Tafari Moore

Tafari Moore

Moore with Arsenal
Personal information
Full name	Tafari Lalibela Moore[1]
Date of birth	(1997-07-05) 5 July 1997 (age 27)[2]
Place of birth	Kilburn, England
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[2]
Position(s)	Full-back
Team information
Current team	Oxford City
Number	22
Youth career
2005–2009	Queens Park Rangers
2009–2015	Arsenal
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2018	Arsenal	0	(0)
2016–2017	→ FC Utrecht (loan)	1	(0)
2016–2017	→ Jong FC Utrecht (loan)	26	(0)
2018	→ Wycombe Wanderers (loan)	13	(0)
2018–2020	Plymouth Argyle	14	(0)
2020	→ Colchester United (loan)	1	(0)
2021–2022	Hendon	36	(0)
2022–2023	St Albans City	45	(4)
2023–	Oxford City	26	(0)
International career^‡
2012–2013	England U16	6	(0)
2013–2014	England U17	12	(0)
2014	England U18	2	(0)
2015–2016	England U19	5	(0)
2016–2018	England U20	6	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:04, 28 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9:59, 28 June 2018 (UTC)

Tafari Lalibela Moore (born 5 July 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a full-back for Oxford City. He came through the youth system at Arsenal, and has been involved with the England U20 national team.^[3][4]

Club career

Arsenal

Moore was born in the London Borough of Brent.^[4] He joined Queens Park Rangers as an under-nine, and moved on to Arsenal at the age of twelve.^[5] Moore signed his first professional contract with Arsenal on 5 July 2014, his 17th birthday.^[6] He was a member of Arsenal's under-21 team that beat Aston Villa in the 2015–16 Professional U21 Development League play-off final to gain promotion to the top division.^[7]

Loans

On 17 August 2016, he was sent on a season-long loan to Eredivisie club FC Utrecht.^[8] Five days later he made his professional debut for Jong FC Utrecht in the Eerste Divisie.^[9] Moore played in his first match for the senior team on 16 September in a 5–1 defeat at home to Groningen.^[9]

On 12 January 2018, he was sent on loan to League Two club Wycombe Wanderers until the end of the 2017–18 season.^[3] At the end of the season, he was released by the Gunners.^[10]

Plymouth Argyle

On 28 June 2018, he joined Plymouth Argyle. Moore started games early in the season but produced some disappointing performances and did not play again in the 2018–19 season after November. Moore played twice in cup games at the start of the following season before being listed for loan in October.^[11] On 9 January 2020, it was announced that the Pilgrims had offered Moore a settlement to terminate his contract.^[12] Later that month, he joined Colchester United on loan until the end of the season, but only made one appearance.^[13] Moore was released by Plymouth at the end of the season.^[14] In October 2020 he played for Salford City's development team in The Central League.^[15]

Non-league

Moore joined Hendon in September 2021.^[16]

In June 2022, Moore made the step up to join National League South club St Albans City.^[17] Moore was awarded the National League South Player of the Month award for November 2022.^[18]

International career

Moore was born to a Jamaican father, and a Jamaican-Barbadian mother.^[6] He has played a youth international for England, and was an instrumental member of the English side that won the 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. As so he was also named in UEFA's team of the tournament.^[19] On 20 July 2016, he was called up to the England Under-19 squad for the 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Germany. England eventually got to the semifinals of the Euros, where they went out by 2–1 to Italy.^[20][21]

Personal life

Moore is a devout Rastafarian who often credits God in interviews and has large dreadlocks in the custom of his faith.^[22]

Career statistics

As of match played 27 January 2022^[9]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Arsenal	2015–16	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2016–17	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2017–18	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
Jong FC Utrecht (loan)	2016–17	Eerste Divisie	26	0	0	0	—		—		26	0
FC Utrecht (loan)	2016–17	Eredivisie	1	0	0	0	—		—		1	0
Wycombe Wanderers (loan)	2017–18	League Two	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	13	0
Plymouth Argyle	2018–19	League One	14	0	1	0	1	0	2[a]	0	18	0
	2019–20	League Two	0	0	0	0	1	0	1[a]	0	2	0
	Total		14	0	1	0	2	0	3	0	20	0
Colchester United (loan)	2019–20	League Two	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Hendon	2021–22[23]	SFL Premier Division South	15	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	17	0
Career total			70	0	1	0	2	0	5	0	78	0

1. Appearance in the EFL Trophy

Honours

Arsenal

• Professional Development League: U21s Playoff Winner-2016^[7]

England

• UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2014^[19]
• UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2016 Semifinalist^[21]

Individual

• 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship: Team of the Tournament^[19]
• National League South Player of the Month: November 2022^[18]

References

1. "Squads for 2016/17 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
2. "Tafari Moore". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
3. "Tafari Moore joins Wycombe on loan". Arsenal.com. 13 July 2023.
4. "Tafari Moore". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
5. Gallagher, Sean (9 December 2016). "Arsenal and QPR duo were always destined to turn professional". Brent & Kilburn Times. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
6. "'It was the best feeling I've ever had'". Arsenal F.C. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
7. Evans, Gregg (10 May 2016). "Recap: Arsenal U21 3 Aston Villa U21 1". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
8. "Tafari Moore joins FC Utrecht on loan". Arsenal.com. 13 July 2023.
9. "T. Moore". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
10. 2017/18 Premier League clubs' released lists
11. @Only1Argyle (31 October 2019). "RL: We have made Tafari Moore available to go out on loan.He's been a good lad, different class. He has not spat…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
12. Tafari Release Offer
13. Taf Loan to Colchester
14. Retained List
15. "Walsall 0-4 Salford City | Central League". Salford City FC. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
16. "Former Arsenal defender signs". Hendon FC. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
17. "Tafari Moore joins the Saints". www.stalbanscityfc.com. 9 June 2022.
18. "Here's Your November National League South Award Winners!". www.thenationalleague.org.uk. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
19. "Technical Report" (PDF). UEFA. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
20. "Tafari Moore joins u19s squad". The FA.com.
21. "Young Arsenal defender set for loan move to Eredivisie side FC Utrecht". 90min.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
22. Gallagher, Sean (29 December 2016). "Arsenal youngster hails the influence of God on his pledging career". Islington Gazette. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
23. "Hendon – Appearances – Tafari Moore". footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2022.

External links

• England profile at The FA