Finley Munroe
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Finley Christopher Ryan Munroe[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 8 February 2005[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Kingston upon Thames, England | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Left-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Middlesbrough | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2021 | Chelsea | ||
| 2021–2024 | Aston Villa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024–2026 | Aston Villa | 1 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | → Real Unión (loan) | 27 | (1) |
| 2025–2026 | → Swindon Town (loan) | 23 | (2) |
| 2026– | Middlesbrough | 0 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13:02, 15 January 2026 (UTC) | |||
Finley Christopher Ryan Munroe (born 8 February 2005) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back for EFL Championship club Middlesbrough. Munroe is a product of the Chelsea and Aston Villa academies. Munroe made his senior debut for Aston Villa in 2024 before joining Real Unión on a season's loan, he also played for Swindon Town on loan before permanently joining Middlesbrough in January 2026.
Club career
Munroe started his career at the Chelsea Academy. During this time, former player Ashley Cole had identified Munroe as someone who should have a specialist scholarship.[3] Despite this, Munroe was released by Chelsea on 30 June 2021, allegedly for being too small,[4] and joined Aston Villa 9 days later.[5] He was given his first professional contract on 7 July 2022.[6]
Munroe made his first appearance in the Aston Villa first team squad on 26 January 2024, as an unused substitute in an FA Cup tie against former club Chelsea.[7] On 12 April 2024, Munroe was given a contract extension by Aston Villa.[8]
On 9 May 2024, Munroe made his first team debut as a late substitute in a 2–0 UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final defeat to Olympiacos.[9] On 19 May 2024, Munroe made his Premier League debut as a substitute in an away defeat to Crystal Palace on the final day of the season.[10]
On 24 August 2024, Munroe signed for Aston Villa's sister club Real Unión on a season-long loan.[11]
On 15 July 2025, Munroe signed for EFL League Two club Swindon Town on a season-long loan.[12] On 8 November 2025, Munroe scored his first English Football League goal, a long range winner in a 2–1 victory over Tranmere Rovers.[13]
On 15 January 2026, Aston Villa recalled Munroe from his loan at Swindon and he was transferred permanently to EFL Championship club Middlesbrough for an undisclosed fee[14], reported to be around £300,000 with a sell-on clause.[15]
Personal life
Munroe is a cousin of Arsenal player Declan Rice.[7][16]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 1 January 2026[17]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aston Villa U21 | 2023–24 | — | — | — | — | 3[a] | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||||
| Aston Villa | 2023–24 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| 2024–25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2025–26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Real Unión (loan) | 2024–25 | Primera Federación | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 27 | 1 | |||
| Swindon Town (loan) | 2025–26 | League Two | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[a] | 0 | 27 | 2 | |
| Middlesbrough | 2025–26 | EFL Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 51 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 56 | 3 | ||
- ^ a b Appearances in EFL Trophy
- ^ Appearance in UEFA Europa Conference League
References
- ^ "2022/23 Premier League squad lists". premierleague.com. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ "Finley Munroe". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ "The five Aston Villa teenagers people are talking about ahead of next season". Yahoo News. 2024-04-12. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
- ^ Dawson, Jack (2024-05-21). "Who is Finley Munroe? Aston Villa's upcoming star who is related to Declan Rice". Aston Villa News. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
- ^ "Ten new scholars sign for Villa". Aston Villa Football Club. 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
- ^ "Young Lions sign pro contracts". Aston Villa Football Club. 2022-07-07. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
- ^ a b Townley, John (2024-01-26). "Who is Finley Munroe? Declan Rice cousin named in Aston Villa squad vs Chelsea". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
- ^ "Finley Munroe pens professional contract". Aston Villa Football Club. 2024-04-12. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
- ^ "Villa out as Olympiakos reach Conference League final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
- ^ "Mateta hat-trick helps Palace thrash Villa". BBC Sport. 19 May 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
- ^ "Finley Munroe links up with Real Unión". Aston Villa Football Club. 2024-08-24. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
- ^ "Finley Munroe moves to Swindon Town on loan". Aston Villa Football Club. 15 July 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Acklam, Joe (9 November 2025). "'I was running before it went in' - Munroe on his Tranmere stunner". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
- ^ "Fin Munroe Joins From Aston Villa". MIddlesbrough F.C. Official Site. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ Johns, Craig (15 January 2026). "Boro complete second January transfer deal very much in the vein of their first". Teesside Live. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ Hamid, Fahad (2024-01-27). "Declan Rice's cousin receives call-up from Aston Villa for FA Cup clash". ClutchPoints. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ Finley Munroe at Soccerway