{{Short description|Welsh footballer (born 2006)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Vimal Yoganathan | image = | upright = | caption = | fullname = Vimal Yoganathan<ref>{{Cite news |title=SQUAD LIST 2025/26 & U21 REGISTERED CONTRACT PLAYERS |url=https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/gc-media-assets.gc.eflservices.co.uk/139b0850-8e5f-11f0-9802-f32ca28c8c68.pdf|publisher=EFL |date=1 September 2025 |accessdate=23 September 2025}}</ref> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2006|01|13|df=y}} | birth_place = Trelawnyd, Wales | height = {{convert|1.91|m|order=flip}} | position = Midfielder | currentclub = Barnsley | clubnumber = 45 | youthyears1 = 2011–2014 | youthclubs1 = Connah's Quay Nomads | youthyears2 = 2014–2021 | youthclubs2 = Liverpool | youthyears3 = 2021–2023 | youthclubs3 = Barnsley | years1 = 2023– | clubs1 = Barnsley | caps1 = 26 | goals1 = 2 | years2 = 2025 | clubs2 = → Oldham Athletic (loan) | caps2 = 17 | goals2 = 2 | nationalyears1 = 2024–2025 | nationalteam1 = Wales U19 | nationalcaps1 = 11 | nationalgoals1 = 2 |nationalyears2 = 2025– |nationalteam2 = Wales U21 |nationalcaps2 = 1 |nationalgoals2 = 0 | club-update = 23:51, 10 February 2026 (UTC) | nationalteam-update = 15:38, 8 September 2025 (UTC) }}
'''Vimal Yoganathan''' (born 13 January 2006) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for {{English football updater|Barnsley}} club Barnsley.<ref name="Soccerway profile">{{cite web |title=Soccerway profile |url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/vimal-yoganathan/884881/ |publisher=Soccerway |access-date=25 September 2023}}</ref><ref name="w731">{{cite web | last=Yasin | first=Abu | title=England's first Tamil footballer Vimal Yoganathan aims to inspire | website=BBC Home | date=2 November 2024 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gm91v838jo | access-date=2 November 2024}}</ref> He is a Wales under-21 international.
==Club career== Yoganathan was raised in Trelawnyd, Wales and began his career with local side Connah's Quay Nomads.<ref name="Academy trio">{{cite web |last1=Mesney |first1=Nik |title=Academy trio make Football League moves |url=https://www.the-nomads.co.uk/news/article.php?id=1125 |publisher=Connah's Quay Nomads F.C. |access-date=25 September 2023 |archive-date=24 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250224030556/https://www.the-nomads.co.uk/newsarticle.php?id=1125}}</ref> 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.<ref name="signs for Liverpool">{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Dean |title=Vimal signs for Liverpool FC academy |url=https://www.rhyljournal.co.uk/sport/15720657.vimal-signs-for-liverpool-fc-academy/ |website=The Rhyl, Prestatyn, and Abergele Journal |access-date=25 September 2023 |archive-date=24 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250224014355/https://www.rhyljournal.co.uk/sport/15720657.vimal-signs-for-liverpool-fc-academy/}}</ref> During his time in the Liverpool Academy he served as a ball boy at Anfield, including during the Merseyside Derby.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Patel |first1=Aadam |title='I'll get goosebumps' - Barnsley duo out to upset old club Liverpool |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cdex26xd26jo |website=BBC Sport |access-date=30 January 2026 |date=12 January 2026}}</ref>
Yoganathan later joined the under-16 side of Barnsley.<ref name="Tamil footballer">{{cite web |title=17 year old Tamil footballer Yoganthan makes his professional UK debut for Barnsley FC |url=https://thamarai.com/lifestyle/society/17-year-old-tamil-footballer-yoganthan-makes-his-professional-uk-debut-for-barnsley-fc |publisher=Thamarai |access-date=25 September 2023}}</ref> In 2023 he won the U18 division with the club.<ref name="title-winning under 18s">{{cite web |last1=Ravenhill |first1=Rogan |title=Barnsley's title-winning under 18s squad |url=https://www.barnsleychronicle.com/article/25123/barnsleys-title-winning-under-18s-squad |publisher=The Barnsley Chronicle |access-date=25 September 2023}}</ref> That season he took part in twenty-nine of thirty-four matches.<ref name="Young Guns">{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=John |title=Young Guns |url=https://dragonsoccer.co.uk/newsite/index.php?id=475 |publisher=draggonsoccer.co.uk |access-date=25 September 2023}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Reds Debut">{{cite web |title=Vimal Yoganathan on Making Reds Debut |url=https://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/news/20232/august/yoganathan-interview/ |publisher=Barnsley FC |access-date=25 September 2023}}</ref> With this appearance, he became the first player of Tamil heritage to play a professional senior game in English football.