Hayden Hackney: Bio, Career, Summary, Stats, Trophies and News

Hayden Hackney Family and Early Life

Hayden Hackney was born and raised in Redcar, a town in North Yorkshire, England. He did his schooling at Sacred Heart Catholic Secondary School, where his talent on the football field became evident. Hayden has Scottish blood as his mother hails from Edinburgh, courtesy of which he has been able to represent both England and Scotland at youth levels.

Hackney’s football journey began at the age of 10 when he joined the Middlesbrough academy. His impressive display at the club's youth system contributed to his meteoric rise, leading to a January 2021 debut during an FA Cup match against Brentford.

Playing Style and Strengths

Hayden Hackney's A-game is complemented by his frequent and extremely effective forward passes. His precision in terms of finding teammates at the right place has also been remarkable. Additionally, Hackney also has the tendency to gallop forward while demonstrating ball-holding capacity. He also makes impressive runs without the ball that give his team that extra edge in that attacking third.

Hackney is an extremely skillful playmaker responsible for a great proportion of Middlesbrough’s assists this season. He has accumulated an astonishing nine assists in the 2024-25 campaign. Now, looking at his defensive skills, it is also on par with his offensive play. He has won an impressive 27.10% of defensive duels and has been involved in 94.50% of scenarios per 90 minutes.

Michael Carrick uses Hackney mostly as a defensive midfielder in his 4-2-3-1 formation. The 22-year-old naturally favors his dominant right foot, but occasionally can baffle defenders, going the other way.

While building up the attack, the Redcar-born footballer often drops to shield the centre-back pairing. He offers himself as the first, most penetrative and direct option in the midfield. His style of play facilitates the full-backs marching forward along their respective flanks. Hackney's positioning also needs to be mentioned here. Like a true midfielder, Hackney thrives in half-spaces, allowing his partner to move up to the attacking area.

Hackney possesses an impressive passing range that helps him distribute the ball effectively upon his reception. Furthermore, he also looks quite comfortable in tight spaces. His ability to communicate with teammates is outstanding, which can play a huge part in his potential switch to elite clubs in the future.

Hayden Hackney Net Worth

Hayden Hackney's net worth is not publicly disclosed. However, we do know that he is making stable money from 2022 over the range of 300,000 euros.

Hayden Hackney Salary

Hayden Hackney makes a weekly salary of 6,500 euros, and his annual wage at Middlesbrough stands at 338,000 euros. With a three-year contract in hand, Hackney will earn a revenue of 1.01 million.

Hayden Hackney Partner

Hayden Hackney keeps his personal life private; hence, there is no information whether he is dating or not. Hayden now seems busy representing England U21s in the European U21 Championship, and will be keen to make his presence felt in the continental event.

Hayden Hackney Career

Hackney's career has primarily seen him go from an unknown name to becoming one of the most decisive players on the Middlesbrough team. Initially making sporadic appearances, Hackney has now emerged as one of the mainstays in the starting eleven. He has developed into a bright young star who is drawing everyone's attention.

Club Career

Since joining the youth team at Middlesbrough, Hayden Hackney has spent a lot of time with the North Yorkshire club. He was part of the Middlesbrough team that reached the under-18 Premier League Cup final in 2019. Hackney signed his first professional contract with the club on 26 June 2019, which also happened to be his 17th birthday.

Within a few months, Hackney was brought into the first-team bench for a match against Barnsley in November 2019. His contributions to the team were praised by Middlesbrough manager Jonathan Woodgate. “Hayden Hackney deserves to be there because he's been outstanding for the Under-23s,” the coach said.

His senior team debut for Middlesbrough took place on 9 January 2021, starting in an FA Cup defeat away to Brentford. 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. Hackney signed a new two-year contract with the club later that month. This was followed by a brief stint at EFL League Two side Scunthorpe United on loan until January 2022.

After playing in the majority of games in the first half of the season, Hackney's loan was extended until the end of the season. There was also some controversy that erupted in the middle. During a defeat to Exeter City, the Boro player was caught spitting at an opponent. His gesture inadvertently missed the referee's eye, with Hackney avoiding a potential booking. However, when the match ended, the Football Association confirmed that Hackney had admitted to spitting. He was handed a six-game suspension. Hackney made 31 appearances but could not salvage Scunthorpe's situation as they were eventually relegated.

The start of the season saw Hackney make a very limited number of appearances for Middlesbrough, but he soon became a regular starter following the appointment of Michael Carrick as the head coach in October 2022. Hackney scored his first goal under the new manager in a 4–1 win against Wigan Athletic. Within two months in December, Hackney signed a contract extension until 2026, stretching his time at the Riverside Stadium.

His consistent performances led Hackney to win the Middlesbrough Young Player of the Year Award for the 2022–23 season. That was not all, Hackney was also nominated for the Championship Young Player of the Season Award for the same season. Although he ended up losing out to Bristol City's Alex Scott.

In June 2023, Hackney signed a new contract for Middlesbrough, extending his stay until the summer of 2027. He also captained the club for the first time in a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa in the FA Cup.

International Career

Hayden Hackney is one of the few players who have represented both England and Scotland at the international level. He debuted for the Scotland under-21 team in November 2022. In the following year, he was called up to the England under-21 squad for the first time. Hackney made his England U21 debut during a UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier win away to Luxembourg.

Hayden Hackney Awards and Achievements

Here's a look at the awards Hayden Hackney has bagged in his career so far: