Nico O’Reilly Religion

What religion is Nico O’Reilly?

Nico O’Reilly is an English professional footballer whose religious belief is Roman Catholic. He attended St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Collyhurst, Manchester. Nico O’Reilly plays as a left-back and midfielder for the Premier League club Manchester City. Among his numerous career achievements with the club are an Under-18 Premier League title, an EFL Cup trophy in 2026, where he scored twice in the final, and winning the Premier League Young Player of the Season award for 2025–26. O’Reilly has also played for the England national football team, progressing through the youth ranks to earn senior caps with the senior squad.

Manchester City contract

In September 2025, Nico signed a 5-year, $7.8 million contract with Manchester City. The contract pays an average annual salary of $1.56 million.

Early Career & academy

Nico O’Reilly was born on March 21, 2005, in Manchester, England. He is of Jamaican descent through his father and was raised by his mother, Holli, on an estate on the border of Ancoats and Collyhurst. O’Reilly was first spotted by Manchester City scouts at the age of six while playing football in the Moston area of Manchester, and he joined the club’s academy two years later at the age of eight. He attended St. Patrick’s RC Primary School in Collyhurst, the same school attended by England World Cup winner Nobby Stiles. O’Reilly moved up to Manchester City’s under-23 side towards the end of the 2021–22 season and subsequently signed his first professional contract with the club in July 2022. He was originally developed as an attacking midfielder before being converted into a left-back. He was included in the matchday squad for City’s Premier League fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion on May 24, 2023, though he remained on the substitutes’ bench.

Manchester City

In mid-2024, O’Reilly made his senior debut for Manchester City in the FA Community Shield against Manchester United, playing 63 minutes. Just a couple weeks later, he continued to earn trust under Pep Guardiola, breaking into the first-team setup as an incredibly versatile asset. O’Reilly went on to make his Premier League debut as a substitute later that season, finishing his first year with two league goals. In late 2025, he signed a long-term contract extension keeping him at the Etihad Stadium until 2030. He continued his success in the 2025–2026 season, scoring his first home goal for City, his first Champions League goal against Real Madrid, and finishing with 5 Premier League goals. Man City finished the season with a domestic cup double by winning both the FA Cup and the EFL Cup. His finest individual moment, however, came on his 21st birthday week. On March 22, 2026, the day after he turned 21, O’Reilly scored both goals in a 2–0 victory against Arsenal in the EFL Cup final at Wembley, securing Manchester City’s ninth title in the competition and winning his first major trophy with the club. In the 2025–26 Premier League season, he made 34 appearances, scoring five goals and providing three assists. He was subsequently nominated for both the PFA and Premier League Young Player of the Season awards.

International career

O’Reilly began playing for the England national football team on the youth level in 2021. He had his breakout across the development squads, winning 21 caps from the under-15 level up to the under-20 level. O’Reilly went on to play for England’s under-16, under-17, under-18, and under-21 teams before earning his first senior call-up in October 2025. He moved up from the under-21 squad as an injury replacement for Reece James, joining Thomas Tuchel’s setup for a friendly against Wales at Wembley and a World Cup qualifier against Latvia in Riga. He has since won three senior caps, including a start against Japan, and was described by ESPN as “one of the breakout sensations of the Premier League season” in the assessment that accompanied his World Cup selection. O’Reilly is the youngest player in England’s 2026 FIFA World Cup squad and is expected to start as England’s first-choice left-back under Thomas Tuchel when they open their campaign against Croatia at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on June 17, 2026.

Style of play

O’Reilly operates primarily as an attacking left-back under Pep Guardiola, though he spent the vast majority of his academy career as an attacking midfielder. At times, he resembles another striker for Manchester City with the positions he takes up in the final third.

Throughout his time in City’s academy, O’Reilly was always considered a graceful midfielder with a penchant for flair. He shone as a No. 10, a No. 8, and even as a Rodri-like No. 6 during the club’s pre-season tour in the summer of 2024. Guardiola has since said of him: “He’s a guy who will be a player. He has presence in set pieces, he’s fast, and he’s clever with the ball. He can play on the side, like when we decided to attack more outside with the full-backs.”

O’Reilly played an important combative role in City’s dramatic win at Liverpool, scored against Fulham, and produced a brilliant brace against Newcastle, where he effectively played as a No. 10 behind Marmoush and Haaland and at times looked more like a number nine than a full-back. O’Reilly has been described as “positionless” when starting at left-back due to his ability to carry the ball, push high up the pitch, and quickly transition between attack and defense thanks to his physicality and all-round completeness. His key strengths according to statistical analysis include his passing, aerial duels, shot-blocking, and concentration, with WhoScored noting he has no significant weaknesses across his latest two seasons.

Personal life

O’Reilly was raised by his mother Holli as a single parent on a council estate on the border of Ancoats and Collyhurst in north Manchester. He is of Irish-Jamaican descent. His surname, O’Reilly, is of Gaelic Irish origin, historically linked to a noble family from County Cavan in Ireland.

O’Reilly has one sister.