Ivan Benjamin Elijah Toney (born 16 March 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli and the England national team.
Toney became the youngest player to represent Northampton Town when he made his first-team debut in 2012. He scored 13 goals in 60 matches in all competitions before joining Newcastle United in 2015. In his first season at Newcastle, he had two successive loan spells with Barnsley, winning the 2015âÂÂ16 Football League Trophy and the 2016 League One play-offs. He spent the next two years on loan in League One with Shrewsbury Town, Scunthorpe United, and Wigan Athletic.
In 2018, Toney joined Peterborough United permanently for an undisclosed fee, where he was named both League One top scorer and Player of the Season in 2019âÂÂ20. He then signed for Brentford, where his record-setting 31 goals scored during the 2020âÂÂ21 season helped the club earn promotion to the Premier League. Toney received his first call-up for the England national team in 2022 before making his debut in 2023.
In May 2023, after his 20 goals helped Brentford to a top-half finish, he was found guilty of 232 breaches of the Football Association's betting rules and banned from football for eight months, until 17 January 2024.
Ivan Benjamin Elijah Toney was born on 16 March 1996 in Northampton, Northamptonshire. He is of Vincentian descent through his father, and Jamaican through his mother.
Toney began his career at his hometown club Northampton Town. He made his first-team debut on 13 November 2012, in a 3âÂÂ3 draw in the FA Cup first round away to Bradford City; he came on at the end of regulation time in place of Lewis Wilson as his team eventually lost 4âÂÂ2 in a penalty shoot-out. At 16 years old he became the youngest first-team player in the club's history. The following day, he scored four goals in the FA Youth Cup, in a 5âÂÂ0 win over York City. His only other appearance in a matchday squad that season was on 17 November, remaining unused in a 3âÂÂ1 League Two win at home to Wycombe Wanderers.
Toney made his first start on 28 September 2013 in a goalless home draw against Morecambe, making way for Ben Tozer after 74 minutes. His first professional goals came on 26 April 2014, scoring two in the first half of a 3âÂÂ0 victory away to Dagenham & Redbridge, the latter a bicycle kick. On 3 May, he scored a header as Northampton defeated Oxford United 3âÂÂ1 at home to avoid relegation to the Conference Premier on the final day of the season.
On 12 August 2014, Toney scored a header in a 3âÂÂ2 win away to Championship team Wolverhampton Wanderers in the first round of the League Cup. His first goals of the league season arrived on 20 September; on as a substitute for Lawson D'Ath, he scored twice in a home contest against Accrington Stanley but his team nonetheless lost 5âÂÂ4. A week later, his header was the only goal in victory away to Morecambe. Toney received the first red card of his career on 26 December in a 3âÂÂ2 home defeat to Bury, being dismissed for fighting with visiting defender Hayden White.
In November 2014, Toney was close to a transfer to Wolverhampton Wanderers, which collapsed due to an undisclosed medical issue.
After 13 goals in 60 appearances for Northampton across all competitions, Toney signed for Premier League club Newcastle United on 6 August 2015 on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut on 25 August in the second round of the League Cup, replacing Massadio Haïdara for the final 12 minutes of a 4âÂÂ1 home win over his former team. On 26 September, he played his first league match for Newcastle, as an 85th-minute substitute for Aleksandar Mitroviàin a 2âÂÂ2 home draw against Chelsea.
On 9 November 2015, Toney joined League One club Barnsley on a 28-day youth loan. He made his debut the next day in the Northern quarter-finals of the Football League Trophy, starting in a 2âÂÂ1 home win over York. On 5 December, he scored his first goal for Barnsley away to Wigan Athletic in the Trophy's next round, a header in a 2âÂÂ2 draw, and also converted his attempt as they won in the subsequent penalty shoot-out. A week later, he scored his first league goal for the club, deciding a 3âÂÂ2 win away to Colchester United with a header from Marley Watkins' cross.
On 24 March 2016, Toney returned to Barnsley on loan for the remainder of the season. On 3 April, in the 2016 Football League Trophy Final against Oxford United at Wembley Stadium, he came on as a 65th-minute substitute for top scorer Sam Winnall. He took a shot which rebounded for Ashley Fletcher to give Barnsley a 2âÂÂ1 lead, and they eventually won 3âÂÂ2. Barnsley won promotion with a 3âÂÂ1 victory over Millwall at the same ground on 29 May; Toney replaced Fletcher for the last nine minutes.
