Vimal Yoganathan is a young teenage Welsh footballer currently making waves after becoming the first ever professional footballer of Tamil heritage to play in the UK, find out more about him below along with his age, height and stats
The young teenager is looking to inspire other South Asian players to make it into professional football.
Who is Barnsley’s Vimal Yoganathan, bio, age, height, nationality, position, Instagram, games and stats
Yoganathan has already come a long way despite his young age and represents a large majority of the South Asian population that live in the UK.
Vimal Yoganathan bio
Vimal Yoganathan is a Welsh professional footballer who was born on January 13, 2006, in Trelawnyd, Wales, United Kingdom. He currently plays as a midfielder for Barnsley in the EFL League One. Yoganathan is notably the first footballer of Sri Lankan Tamil descent to ever play for a professional club that is based in the United Kingdom.
Yoganathan comes from a family of Sri Lankan Tamil descent and grew up in Trelawnyd, Wales, where he started out playing football with the local team Connah’s Quay Nomads. He eventually moved with his family to Prestatyn Town, where he continued playing football.
Born: 13 January 2006 (age 18 years), Trelawnyd, United Kingdom
Height: 1.91 m
Current team: Barnsley FC under-18 (Midfielder)
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Age and height
Vimal Yoganathan is currently 18 years old and stands at a height of 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in).
Career, stats, and achievements
Vimal Yoganathan started out playing youth football with the Connah’s Quay Nomads, before joining Prestatyn Town from 2011-2013. During his time there, Liverpool scouted him around the age of six and he joined the club’s youth academy the following year. He stayed there from 2014-2021 before going on to join the Barnsley U-16 team in 2021.
He eventually gained prominence, and was a part of the team that won the U18 division in 2023. Vimal played 29 out of 34 matches that season and eventually went on to make his professional debut with the club on August 8, 2023. The young midfielder made his debut during a 2023-24 EFL Cup match against Tranmere Rovers. Yoganathan came on as a 65th-minute substitute replacing Herbie Kane, and also became the first player of Tamil heritage to play in a professional senior game in English football.
The youngster currently trains regularly with the Barnsley first team and he has already made three appearances this season. Meanwhile, on the international stage, Yoganathan first got a call up for Wales at the youth level. Although he participated in training camps, he never went on to play any official matches with the team. However, he eventually made his debut for Wales earlier this year on March 22, 2024, for the under-19 teams as a substitute against Belgium.