Nico O'Reilly was born on 21 March 2005 in Manchester, England. He came through the youth academy of Manchester City — the most technically demanding academy environment in English football — and progressed rapidly through the age groups to become one of the most-watched young midfielders in City's development pipeline. He made his senior debut for the first team in the 2024-25 season, becoming one of the youngest players to represent City in the Premier League in the Guardiola era.
At Manchester City his emergence has been gradual and carefully managed by Pep Guardiola, who has given carefully selected minutes in domestic cup competitions and substitute appearances to give him experience without overloading him too early. He profiles as a progressive central midfielder, comfortable in possession, capable of playing between the lines and recycling possession with the composure that Guardiola demands from all his midfielders.
His development at City has been tracked closely by the English footballing public and media alike, as a product of what is considered the world's most complete academy setup. Public information about his detailed career statistics and contract length is limited at the time of writing; this profile will be updated as more career detail becomes available.
For England he debuted at youth level with England Under-18 and Under-20 appearances, and earned his senior international debut in 2025 under Thomas Tuchel, becoming one of the younger members of the 2026 World Cup qualifying squad. He competes for central midfield positions in a competitive England squad.
Standing approximately 1.80 m, O'Reilly is a left-footed central midfielder whose ball retention under pressure, forward passing and positional sense reflect his Manchester City academy formation. He draws early comparisons with Kevin De Bruyne in his City role and, among English comparisons, a younger Phil Foden for his technical footprint out of the same academy.