Aiden O'Neill

Aiden Connor O'Neill (born 4 July 1998) is an Australian professional soccer player who currently plays as a defensive midfielder for New York City FC and the Australia national team.

Born in Brisbane, O'Neill played youth football for Kenmore F.C. (now called UQFC), then Brisbane Athletic and Burnley before making his professional debut for the latter in 2016. He spent some time on loan to Oldham Athletic and Fleetwood Town, scoring his first ever professional goal for the latter club. He returned to Australia, on loan, to play for Central Coast Mariners in 2018.

He previously represented the Australian under-23 national team.

Early life O'Neill was born and raised in Brisbane, attending Nudgee Junior College before moving to Brisbane Boys' College before moving to England aged fourteen when his parents moved there for work.

Club career O'Neill played youth football for Brisbane Athletic between 2008 and 2012. He moved to England as a teenager, where he sought to pursue a career in football.

On 12 January 2016, O'Neill signed his first professional contract with then-Championship side Burnley. He made his professional debut for the club on 20 August 2016, coming on as a late substitute against Liverpool in the Premier League as Burnley won 2–0. He made his full debut days later, starting in an extra time loss to Accrington Stanley in the EFL Cup.

In January 2017, he joined EFL League One strugglers Oldham Athletic on loan until the end of the season. He made a total of fifteen appearances for the Latics. In January 2018, he returned to Burnley early having made twenty-seven appearances and scoring once against Blackburn Rovers.

In August 2018, O'Neill returned to Australia to play for Central Coast Mariners in the A-League on a season-long loan.

Melbourne City O'Neill signed a three-year deal with Melbourne City in September 2020.

During the 2022–23 season O'Neill had become a key player in the starting 11, scoring a brace in a 2–1 victory against Brisbane Roar on 12 March 2023.

During the Melbourne Derby on 17 December 2022, O'Neill scored the opening goal during the match, that was later abandoned due to player safety in the 22nd minute. During the resumption of the match on 5 April 2023, O'Neill scored a second goal completing his brace. His brace became the longest time between both goals in a brace with his first and second goal being 156,956 minutes apart. New York City FC

In April 2025, Aiden O’Neill transferred from Standard Liège to New York City FC, signing a contract that runs through the 2028 season. Sporting Director David Lee highlighted O’Neill’s leadership and familiarity with the City Football Group system as key assets, noting his role as a “smart and powerful midfielder with a high work rate.”

He made his MLS debut in the early part of the 2025 season, adding six appearances by June 2025. Seamlessly transitioning into NYCFC's midfield rotation, O’Neill brought international experience, having previously captained Standard Liège and earned numerous caps with the Australia national team.

International career O'Neill has stated that his preference is to play for Australia, but had not been in any contact with Football Federation Australia when he made his Premier League debut in August 2016. He was later called up for an Australia under-23 camp in March 2017. He had previously been contacted by the Football Association of Ireland and the Irish Football Association but reiterated that his preference was to play for Australia.

On 14 March 2023, O’Neill was called up to the Socceroos team for the first time with friendlies against Ecuador.

He made his senior debut in a 3–1 win over Ecuador on 24 March 2023.

On 3 February 2024, O'Neill received his first international red card against South Korea in extra-time at the quarter-finals of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. The game would end in a 1–2 loss. He has since become a mainstay in the Socceroos squad, featuring prominently in Australia's third round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

On 31 May 2026, O’Neill was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours Melbourne City A-League Premiership: 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23 A-League Championship: 2020–21

Australia U23 AFC U-23 Championship: 3rd place 2020

Individual PFA A-League Team of the Season: 2022–23