Hayden Rhys Hackney (born 26 June 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Middlesbrough and the England U21 national team.
Hackney was born in Redcar.[3][4] He attended Sacred Heart Catholic Secondary School.[5]
Hackney joined Middlesbrough's academy after being spotted playing for his local side Redcar Town.[3][6] Having been part of the Middlesbrough team that reached the under-18 Premier League Cup final in 2019,[7] he signed his first professional contract with the club on 26 June 2019, his 17th birthday.[8][9] 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".[4]
Hackney made his senior debut for Middlesbrough on 9 January 2021, starting in a 2–1 FA Cup defeat away to Brentford.[10] 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.[2][11] He signed a new two-year contract with the club later that month.[12]
On 31 August 2021, Hackney joined EFL League Two side Scunthorpe United on loan until January 2022.[13] 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.[14] In the 15th minute of a 2–0 defeat to Exeter City,[15] Hackney was caught spitting at an opponent.[16] 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.[17][18] He made 31 appearances as Scunthorpe were relegated to the National League.[19]
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.[20][21] On 19 October, Hackney scored his first goal for Middlesbrough in a 4–1 win against Wigan Athletic.[22] On 8 December, he signed a contract extension until 2026.[20] Hackney won the Middlesbrough Young Player of the Year Award for the 2022–23 season,[23] having made 38 appearances and scoring 3 goals.[2] Hackney was also nominated for the Championship Young Player of the Season Award for the same season,[24] but lost out to Bristol City's Alex Scott.[25]
On 28 June 2023, Hackney signed a new contract for Middlesbrough, keeping him to the club until the summer of 2027.[26] 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.[27] 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.[28]
Hackney represented England at under-15 level.[3] 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.[29][30]
In September 2023, Hackney was called up to the England under-21 squad for the first time.[31] On 11 September 2023, he made his England U21 debut during a 3–0 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification win away to Luxembourg.[32] In March 2025 Hackney scored his only goal at international youth level in a 4–2 victory against Portugal at The Hawthorns.[33]
Hackney was included in the England squad for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[34] During the semi-final he provided the assist for the winning goal by Harvey Elliott against Netherlands.[35] Hackney was an unused substitute in the final as England defeated Germany to win the tournament.[36]
Hackney plays as a central midfielder. He often plays as a deep-lying playmaker due to his ability in possession of the ball.[7]
| 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[a] | 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[b] | 0 | 38 | 3 | |
| 2023–24 | Championship | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 | |
| 2024–25 | Championship | 43 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 5 | |
| Total | 99 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 114 | 10 | ||
| Scunthorpe United (loan) | 2021–22 | League Two | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| Career total | 127 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 145 | 10 | ||
England U21
Individual
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