AJ Inia

Ata Jesse "AJ" Inia (born 25 April 2000) is a Tongan footballer who plays for Trang of the Thai League 3. He became Tonga's first-ever professional footballer when he joined the club in 2020.

AJ Inia
Personal information
Full name Ata Jesse Inia
Date of birth (2000-04-25) 25 April 2000
Place of birth Melbourne, Australia
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Trang
Number 11
Youth career
2015–2017 Werribee City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2019 Melbourne Knights 27 (4)
2020 Caroline Springs George Cross 0 (0)
2020–2021 Angkor Tiger 19 (2)
2021– Trang 4 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 27 February 2022
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22 December 2021

Club career

Inia played for the Melbourne Knights of Australia's NPL Victoria from 2018 to 2020.[1] He competed with the team in the 2019 FFA Cup, including a Round of 32 match against Adelaide United of the A-League.[2] In 2020 he went on trial with Angkor Tiger of the Cambodian League. He joined the club the following year, becoming Tonga's first-ever professional footballer.[1]

By December 2021 Inia had joined Trang F.C. of the Thai League 3.[3]

International career

Born in Melbourne, Australia,[4] Ata was called up to the Australia under-23 team for the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship but withdrew because of passport issues. He has expressed a desire to represent Tonga at the senior level.[1] He has been affiliated with the Tonga Football Association since May 2021.[5]

References
  1. "Tonga's first Professional Soccer Player joins Cambodia's Angkor Tigers". Poly Fresh. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  2. "Confirmed squads for FFA Cup 2019 Round of 32 Match Day 3". Football Australia. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  3. "Trang FC photo". Trang FC. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  4. Rodriguez T. Senase, Jose. "Ata Inia: Tonga's first professional footballer readies for Cambodia debut". Khmer Times. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  5. "LinkedIn profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
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