The following season, Toney joined League One club Shrewsbury Town on 8 August 2016 on a half-season loan. He scored his first goal for the club, converting a penalty after being fouled by Charles Dunne, in a 3âÂÂ2 win away to Oldham Athletic on 3 September, and added another a week later to equalise in a 1âÂÂ1 draw away to Bury. On 24 September, he was sent off in a 1âÂÂ1 draw away to AFC Wimbledon for a late challenge on opposition goalkeeper James Shea.
Having scored seven goals in 26 appearances across all competitions for Shrewsbury, Toney was loaned to fellow League One club Scunthorpe United on 12 January 2017 for the remainder of the 2016âÂÂ17 season. Two days later he made his debut for the Iron, replacing Kevin van Veen for the final ten minutes of a 2âÂÂ1 win on his return to Northampton. On 28 January, he made a first start and scored in a 3âÂÂ2 home win over Port Vale, putting Scunthorpe in first place.
On 2 August 2017, Toney returned to League One, joining Wigan Athletic for the upcoming season. He made his debut three days later, starting as they began the campaign with a 1âÂÂ0 win away to Milton Keynes Dons. His first goal for his new team came on 19 August, opening a 2âÂÂ0 win away to Oldham Athletic. However, his deal was cut short, as he returned to Newcastle on 10 January 2018.
Toney re-signed on loan for Scunthorpe United on 11 January 2018. He scored his first goal back in a Scunthorpe shirt on 3 February 2018, netting the winner in a 3âÂÂ2 away victory over Fleetwood Town.
Toney signed for League One club Peterborough United on 9 August 2018 on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee, reported by some sources as ã650,000. He made his debut two days later in a 4âÂÂ1 win at Rochdale as a 72nd-minute substitute for two-goal Jason Cummings. On 8 September, coming on for the same player, he scored his first goal for the Posh to win 3âÂÂ2 at Southend United.
He scored a hat-trick on 11 December in a 4âÂÂ4 draw in the second round replay of the FA Cup away to Bradford City â starting with a free kick from near the halfway line â but missed in the subsequent penalty shootout although his team won nonetheless. Eighteen days later he recorded another treble in a 4âÂÂ0 win at Accrington Stanley. On 23 February 2019, Toney was sent off in the first half-hour of a 2âÂÂ1 home loss to former team Shrewsbury, for handling the ball on the goal line.
Toney began the 2019âÂÂ20 season with seven goals in the first seven league games, concluding with a hat-trick in a 6âÂÂ0 home win over Rochdale on 14 September. The following month, he asked a chant sung by Peterborough fans about the size of his genitalia to be changed to make it more family-friendly.
Toney scored nine times in his last seven games before the season was abandoned in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was voted Player of the Season at the EFL Awards.
On 31 August 2020, Toney completed a medical and signed for Championship club Brentford on a five-year deal. The fee was reported to be in the region of ã5 million and around ã10 million with add-ons, Peterborough's record transfer fee. Among the other clubs to want him was Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, but only as a back-up to Harry Kane. He scored his first goal for Brentford, a penalty, in a 1âÂÂ1 draw with Millwall on 26 September; in each of his next three games, he scored twice.
On 20 January 2021, Toney assisted the only goal of a home win over Luton Town, before being dismissed in added time for an altercation with Tom Lockyer. Ten days later, he contributed a hat-trick to a 7âÂÂ2 win over Wycombe Wanderers, also at the Brentford Community Stadium. In April, he was nominated for the Championship Player of the Season.
On 8 May 2021, Toney scored his 31st league goal of the season against Bristol City, setting a new Championship record for most goals scored in a single season. Three weeks later, he scored in a 2âÂÂ0 win over Swansea City in the 2021 Championship play-off final, which saw Brentford promoted to the Premier League.
While at Brentford, the club stopped taking a knee against racism; Toney said that players were being "used as puppets" to make the gesture while society did not change. He also faced online racist abuse over the season. Following Brentford's decision to take the knee for the 2021âÂÂ22 Premier League season alongside the other 19 clubs, Toney said he would not join his colleagues and would continue to stand.
