| Hayden Hackney | |
| Fullname: | Hayden Rhys Hackney[1] |
| Birth Date: | 26 June 2002 |
| Birth Place: | Redcar, England |
| Height: | 1.78m (05.84feet) |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Currentclub: | Middlesbrough |
| Clubnumber: | 7 |
| Youthyears1: | –2021 |
| Youthclubs1: | Middlesbrough |
| Years1: | 2021– |
| Clubs1: | Middlesbrough |
| Caps1: | 56 |
| Goals1: | 4 |
| Years2: | 2021–2022 |
| Clubs2: | → Scunthorpe United (loan) |
| Caps2: | 28 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2016 |
| Nationalteam1: | England U15 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2022 |
| Nationalteam2: | Scotland U21 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 15 February 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 11:43, 21 November 2023 (UTC) |
| Nationalyears3: | 2023– |
| Nationalteam3: | England U21 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 5 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 0 |
Hayden Rhys Hackney (born 26 June 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Middlesbrough.he played his youth at South Park rangers till he was scouted by Middlesbrough
Hackney was born in Redcar.[2] [3] He attended Sacred Heart Catholic Secondary School.[4]
Hackney joined Middlesbrough's academy at under-10 level. Having been part of the Middlesbrough team that reached the under-18 Premier League Cup final in 2019,[5] he signed his first professional contract with the club on 26 June 2019, his 17th birthday.[6] [7] Shortly after being named on the first-team bench for a match against Barnsley in November 2019, he was praised by Middlesbrough manager Jonathan Woodgate, with Woodgate claiming "Hayden Hackney deserves to be there because he's been outstanding for the Under-23s".
Hackney made his senior debut for Middlesbrough on 9 January 2021, starting in a 2–1 FA Cup defeat away to Brentford.[8] He made his league debut for the club in the final match of the season as a substitute in a 3–0 defeat to Wycombe Wanderers.[9] He signed a new two-year contract with the club later that month.[10]
On 31 August 2021, Hackney joined EFL League Two side Scunthorpe United on loan until January 2022.[11] After playing in the majority of games in the first half of the season, Hackney's loan was extended to last until the end of the season.[12] In the 15th minute of a 2–0 defeat to Exeter City,[13] Hackney was caught spitting at an opponent.[14] The referee did not see this at the time, but after the game, the Football Association confirmed that Hackney had admitted to spitting and was given a six-game suspension.[15] [16] He made 31 appearances as Scunthorpe were relegated to the National League.[17]
Hackney's game time at Middlesbrough was limited at the start of the 2022–23 season, but Hackney became a regular starter following the appointment of Michael Carrick as manager in October 2022.[18] [19] On 19 October, Hackney scored his first goal for Middlesbrough in a 4–1 win against Wigan Athletic.[20] On 8 December, he signed a contract extension until 2026. Hackney won the Middlesbrough Young Player of the Year Award for the 2022–23 season, having made 38 appearances and scoring 3 goals. Hackney was also nominated for the Championship Young Player of the Season Award for the same season,[21] but lost out to Bristol City's Alex Scott.[22]
On 28 June 2023, Hackney signed a new contract for Middlesbrough, keeping him to the club until the summer of 2027.[23] Hackney captained the club for the first time in a 1–0 home defeat to Aston Villa in the FA Cup on 6 January 2024.[24] On 9 January, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Chelsea in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final.[25]
Hackney represented England at under-15 level. He is also eligible to represent Scotland because his mother was born in Edinburgh. He debuted for the Scotland under-21 team in November 2022.[26] [27] In September 2023, he was called up to the England under-21 squad for the first time.[28]
On 11 September 2023, Hackney made his England U21 debut during a 3–0 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification win away to Luxembourg.[29]
Hackney plays as a central midfielder. He often plays as a deep-lying playmaker due to his ability in possession of the ball.
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Middlesbrough U21 | 2018–19 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Middlesbrough | 2020–21 | Championship | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Championship | 34 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 3 | ||
| 2023–24 | Championship | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 | ||
| Total | 51 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 63 | 5 | |||
| Scunthorpe United (loan) | 2021–22 | League Two | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 0 | |
| Career total | 79 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 94 | 5 | |||
Individual