australia under-23 team for the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship but withdrew because of passport issues. He has expressed a desire to represent Tonga at the senior level.[1] He has been affiliated with the Tonga Football Association since May 2021.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "Tonga's first Professional Soccer Player joins Cambodia's Angkor Tigers". Poly Fresh. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  2. ^ "Confirmed squads for FFA Cup 2019 Round of 32 Match Day 3". Football Australia. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  3. ^ "Trang FC photo". Trang FC. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  4. ^ Rodriguez T. Senase, Jose. "Ata Inia: Tonga's first professional footballer readies for Cambodia debut". Khmer Times. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  5. ^ "LinkedIn profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
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