Curtis Jones (footballer)

Curtis Julian Jones (born 30 January 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Liverpool and the England national team.

Jones joined Liverpool's academy at the age of nine before signing his first professional contract with the club in February 2018. He made his first-team debut in 2019 and was a member of Liverpool's 2019–20 Premier League winning squad. He has also represented England at youth level.

Early life
Curtis Julian Jones  was born on 30 January 2001 in Liverpool, Merseyside, and grew up in the Toxteth area of the city. He is of Nigerian descent through his grandmother.

Early career


Jones joined Liverpool at the age of nine. After making his U23s debut in January 2018, Jones signed his first professional contract on 1 February 2018. He was named in Liverpool's squad for the Premier League match against Everton on 7 April and was included on the substitute bench without making an appearance.

Jones featured prominently for Liverpool during pre-season ahead of the 2018–19 season. Manager Jürgen Klopp praised his mobility and dribbling skills. Jones made his first-team debut on 7 January 2019, in the 2018–19 FA Cup third round against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

2019–20 season
Jones made his season debut and played in his second competitive match for the club on 25 September 2019 in a 2019–20 EFL Cup match against Milton Keynes Dons. He was chosen as man of the match. He then scored the winning penalty in Liverpool's penalty shoot-out victory against Arsenal in the EFL Cup. He made his Premier League debut on 7 December, from the substitute's bench, against AFC Bournemouth.

On 5 January 2020, Jones was part of a Liverpool team largely made up of teenagers and reserves that beat rivals Everton 1–0 at home in the 2019–20 FA Cup. Jones scored the winning goal – his first for the club – with a curling shot from 20 yards. At 18 years and 340 days, Jones became the youngest goalscorer in a Merseyside derby since Robbie Fowler scored for Liverpool in 1994. In the next round three weeks later, he opened the scoring in a 2–2 draw away to Shrewsbury Town, becoming the first teenager to score in consecutive appearances for Liverpool since Raheem Sterling in April 2014. On 5 February 2020, Jones became Liverpool's youngest captain – at 19 years and 5 days – when he captained Liverpool's youngest ever first-team starting line-up with an average age of 19 years and 102 days to a 1–0 home victory over Shrewsbury in an FA Cup replay.

On 4 July 2020, Jones signed a new long-term contract with the club. He scored his first league goal for the club a day later after coming on as a substitute in a 2–0 win over Aston Villa, latching on to Mohamed Salah's header to score past former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina. On 22 July, Jones came off the bench against Chelsea for his fifth top-flight appearance in the 2019–20 season with Liverpool, thus qualifying for a Premier League winner's medal. On 30 July, Jones was named the Premier League 2 Player of the Season for 2019–20 ahead of five other nominees.

2020–2023
On 24 September 2020, Jones scored two goals in four minutes against Lincoln City away in the 2020–21 EFL Cup, and was named man of the match by Sky Sports. He scored his first UEFA Champions League goal on 1 December in a 1–0 victory over Ajax, sealing Liverpool's progression into the knockout stages of the competition. On 28 February 2021, Jones scored his first league goal of the 2020–21 season in a 2–0 away win over Sheffield United.

Jones scored his first goal of the 2021–22 season on 25 September 2021 in a 3–3 away draw against Brentford. On 28 September, he provided two assists and a key pass in a 5–1 away win over Porto in the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League. Liverpool narrowly missed out on the chance to achieve a historic quadruple, coming second in the Premier League and the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League but winning both the EFL Cup and the FA Cup. On 17 November 2022, Jones signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool until June 2027.

On 30 April 2023, Jones scored his first goal of the 2022–23 season in a 4–3 win against Tottenham Hotspur. On 15 May 2023, Jones continued his good form as a regular starter in the first team with a quick-fire brace against relegation threatened Leicester City in a man-of-the-match performance to guide Liverpool to a 3–0 away victory. At the end of the 2022–23 season, Liverpool narrowly missed out on UEFA Champions League qualification.

2023–present
In the 2023–24 season, Jones was a regular starter, however, a suspension and an injury occurring in October and November allowed Ryan Gravenberch to take his place for a number of games. Commenting on his recent surge of confidence, Jones stated that he was "at the point now where" he was "in the team" and where he knew what he "[had] to do". Assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders attributed Jones' impressive recent return to form to his "Scouse mentality". On 30 September, Jones was controversially sent off in a Premier League away match against Tottenham Hotspur for a foul on Yves Bissouma. The foul was originally awarded a yellow card by referee Simon Hooper but was upgraded to a red card after he was shown a still image of the foul by the video assistant referee. The decision was criticised by many pundits including Gary Neville and Jamie Redknapp, the former of whom stated: "I think generally, he's gone in genuinely but his foot slips on top of the ball. I'm not sure, I never am nowadays, I'm less sure about football than I ever have been but I don't think he's gone in with any malice."

Jones scored his first goals of the 2023–24 season in a 5–1 win over West Ham United at the quarter-final stage of the EFL Cup on 20 December 2023.

International career
Jones made his debut for the England national under-21 team on 7 October 2020 in a 3–3 draw against Andorra. He scored his first goal for the under-21s during a 3–1 home win over Andorra on 13 November. Jones was a member of the squad that were eliminated at the group stage of the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and scored in their last game against Croatia.

On 14 June 2023, Jones was included in the England squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. On 8 July 2023, Jones was credited with the winning goal in the final against Spain after Cole Palmer's free kick deflected off him into the goal. He was name the man of the match for the final, which saw England win the tournament for the first time since 1984. His performances during the competition resulted in him being chosen by the UEFA Technical Observer panel for their team of the tournament.

On 21 May 2024, Jones received his first senior call-up as part of the 33-player preliminary squad for UEFA Euro 2024. However, he was later cut from the final 26-man squad.

Style of play
Jones is regarded as a tenacious, silky and lively player, and was described as being in his best form in the second half of the 2022–23 season. He is also praised for his football IQ, ability to beat the press and create and finish goal scoring opportunities.

Honours
Liverpool
 * Premier League: 2019–20
 * FA Cup: 2021–22


 * FA Community Shield: 2022
 * FIFA Club World Cup: 2019
 * UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2021–22

England U21
 * UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2023

Individual
 * Premier League 2 Player of the Season: 2019–20
 * UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2023