Aaron Nigel Bolger (born 2 February 2000) is an Irish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for

League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Men's Premier Division (), also known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the Republic of Ireland and the highest level of the Republic of I ...

club

Galway United Galway United Football Club () is an Irish professional football club based in Galway. They play in the League of Ireland Premier Division following promotion from the First Division in 2023. They were founded as Galway Rovers F.C. during the ...

. His previous clubs are

Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional Association football, football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is List of football clubs by competit ...

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...

Longford Town Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It had a population of 10,952 at the 2022 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meeting of I ...

Cork City Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...

St Patrick's Athletic St Patrick's Athletic Football Club, commonly known as Pat's or The Athletic, is a professional List of association football clubs in the Republic of Ireland, Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the League ...

Ebbsfleet United Ebbsfleet United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Northfleet, Kent, England. The club compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1946 from the merger ...

Career

Youth career

A native of Avoca,

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...

, Bolger came through St Joseph's Boys, before moving to the academy of

League of Ireland The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...

club

in 2016. While at St Joseph's Boys, he was part of a formidable side that included fellow future professional footballers Joe Redmond, Brandon Kavanagh, Jonathan Afolabi, Andy Lyons,

Promise Omochere Promise Osazee Omochere (born 18 October 2000) is an Irish professional football player who plays as a forward for club Bristol Rovers. Career Bohemians Omochere joined the Bohemians senior team in 2018 after spending time with their academy. ...

Ryan Burke Ryan Darren Burke (born 23 November 2000) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a left back for League of Ireland First Division club Waterford. He joined English club Birmingham City from St Patrick's Athletic as a 16-year-old and mad ...

and Max Murphy among others.

Shamrock Rovers

Bolger made his senior debut for

on 9 September 2016, when he replaced

Stephen McPhail Stephen John Paul McPhail (born 9 December 1979) is an Irish former professional footballer and the sporting director of Shamrock Rovers in the League of Ireland Premier Division. A play-making central midfielder, McPhail started his career at ...

from the bench in a 5–0 defeat to

FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Sports Direct FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as D ...

tie at

Tallaght Stadium Tallaght Stadium () is an List of association football stadiums in the Republic of Ireland, association football stadium in Ireland based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club Shamrock Rovers F.C., Shamrock Rovers originally announced details of ...

. His league debut came on 25 September 2016, in an 4–2 win over

. Bolger's first goal in senior football was on 23 June 2017 when he scored in the 91st minute of a 4–1 win at home to

Drogheda United Drogheda United Football Club is a professional Irish association football club based in Drogheda, County Louth playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division. They play their home matches at Sullivan & Lambe Park. The current club is the ...

. He made his first appearance in European football on 6 July 2017, when he came off the bench in a 1–0 win at home to

Stjarnan Ungmennafélagið Stjarnan (, ), commonly known as Stjarnan (), is an Icelandic multi-sports club specialising in handball, football, basketball, volleyball and gymnastics located in Garðabær. Basketball Men's basketball As of the 2017–2 ...

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

in a

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

tie. On 16 September 2017, he started in the 2017 League of Ireland Cup Final, but was sent off in the 64th minute for a second yellow as his challenge was late and high on

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...

defender Niclas Vemmelund as his side lost 3–0. He featured 18 times in all competitions over the 2018 season, with his performances drawing interest from

EFL Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, it is the highest divi ...

side

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...

Cardiff City loan

On 4 February 2019, it was announced that Bolger had signed for

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

on loan until the end of their season.

Cardiff City

After impressing with the club's Under 23 side during his loan spell, he signed a permanent contract with the club on 2 July 2019. On 1 June 2021, following two loan spells back in Ireland, Bolger was announced as being released by the club following the end of his contract, after failing to make a first team appearance during his years with the club.

Shamrock Rovers loan

On 1 August 2020, Bolger was loaned back to

until the end of their season in December. He made the first team squad just once, remaining an unused substitute, while all 11 of his appearances were with the club's reserve side Shamrock Rovers II in the

League of Ireland First Division The League of Ireland First Division, also known as the SSE Airtricity League First Division for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland football league system. The division w ...

Longford Town loan

On 30 January 2021, Bolger was loaned to newly promoted

side

until the end of June 2021, when his contract at

expired. He made 10 appearances for the club during his loan spell.

Cork City

Following the end of his

contract, Bolger was released, signing for

leaders

as a free agent on 29 July 2021. He made 10 appearances in the second half of his side's campaign as they missed out on the playoffs. On 3 November 2021, Bolger signed a new contract with the club for the 2022 season. He featured 34 times in all competitions over the season, scoring twice as they won the

2022 League of Ireland First Division The 2022 League of Ireland First Division season was the 38th season of the League of Ireland First Division, the second tier of the Republic of Ireland's association football league. The title was won by Cork City. Overview The First Division ...

