Niall Mason
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Niall Aadya Mason[1] | ||
Date of birth | 10 January 1997 | ||
Place of birth | Brighton, England | ||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Defender[3] | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Muaither | ||
Number | 4 | ||
Youth career | |||
2004–2007 | Real Madrid | ||
2010 | Al Sadd | ||
2010–2012 | Blackburn Rovers | ||
2012–2015 | Southampton | ||
2015–2016 | Aston Villa | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2015–2017 | Aston Villa | 0 | (0) |
2016–2017 | → Doncaster Rovers (loan) | 38 | (0) |
2017–2019 | Doncaster Rovers | 60 | (3) |
2019–2021 | Peterborough United | 57 | (1) |
2021–2022 | Lusail | ||
2022–2024 | Al Shahaniya | 36 | (2) |
2024– | Muaither | 0 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:59, 30 March 2023 (UTC) |
Niall Aadya Mason (born 10 January 1997)[3] is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Muaither.
He was born in Brighton, and played youth football for Real Madrid, Al Sadd, Blackburn Rovers and Southampton before he signed his first professional deal at Villa.[4] He went on to play for Doncaster Rovers and Peterborough United.
Early life
[edit]Niall Mason was born in Brighton in 1997 to an American father and an Indian mother. The family spent time living in Spain and Qatar.[4] Mason is eligible to play for India, the United States or England. He has said that he would like to play for England if the opportunity arose.[4]
As a 7-year-old, Mason was signed by the Real Madrid academy. When David Beckham visited the academy the two would often converse, as they were the only English players at the club. He also played alongside Zinedine Zidane's sons, Enzo and Luca.[citation needed] He went on to play for the Al Sadd academy in Qatar when his parents moved there for work and then signed for Blackburn Rovers at the age of 13.[5]
In his early days Mason played in advanced positions, but he has gradually moved further down the pitch and now plays mostly as a defender or defensive midfielder.[6]
Career
[edit]Aston Villa
[edit]Mason signed his first contract with Aston Villa in 2015, after turning down a professional contract in order to join Aston Villa. Following a successful trial, he became a regular for Villa's under 21s.[7]
He joined the first team for a summer 2015 training camp in Faro, Portugal under manager Tim Sherwood.[4]
Doncaster Rovers
[edit]On 6 August 2016, Mason joined Doncaster Rovers on loan until January alongside Chelsea's Jordan Houghton.[6] Both players made their debut on the same day, in a 3–2 loss to Accrington Stanley.[8] On 1 January 2017, Mason had his loan extended until the end of the season.[9]
On 8 May 2017, Doncaster Rovers signed Mason permanently from Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee.[10] He scored his first goal on 23 December that year, a penalty that was the only goal of a victory away to Bristol Rovers.[11] Three days later, he scored in the same way in a 3–0 win over Northampton Town at the Keepmoat Stadium.[12]
Mason was a regular under Darren Ferguson and then Grant McCann, but was suspended in January 2019 following his conviction.[13] In March 2019, Mason was sacked from Doncaster Rovers as a result of his conviction for sexual assault.[14]
Peterborough United
[edit]In June 2019 he signed for Peterborough United.[15] He scored his first goal for the club in an EFL Trophy tie against Burton Albion on 8 September 2020.[16]
On 11 May 2021, it was announced that he would leave Peterborough at the end of his contract. He scored his first and only league goal for The Posh in his final appearance for the club against his former side Doncaster a few days beforehand.[17]
In August 2021, Mason had a brief trial at Dundee. His presence led to fan protests over his conviction.[18]
Al Shahiniya
[edit]In December 2021, Mason returned to Qatar and after a spell playing for Lusail, he joined Qatari side Al Shahaniya. In the summer of 2023 he signed a new extension on his deal for a reported $1.25 million a year salary.[19] In July 2024, Mason joined Muaither after the federation declined him to continue at Al Shahiniya.[20]
Personal life
[edit]Niall Mason was convicted of a sexual offence in January 2019, after pleading guilty to a charge in February 2018. Prior to his appearance in court, Mason had maintained his innocence and continued his playing career. He was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years and was placed onto a sex offenders register for seven years.[21] Following the sentencing Mason claimed to have been advised to plead guilty by his legal team to reduce his punishment, but continued to assert his innocence.[22]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of match played 5 April 2021
Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Doncaster Rovers (loan) | 2016–17[23] | League Two | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 42 | 0 |
Doncaster Rovers | 2017–18[24] | League One | 40 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 50 | 3 |
2018–19[25] | League One | 20 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
Total | 60 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 78 | 3 | ||
Peterborough United | 2019–20[26] | League One | 30 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 37 | 0 |
2020–21[27] | League One | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5[a] | 1 | 31 | 1 | |
Total | 57 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 68 | 1 | ||
Career total | 155 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 188 | 5 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Bradford City" (PDF). English Football League. p. 52. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
- ^ "Niall Mason". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Niall Mason". www.avfc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ a b c d Evans, Gregg (11 July 2015). "Aston Villa in Portugal: The lowdown on 18-year-old Niall Mason who could make his debut tonight". Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ Amin-ul Islam, Mohammad. "Niall eyes donning England colours". Doha Stadium Plus Qatar. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Doncaster Rovers sign former Real Madrid junior Niall Mason on loan from Aston Villa". www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Who Is Niall Mason?". Read Aston Villa. 8 September 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Accrington Stanley 3–2 Doncaster Rovers". BBC Sport. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Doncaster extension for Mason". Vital Football. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- ^ "Niall Mason: Doncaster Rovers sign on-loan Aston Villa defender". BBC Sport. 8 May 2017. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ^ "Bristol Rovers 0–1 Doncaster: Niall Mason scores winner". Sky Sports. Press Association. 23 December 2017. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
- ^ "Doncaster 3–0 Northampton: Comfortable win for Rovers". Sky Sports. 26 December 2017. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
- ^ "Club statement". Doncaster Rovers F.C. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ "Niall Mason: Doncaster Rovers sack defender after sexual assault". BBC Sport. 18 March 2019. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
- ^ "Niall Mason: Peterborough sign defender sacked by Doncaster after sexual assault". BBC. 7 June 2019. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "Penalty Success For Posh After Entertaining Encounter". theposh.com. 8 September 2020. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "Posh Confirm Retained List For Next Season". www.theposh.com. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ Cran, George; Rae, Steven (18 August 2021). "Dundee end trial of convicted sex offender Niall Mason". The Courier. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ "الشحانية يغلق ملف المحترفين بالتعاقد مع أمير روستائى ونايل" (in Arabic). Al Shahaniya SC. 26 August 2022. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "Our team signs a new defender". Muaither SC. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ "Rovers star admits sexually assaulting woman in Doncaster bar". Doncaster Free Press. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ "Peterborough United sign a full-back with a controversial past". Peterborough Telegraph. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
- ^ "Games played by Niall Mason in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ^ "Games played by Niall Mason in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ "Games played by Niall Mason in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ "Games played by Niall Mason in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "Games played by Niall Mason in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
External links
[edit]- Niall Mason at Soccerway
- Living people
- 1997 births
- Footballers from Brighton
- English men's footballers
- English people of American descent
- English people of Indian descent
- Sportspeople of Indian descent
- British Asian footballers
- Men's association football defenders
- Aston Villa F.C. players
- Doncaster Rovers F.C. players
- Peterborough United F.C. players
- English Football League players
- British people convicted of sexual assault
- Lusail SC players
- Al Shahaniya SC players
- Muaither SC players
- Qatari Second Division players
- English expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar
- English expatriate sportspeople in Qatar
- 21st-century English sportsmen