Joel Matthew Bagan

Joel Bagan received his first senior call-up for the Republic of Ireland in May 2026, for a friendly against Grenada, but withdrew with an injury. Ireland called him up again in September for their UEFA Nations League fixtures.

The route to that squad was not a straight one. Bagan was born in Basingstoke and first played internationally for Scotland, winning three caps at Under-16 level. He later switched to Ireland and won eight caps for the Under-21 side between 2021 and 2022.

His club career began in the Southampton academy. He left before 2018 and joined Cardiff City's academy that year, moving on a free transfer. He signed his first professional contract in January 2020 and was handed a debut the following month.

Later in February 2020 he went on a one-month loan to Notts County, where he made two appearances in the National League. A longer spell abroad followed from August 2023 to June 2024, on loan at the Belgian club Zulte Waregem. He played 24 games in the Challenger Pro League and set up one goal.

Back at Cardiff, Bagan has become a regular in the first-team squad. By late 2025 he had made about 100 senior appearances for the club and scored three goals. Those years included relegation to EFL League One at the end of the 2024–25 season.

The Ireland call-ups are the most recent step in a career that began at Southampton.