Jaiyah Saelua

Quick Facts

Full Name	Jaiyah Saelua
Occupation	Soccer Player
Date Of Birth	Jul 19, 1988(1988-07-19)
Age	36
Birthplace	Leone
Country	Samoa
Horoscope	Cancer

Jaiyah Saelua Biography

Jaiyah Saelua is one of the most popular and richest Soccer Player who was born on July 19, 1988 in Leone, Samoa. Samoan-American soccer player who is notable for being the first transgender player to compete in a men’s FIFA World Cup qualifier. She debuted for the American Samoa national team at age 15 and has played for the indoor soccer franchise Savage FC.

She has been coached by Thomas Rongen.

Saelua made her debut for the American Samoa national team as a raw 15-year- old during qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, appearing as a first-half substitute in an 11-0 defeat to Fiji. She then made a further 3 substitute appearances in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, as well as 4 substitute appearances at the 2011 Pacific Games. With the arrival of coach Thomas Rongen in 2011, Saelua was given extended game time, and she made her first start for the team as they achieved their first-ever international win against Tonga during qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. Until this point, American Samoa had been outscored 229-12 in all the international matches it had played, and were joint-last in the FIFA World Rankings. Saelua provided an assist and made a last-minute goalline clearance to help her team to the narrow 2-1 win, and she was declared “woman of the match” by her coach. She was later sent a letter by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, recognising her achievements as the first openly transgender footballer to appear in a World Cup qualifying match. The team followed up the win against Tonga with a 1-1 draw with the Cook Islands. Needing only a win in their last game against bitter rivals Samoa to progress to the next stage of qualification, the team fell agonisingly short, hitting the post in the dying minutes before a last-gasp Samoa goal eliminated them from the tournament.

Waititi considered casting Saelua in his adaptation of the 2014 documentary Next Goal Wins, which she had previously starred in, but he ultimately choose fellow Samoan fa’afafine Kaimana to play the role.

She is the daughter of soccer player and coach Nicky Salapu.

Jaiyah Saelua Net Worth

Jaiyah Saelua is one of the richest Soccer Player from Samoa. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Jaiyah Saelua 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

She first picked up soccer at age 11 and was a performing arts student at the University of Hawaii.

She was one of the subjects of the British documentary Next Goal Wins (2014).

Saelua took up football at school as an 11-year-old. Her first coach was Nicky Salapu, the man famous for being the goalkeeper during American Samoa’s world- record 31-0 defeat to Australia in 2001.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Jaiyah Saelua height 6 ft 2 in Jaiyah weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

Who is Jaiyah Saelua Dating?

According to our records, Jaiyah Saelua is possibily single & has not been previously engaged. As of December 1, 2023, Jaiyah Saelua’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record : We have no records of past relationships for Jaiyah Saelua. You may help us to build the dating records for Jaiyah Saelua!

Saelua coached the American Samoan boys football team Leone Lions during the 2018-2019 Boys ASHSAA season. She led the team to the 2018-2019 ASHSAA Boys J-V title, for which she received the “Coach of the Year Award” from the FFAS.

Facts & Trivia

Jaiyah Ranked on the list of most popular Soccer Player. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in Samoa. Jaiyah Saelua celebrates birthday on July 19 of every year.

Saelua was recalled to the men’s national squad for the 2019 Pacific Games, joining veteran goalkeeper Nicky Salapu. The team was managed by returning coach Tunoa Lui, who had previously presided over American Samoa’s world- record 31-0 loss to Australia in 2001. In their first match, the team were praised for performing better than expected in a 5-0 loss to one of the pre- tournament favourites New Caledonia, and Saelua was praised for her defensive performance. Saelua was also commended for her role in earning the team a 1-1 draw with Tuvalu. She received a yellow card during the match. This was the first game American Samoa had not lost at the tournament in 36 years.