Did you know there are things you didn’t know about Leon Bailey? Aston Villa have been in great form this season, and just recently they beat the treble winners, Manchester City. Although the entire team can take credit for that win, one man in particular stood out because he scored the winning goal: Leon Bailey.
Today, we’ll talk about this man as we bring you 10 things you didn’t know about Leon Bailey
1. The Nickname “Chippy”
The first thing you should probably know about him is that some people close to him don’t even call him Leon. Rather, they address him by his Nickname “Chippy,” and it turns out that he has had the name since he was a kid.
You’re probably wondering how he got the name. Did he like potato chips? Or did he love chipping off things?
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Well, the answer is, neither. The name was given only because he was said to look like the character “Alvin” in the popular movie “Alvin and the Chipmunks.” Pretty funny, right?
2. A Unique Family Bond
While growing up, Bailey shared an inseparable bond with his siblings. But it might also interest you to know that none of those two siblings are biological. Because he didn’t actually have any biological siblings, rather, they were his adoptive siblings.
But here’s the thing. He’s so close to them and they share such a strong bond, that you wouldn’t even be able to tell that they’re not related by blood. Now, that’s just pretty cool, isn’t it?
3. Father’s Football Academy
At a tender age of six, Bailey crossed paths with his adoptive father, Craig Butler. His father Craig Butler owned a football academy called the “Phoenix All-Star Academy”. And as you’ve probably guessed already, this was the academy where Leon would then go on to train.
4. Origins in Jamaica
Before joining his adoptive family, Leon Bailey was growing up in one of the more dangerous neighborhoods in Jamaica. In fact, that’s the kind of neighborhood that raises a child’s risk of growing to become a drug peddler. Luckily for Leon, that wasn’t his fate, and he got snapped up by his adoptive father as a child.
Now, you’ve just got to admit, he was one lucky kid.
You’re probably thinking things became all rosy for him as soon as he met his adoptive father. That’s not how things played out. Matter of fact, his adoptive father had to fight really hard to keep his academy players from being taken away.
To make things even worse, they also had to deal with major financial problems, and even his adoptive father’s wife left him. Pretty wild, right?
5. A Journey to Europe
All struggles of his family paid off and his adoptive father was able to secure a ticket to Europe for him and his brothers when he was just about the age of 12.
And well, it might also interest you to note that the first thing Leon Bailey hated once he got to Europe is the same thing many people hate in Europe – the winter. And here’s why. You see, the first time he went to Europe was during winter, and let’s just say nothing could have prepared him for the winter’s snow. And to make things worse, they didn’t have much money, so they had to ration their food and jump from one accommodation to another. So it’s really not surprising that he hated the winter so much.
6. Tough early life
It’s also safe to say that Leon Bailey didn’t have an easy childhood and that moving to Europe didn’t necessarily take away all his problems. Because just a few years after they moved to Europe, his father got kidnapped. Pretty wild, right? You see, it all happened when his father tried to finalize a move for him to Genk, which made him travel to Mexico.
It was on this same trip to Mexico that his father got kidnapped and robbed, with no means of contacting Leon and his brothers who were all in Belgium. Pretty wild, right? Fortunately for Leon, Genk stepped up to take care of them until their father returned many months later.
Of course, by the time their father returned a few months later, he was broke and unable to secure a job.
7. Personal Life
Did you know he has a son with his long-time girlfriend? Well, now you know!
Now, this might be a nice time to test your guessing skills.
Can you guess the name of his son?
Fun fact: he shares names with two very important people in football. That’s right. Because the name of his son is “Leo Cristiano”. Wait, you don’t believe it? Oh, you should. And although Leon Bailey still denies claims it had nothing to do with the two greatest footballers of this generation, deep down, we all know the truth, don’t we?
8. Connections Beyond Football
Bailey may not share any relationship with the two greatest footballers of this generation. But it would probably interest you to know that he has a relationship with the greatest runner in history – Usain Bolt. As a matter of fact, they’re very close friends.
Now, just how cool is that?
Of course, it’s not much of a surprise, seeing that they are both from Jamaica. But that doesn’t make it less cool, does it?
9. Goal-Scoring Glory
Bailey’s prowess on the field is undeniable, he won the goal of the season in the 2016/2017 Europa League. Now, you’re probably wondering just how good that goal was, well the fact is, it was very good. It was also scored in a group-stage game against Rapid Vienna. And although that game ended in a loss for his team, the goal was just so good that it won him the award.
10. Future Prospects
With his recent form for Aston Villa, you probably shouldn’t be surprised if he manages to score an even better goal this season. And who knows? He may even break his goalscoring record this season.
Do you think he can do that? Do you think this could be his best season so far?
Go ahead and tell us in the comments.
