Vimal Yoganathan
Welsh footballer (born 2006)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vimal Yoganathan (born 13 January 2006) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Barnsley.[2][3] He is a Wales under-21 international.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Vimal Yoganathan[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 13 January 2006 | ||
| Place of birth | Trelawnyd, Wales | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Barnsley | ||
| Number | 45 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2014 | Connah's Quay Nomads | ||
| 2014–2021 | Liverpool | ||
| 2021–2023 | Barnsley | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023– | Barnsley | 26 | (2) |
| 2025 | → Oldham Athletic (loan) | 17 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024–2025 | Wales U19 | 11 | (2) |
| 2025– | Wales U21 | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:51, 10 February 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 15:38, 8 September 2025 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Yoganathan was raised in Trelawnyd, Wales and began his career with local side Connah's Quay Nomads.[4] He then moved to Prestatyn Town. At age six he was scouted by Liverpool and joined the club's shadow squad the following year. At age eight he was officially signed to the club's academy in the presence of Brendan Rodgers.[5] During his time in the Liverpool Academy he served as a ball boy at Anfield, including during the Merseyside Derby.[6]
Yoganathan later joined the under-16 side of Barnsley.[7] In 2023 he won the U18 division with the club.[8] That season he took part in twenty-nine of thirty-four matches.[9] Yoganathan made his professional debut with the club on 8 August 2023 in a 2023–24 EFL Cup match against Tranmere Rovers. He entered the match as a 65th-minute substitute for Herbie Kane.[10] With this appearance, he became the first player of Tamil heritage to play a professional senior game in English football.[11] He scored his first senior goals when he scored twice in an EFL Trophy tie against Manchester United U21s on 20 August 2024.[12]
On 31 January 2025, Yoganathan signed a new three-and-a-half year contract with Barnsley, before immediately joining National League side Oldham Athletic on loan for the remainder of the 2024–25 season.[13][14]
International career
Yoganathan is of Sri Lankan Tamil descent and grew up in Trelawnyd.[15] As a schoolboy, Yoganathan was called up for Wales at youth level to participate in training camps.[8][9] On 22 March 2024, he made his debut for Wales under-19s as a substitute against Belgium.[16]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 27 January 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barnsley | 2023–24[17] | EFL League One | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[a] | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024–25[18] | EFL League One | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 2 | 10 | 2 | ||
| 2025–26[19] | EFL League One | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 4[a] | 0 | 30 | 2 | ||
| Total | 26 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 9 | 2 | 45 | 4 | |||
| Oldham Athletic | 2024–25[18] | National League | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3[b] | 1 | 17 | 2 | |
| Career Total | 40 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 12 | 3 | 62 | 6 | |||
- Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
- Appearance(s) in 2024–25 National League play-offs
Honours
Oldham Athletic