Born in Belgium on 28 June 1995, Jason Denayer is a star-studded defender who primarily plays as a central defender for Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai. Standing tall at 6ft (1.84m) and weighing in at 12st 8lb (80kg), his dominating physical presence is a force to be reckoned with on the football pitch.
Denayer's adventurous football journey officially started in July 2013 when he joined Manchester City in the Premier League in England. With youth in his stride, he showed promise and ambition, but it was his loan spell to Celtic in Scotland's Premiership in August 2014, where his talent truly blossomed.
During the 2014 - 2015 spell at Celtic, Denayer made a remarkable impression with his robust defensive skills. He made 29 appearances for the first team, and remarkably for a defender, scored five goals in league matches. His contribution to Celtic made him an integral part of the team that season, and his performances left lasting impressions on the Celtic faithful.
From Celtic, his wandering football journey took him to Turkey, England and France. He enjoyed loan spells at Galatasaray in the Turkish Süper Lig and Sunderland in England's Championship. His resilient performances earned him a total of 38 first team appearances in Turkey and 24 in England.
In August 2018, Denayer bid adieu to Manchester City permanently when he joined Lyon in France's Ligue 1 for a fee of around £5.9m. During his spell at Lyon, he made 102 first team appearances and scored six goals in league matches, earning the applause of both team mates and fans.
By September 2022, Denayer had embarked on a new journey with Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai in the Pro League in the Emirates. As of the current season 2024 - 2025, he has yet to make a first team appearance.
Throughout the years, Denayer has proven his worth time and again on the pitch. He thrived under the heavy demands of various leagues and the memories of his stellar performance in the emblematic green and white hoops of Celtic will always be cherished by the trusty Hoops fans.
