Ata Jesse "AJ" Inia (born 25 April 2000) is a Tongan footballer who plays for Trang of the Thai League 3. He became Tonga's first-ever professional footballer when he joined the club in 2020.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ata Jesse Inia | ||
| Date of birth | (2000-04-25) 25 April 2000 (age 22) | ||
| Place of birth | Melbourne, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Trang | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2015–2017 | Werribee City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2019 | Melbourne Knights | 27 | (4) |
| 2020 | Caroline Springs George Cross | 0 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Angkor Tiger | 19 | (2) |
| 2021– | Trang | 4 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 February 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22 December 2021 | |||
Inia played for the Melbourne Knights of Australia's NPL Victoria from 2018 to 2020.[1] He competed with the team in the 2019 FFA Cup, including a Round of 32 match against Adelaide United of the A-League.[2] In 2020 he went on trial with Angkor Tiger of the Cambodian League. He joined the club the following year, becoming Tonga's first-ever professional footballer.[1]
By December 2021 Inia had joined Trang F.C. of the Thai League 3.[3]
Born in Melbourne, Australia,[4] Ata was called up to the Australia under-23 team for the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship but withdrew because of passport issues. He has expressed a desire to represent Tonga at the senior level.[1] He has been affiliated with the Tonga Football Association since May 2021.[5]