. He signed a new contract with the club on 5 December 2022 ahead of their

2023 League of Ireland Premier Division The 2023 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, was the 39th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top Irish league for association football clubs sinc ...

campaign. On 6 March 2023 during a 4–4 draw away to

, he was involved in a head collision with

Trevor Clarke Trevor Clarke MLA (born 28 July 1967) is a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician, serving as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for South Antrim since June 2017, having previously served from 2007 to March 2017. Clarke is the D ...

that knocked Bolger unconscious and knocked his teeth out, requiring three

Root canal treatment Root canal treatment (also known as endodontic therapy, endodontic treatment, or root canal therapy) is a treatment sequence for the infected pulp of a tooth that is intended to result in the elimination of infection and the protection of t ...

s to resolve the issue. On 10 November 2023, he featured in the 2023 League of Ireland Premier Division Play-off as his side lost 2–1 to

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

, resulting in relegation back to the

St Patrick's Athletic

On 13 December 2023, it was announced that Bolger had signed a multi-year contract with

. He made his debut for the club on 22 January in a Leinster Senior Cup game away to Usher Celtic. On 25 July 2024, he featured in his side's 3–1 win over

Vaduz Vaduz (; or ; High Alemannic pronunciation: [])Hans Stricker, Toni Banzer, Herbert Hilbe: ''Liechtensteiner Namenbuch. Die Orts- und Flurnamen des Fürstentums Liechtenstein.'' Band 2: ''Die Namen der Gemeinden Triesenberg, Vaduz, Schaan.'' ...

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...

in the

UEFA Conference League The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual football competition organised since 2021 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It is the thir ...

, replacing Romal Palmer from the bench in the 76th minute. On 8 October 2024, Bolger was part of the Pats side that defeated St Mochta's 2–1 in the final of the

2023–24 Leinster Senior Cup The 2024 PTSB Leinster Senior Cup was the 120th edition of the Leinster Football Association's primary competition. It included all Leinster based League of Ireland clubs from the Premier Division and First Division, as well as a selection of ...

. In January 2025, he was sent out on a 6 month loan before permanently departing the club by mutual consent on 3 July 2025.

Ebbsfleet United loan

On 4 February 2025, it was announced that Bolger had signed for bottom of the table

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

club

on loan until the end of their season in the summer. He made his debut for the club on 8 February 2025 in a 0–0 draw away to

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...

Spotland Stadium Spotland Stadium, known as the Crown Oil Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose sports stadium in the Spotland district of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, which is home to Rochdale A.F.C., Rochdale Association Football Club a ...

. He made 16 appearances for the club as they finished bottom of the table and were relegated to the

National League South The National League South, officially Vanarama National League South, is a professional Association football league in England. National League South is the second division of the National League (English football), National Leagues and step ...

a month before the end of the season.

Galway United

It was announced on 3 July 2025 that Bolger had signed for

Style of play

Bolger is a

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

and has been described by his former manager Stephen Bradley as being ''"a nasty little f****r!"'' who can ''"do a bit of everything. He can tackle, he can play, he just needs to add goals to his game and he would be very close to a complete midfielder. He just doesn't care, Aaron. He doesn't see the players he's playing against, he doesn't see any of their players and think 'oh'. And that sort of don't care attitude will drive his career. Every level he goes up, he'll respond to it."'' Former teammate Ronan Finn speaking about Bolger when he was 17 years old, said ''"

Paul Scholes Paul Scholes (born 16 November 1974) is an English football pundit, coach and former player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, Scholes spent his entire professional playing career with Manchester United, for whom h ...

was a small midfielder and Aaron has a low centre of gravity. He manipulates his body really well to protect the ball. But Aaron is a central midfielder and I honestly don't know where he has learned the game. His knowledge of the game is so good."''

International career

Bolger has been capped for the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

at U16,

U17 U17 or U-17 may refer to: Naval vessels * * , various vessels * , a submarine of the Austro-Hungarian Navy Other uses * Cessna U-17 Skywagon, an American utility aircraft * Nonconvex great rhombicuboctahedron In geometry, the nonconvex g ...

, U18 and U19 level. He was named as part of the

squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of Military organization, military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and United States, U.S. doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a fireteam, ...

for the Republic of Ireland U17 team's

2017 UEFA European Under-17 Championship The 2017 UEFA European Under-17 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-17 Euro 2017) was the 16th edition of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship (35th edition if the Under-16 era is also included), the annual international youth association foo ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. On 18 March 2018, he was named FAI Under-17 International Player of the Year for 2017.

Career statistics

Honours

Club

;Cork City *

(1):

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

Individual

* PFAI First Division Team of the Year (1):

* FAI Under-17 International Player of the Year (1): 2017

References

External links

Aaron Bolger Extratime.com Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolger, Aaron 2000 births Living people Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Shamrock Rovers F.C. players Cardiff City F.C. players Longford Town F.C. players Cork City F.C. players St Patrick's Athletic F.C. players Ebbsfleet United F.C. players League of Ireland players National League (English football) players Men's association football midfielders Association footballers from County Wicklow Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers 21st-century Irish sportsmen