On 13 August 2021, Toney started and played the full game in Brentford's first Premier League match, where they won 2âÂÂ0 over Arsenal. On 5 March 2022, Toney scored Brentford's first Premier League hat-trick in a vital 3âÂÂ1 away victory over Norwich City.
On 3 September 2022, Toney scored his second Premier League hat-trick in a 5âÂÂ2 home victory over Leeds United; his first goal was his 50th for the club, while the second and third goals were his first from outside the box since joining Brentford. With Brentford, Toney has emerged as an almost flawless penalty-taker, netting every penalty taken for the club until April 2023.
On 14 March 2023, a man who racially abused Toney on social media became the first person to be banned from every English stadium for three years. On 17 May, Toney's season was ended prematurely after playing 33 league matches and scoring 20 goals, as he received an eight month ban from football from the FA for numerous breaches of their player betting rules.
On 20 January 2024, in his first game for Brentford since his suspension, Toney scored directly from a free kick in a 3âÂÂ2 victory over Nottingham Forest.
On 30 August 2024, it was announced that Toney had completed a transfer to Saudi Pro League club Al Ahli, by signing a contract until 2028 for a reported fee of ã40m. In his debut season, he won the AFC Champions League Elite with his club, securing their first-ever title in the competition.
In March 2021, it was reported that Toney would be called up to the Jamaican national team, as part of a plan by the Jamaica Football Federation to purposely target a number of English-born players for call ups to increase the nation's chances of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Jamaica Football Federation president Michael Ricketts claimed that Toney was in the process of acquiring a Jamaican passport to play for the nation. Despite this, Toney reportedly rejected Jamaica's call, as he harboured an ambition to represent his country of birth.
On 15 September 2022, Toney received his first call up to the England national team for 2022âÂÂ23 UEFA Nations League fixtures against Italy and Germany, remaining an unused substitute. On 16 March 2023, he was called up to the squad for the first two matches of England's UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. He made his debut on 26 March in a 2âÂÂ0 victory against Ukraine at Wembley Stadium, coming on as an 81st-minute substitute for Harry Kane. On 26 March 2024, Toney scored his first international goal, on his first international start, scoring a penalty in the 17th minute of a 2âÂÂ2 draw with Belgium at Wembley in a friendly.
He was named in England's 26-man squad for UEFA Euro 2024. He made his tournament debut in the round of 16 against Slovakia, coming on as a substitute in stoppage time. In the first minute of extra time, he assisted captain Harry Kane's winning goal with a header across goal.
In the quarter-final against Switzerland, Toney replaced Kane in the 20th minute of extra-time and scored the team's fourth kick of the penalty shootout as England won 5âÂÂ3.
On 23 May 2025, new manager Thomas Tuchel recalled Toney to the national team with Tuchel stating that he gave Phil Foden a rest. He returned to playing for England during the 3âÂÂ1 defeat against Senegal on 10 June that year.
On 16 November 2022, it was revealed that Toney had been charged by the Football Association with an alleged 232 breaches of its gambling laws from almost 10 years prior with former Northampton Town teammates, Dean Snedker and Lewis Wilson. On 20 December, he was charged by the FA with a further 30 breaches of betting laws, bringing the total charges to 262. He admitted many of the charges in February 2023, but contested others. On 2 March, he said he was "shocked and disappointed" to see press speculation about the case, especially since he had not yet had a formal hearing. In May 2023, he was banned from football for eight months (being allowed to return to training at the halfway point), charged ã50,000 and warned about his future conduct for 232 breaches of the FA's betting rules. His offences took place between 2017 and 2021.
The Football Association had first sought a 15-month ban for Toney, alleging that he lied over his gambling and tried to destroy evidence; not all of the FA's claims were upheld by the regulatory commission. The suspension was reduced to 11 months for admitting to his charges, and then to eight months when he was formally diagnosed with gambling addiction. Toney bet 126 times on games in the same competitions he was playing in, and 29 times on his team's games. He bet 13 times on his own team to lose, but did not play in any of those games. The regulatory commission concluded that he was not a match-fixer.
Barnsley
Wigan Athletic
Brentford
Al-Ahli
England
Individual