Jesse Lingard · Biography

Jesse Ellis Lingard was born on 15 December 1992 in Warrington, Cheshire, and came through the Manchester United academy, which he joined at the age of seven. An attacking midfielder who can also play on either wing, he spent more than a decade at United before moving on to West Ham United, Nottingham Forest and FC Seoul. He has played for Corinthians since March 2026.

Manchester United academy

As a boy he played for Fletcher Moss Rangers and Penketh United before United took him into their academy. He was part of the side that won the 2010-11 FA Youth Cup, and with the reserves he collected back-to-back league titles in 2011-12 and 2012-13. He signed his first professional contract in July 2011 and was named in a first-team matchday squad for the first time on 30 November 2011, an unused substitute in a League Cup quarter-final defeat to Crystal Palace.

Championship loans

His senior education came on loan in the second tier. He joined Leicester City on 6 November 2012 and made five league appearances without scoring. On his debut for Birmingham City in 2013-14 he scored four goals in a 4-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday, and he finished that spell with six goals in 13 games. A 93-day loan at Brighton & Hove Albion from February 2014 brought four goals in 17 matches, play-offs included, and in February 2015 he moved to Derby County, where he played 15 times and scored twice.

First-team years at United

Lingard made his competitive debut in the opening Premier League game of 2014-15, at home to Swansea City, but injury forced him off after 24 minutes. His first goal came on 7 November 2015 in a 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion. On 21 May 2016 he came off the bench in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace and scored the extra-time winner to secure the 2016 FA Cup. That summer he opened the scoring in the 2-1 Community Shield win over Leicester City, and on 26 February 2017 he scored United's second goal in the 3-2 League Cup final win over Southampton. He also played ten matches and scored twice in the 2016-17 Europa League campaign that United won. In all he made 232 appearances and scored 35 goals for the club, which announced on 1 June 2022 that he would leave when his contract expired.

England

He made his under-21 debut on 13 August 2013 in a 6-0 win over Scotland, and at the 2015 European Under-21 Championship he scored the winner against Sweden on 21 June. His senior debut came on 8 October 2016, starting on the left in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Malta. He scored his first international goal on 23 March 2018, the only goal of a friendly against the Netherlands, and at the 2018 World Cup in Russia he scored in the 6-1 win over Panama on 24 June. England finished fourth. Between 2016 and 2021 he won 32 caps and scored six goals.

West Ham and Nottingham Forest

On 29 January 2021 Lingard joined West Ham United on loan until the end of the season, reuniting with David Moyes. He scored twice on his debut on 3 February, a 3-1 win over Aston Villa, and in April 2021 he was named Premier League Player of the Month and also won Goal of the Month. He finished the loan with nine goals and five assists in 16 matches. On 21 July 2022 he signed for newly promoted Nottingham Forest. He made 17 league appearances without scoring, but his two League Cup goals helped the club reach the semi-finals. He left in June 2023.

FC Seoul

Lingard signed for K League 1 side FC Seoul on 7 February 2024. Knee surgery held him back in his first months, and his first goal arrived on 26 June 2024, a penalty in a 2-0 win over Gangwon FC. In January 2025 he was named captain. That year he scored ten goals in 34 league games and three in six AFC Champions League Elite matches, and he was K League Player of the Month for July and the club's 2025 Player of the Year. His contract was ended by mutual agreement on 5 December 2025; five days later he signed off by scoring in a 1-1 draw with Melbourne City. He scored 19 goals in 67 games for Seoul.

Corinthians

On 6 March 2026 Lingard joined Brazilian club Corinthians as a free agent. On 21 April 2026 he became the first British player to score in the Copa do Brasil, with the only goal of an away win over Barra. On 30 April 2026 he scored his first Copa Libertadores goal in a 2-0 win over Peñarol.