<ref name="four-year-old tantrums">{{cite web |last1=Gibbs |first1=Thom |title=Vimal Yoganathan: From four-year-old tantrums to England's first Tamil footballer |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/customer/subscribe/05dobau0/?ICID=subscribecta_paywall_asset&redirectTo=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Ffootball%2F2023%2F11%2F02%2Fvimal-yoganathan-barnsley-england-first-tamil-footballer%2F |publisher=The Telegraph |access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> He scored his first senior goals when he scored twice in an EFL Trophy tie against Manchester United U21s on 20 August 2024.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c9qgx88w4pro |title=Man Utd U21s produce late comeback in EFL Trophy |publisher=BBC |date=20 August 2024 |access-date=23 August 2024}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/2025/january/31/yoganathan-signs-on-loan/|title=Yoganathan Signs On Loan|website=www.oldhamathletic.co.uk|date=31 January 2025|accessdate=31 January 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/news/2025/january/31/vimal-yoganathan-signs-until-2028-with-reds-/|title=Vimal Yoganathan signs until 2028 with Reds|website=www.barnsleyfc.co.uk|date=31 January 2025|accessdate=31 January 2025}}</ref>
==International career== Yoganathan is of Sri Lankan Tamil descent and grew up in Trelawnyd.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vimal Yoganathan: The Tamil footballer from Trelawnyd |url=https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/vimal-yoganathan-tamil-footballer-trelawnyd |publisher=tamil Guardian |date=14 January 2024 }}</ref> As a schoolboy, Yoganathan was called up for Wales at youth level to participate in training camps.<ref name="title-winning under 18s"/><ref name="Young Guns"/> On 22 March 2024, he made his debut for Wales under-19s as a substitute against Belgium.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dragonsoccer.co.uk/newsite/index.php?id=818|title=Wales' Under 19s squad (U18s)|date=25 March 2024|work=dragonsoccer.co.uk}}</ref>
==Career statistics== ===Club=== {{updated|27 January 2026}} {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition |- !rowspan=2|Club !rowspan=2|Season !colspan=3|League !colspan=2|National cup !colspan=2|League cup !colspan=2|Europe !colspan=2|Other !colspan=2|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |- |- |rowspan=4|Barnsley |2023–24<ref name="YN2324">{{soccerbase season|181982|2023|accessdate=30 January 2026}}</ref> |EFL League One |0||0||1||0||1||0||colspan=2|—||3{{efn|name=EFLT|Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy}}||0||5||0 |- |2024–25<ref name="YN2425"/> |EFL League One |5||0||0||0||3||0||colspan=2|—||2{{efn|name=EFLT}}||2||10||2 |- |2025–26<ref name="YN2526">{{soccerbase season|181982|2025|accessdate=30 January 2026}}</ref> |EFL League One |21||2||2||0||3||0||colspan=2|—||4{{efn|name=EFLT}}||0||30||2 |- !colspan=2|Total !26!!2!!3!!0!!7!!0!!colspan=2|—!!9!!2!!45!!4 |- |Oldham Athletic |2024–25<ref name="YN2425">{{soccerbase season|181982|2024|accessdate=30 January 2026}}</ref> |National League |14||1||0||0||0||0||colspan=2|—||3{{efn|name=NLPO|Appearance(s) in 2024–25 National League play-offs}}||1||17||2 |- !colspan=3|Career Total !40||3||3||0||7||0||colspan=2|—||12||3||62||6 |} {{notelist}}
==Honours== '''Oldham Athletic''' *National League play-offs: 2025<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/ce826ndj649t#Line-ups |title=Oldham Athletic 3–2 Southend United: Line-ups |website=BBC Sport |date=1 June 2025 |access-date=1 June 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Soccerway|vimal-yoganathan/884881}} *{{soccerbase|181982}} *[https://www.premierleague.com/players/138113/Vimal-Yoganathan/overview Premier League profile] *[https://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/teams/u18-team/midfielder/vimal-yoganathan/ Barnsley FC profile]
{{Barnsley F.C. squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yoganathan, Vimal}} Category:2006 births Category:Living people Category:Footballers from Flintshire Category:Welsh men's footballers Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:Barnsley F.C. players Category:Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players Category:English Football League players Category:National League (English football) players Category:British Asian footballers Category:Welsh people of Sri Lankan descent Category:British people of Sri Lankan Tamil descent Category:Sportspeople of Sri Lankan descent Category:21st-century Welsh sportsmen Category:Liverpool F.C. players Category:Connah's Quay Nomads F.C. players Category:Liverpool F.C. non-playing staff