‘NOT BOTHERED’

DESPITE Leon Bailey receiving criticism for his performances for both club and country, the Reggae Boyz winger says he’s unaffected by the negativity and remains committed to elevating Jamaica’s status around the globe.

The 27-year-old Bailey has struggled for form during the ongoing 2024-25 season as he’s scored just two goals and registered only four assists in all competitions for English club Aston Villa. Injuries have also seen him miss several match weeks as well as being left on the bench in games.

He’s also been questioned by Jamaican fans, even prior to the season, as he’s only managed six goals and six assists in 34 games for the Reggae Boyz, with many believing he performs better while on club duty.

However, Bailey says he’s unbothered as he continues to focus on craft.

“I understood very early that you can’t get everybody to love you and everybody has their own opinion,” he said on Yendi Phillipps’s Odyssey. “I just try to do my thing, and I’m not the type of person who reads comments or those things because I always try to keep [my mind] clear. When it’s clear, that’s how I’m going to perform. I just don’t read comments; I don’t let fans get to me.

“I’ll not let somebody let me have a bad day so I don’t take things too personally because everybody has their own opinion and not everybody is going to like you, so that’s how I go about it. Everybody has emotions; they can be saying things because of how they’re feeling in that moment but really and truly, they don’t really feel a way about you. So, I’m not going to use that moment to say fans are good or bad, I just let them be fans and I’ll be a football player.”

Bailey credits his family for keeping him grounded, despite his struggles on the pitch.

“I know that I can go home and I don’t have to think about nothing else more than just being at home with my family,” he said. “That’s the most important part whenever I’m having a rough day or rough patch because sometimes it can be for a minute, and my family is always there and always making sure that I’m good. My head is always clear [aroung family members], and I get back into the best shape I need to be. I always depend on my family.”

Regardless of his performances, Bailey has managed some milestones in recent years. His 14 goals and 14 assists during the 2023-24 season for Villa helped the club finish fourth in the English Premier League and qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time.

This season he also joined a rare list of Jamaican players to not only score in the Champions League, when he netted in Villa’s 3-1 over Club Brugge, but to also qualify for the quarter-finals.

Bailey says he will continue to perform at the highest level as he wants Jamaica to get more recognition internationally.

“It’s the fact that we, as a small nation, has such big impact on the world and I’m just grateful every day to be a part of that and want to embrace that even more, to put it out there more, and showcase Jamaica more,” he said.

“Those are things that are always inside me, and I use it as motivation as well when I’m on the big stage because, for me, I live for big moments. Some people will shy away from it but I love it because I know if I do something good, there’s Jamaica behind the name. So, that’s why I say it’s always within me to turn up for big moments because I want Jamaica to be a better place and that’s the only way I can help, and I always try to do that on the world stage.”

Barring any setbacks, Bailey is set to be part of the Reggae Boyz squad for the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers, and Gold Cup this summer.

— Daniel Blake