Aaron Tshibola (born 2 January 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Kilmarnock. Born in England, he represents the DR Congo national team.
Born in London, he came through the youth ranks at Reading before moving to Aston Villa in 2016. He has had loan spells at English Football League sides Hartlepool United, Nottingham Forest and Milton Keynes Dons, as well as Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock. He has also played in Belgium for Waasland Beveren and in Portugal for Aves.
Early life Tshibola was born in the London Borough of Newham in England.
Club career Reading Tshibola joined Reading's academy at age thirteen and signed his first professional deal with the club in March 2011. While in the Reading Academy, Tshibola went on trial with Manchester United.
Ahead of the 2014–15 season, Tshibola signed a new contract with Reading, keeping him at the club until 2016. Then on 23 August 2014, he made his professional debut as an 86th-minute substitute in a Championship fixture against Nottingham Forest.
On 9 September 2015, Tshibola extended his contract with Reading until the summer of 2019.
On 2 January 2015, he moved to League Two side Hartlepool United on a one-month loan deal, before making his debut the next day in a 1–0 loss against Wycombe Wanderers. His first four appearances at the club earned Tshibola a loan extension until the end of the season. His loan spell extension led manager Ronnie Moore to thank Tshibola for his commitment at Hartlepool United. He was then awarded Man of the match, in a 3–2 win over Plymouth Argyle after an impressive performance when he assisted one of the goals in the game.
Aston Villa On 10 July 2016, Tshibola moved to Aston Villa on a four-year contract, for an undisclosed fee. He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw with Newcastle United on 24 September 2016. On 30 January 2017, Tshibola moved to Nottingham Forest on loan for the remainder of the 2016–17 season.
On 27 July 2017, Tshibola joined EFL League One side Milton Keynes Dons on a season-long loan deal. He scored his first goal for MK Dons in an EFL Trophy tie against Brighton & Hove Albion Under-23s on 29 August 2017. On 9 November 2017, he returned to Aston Villa following the mutual termination of his loan with Milton Keynes Dons.
Kilmarnock Tshibola was loaned to Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock in January 2018, working under his former Reading manager Steve Clarke. He made his debut for Killie on 3 February 2018, as a 65th-minute substitute for Kris Boyd in the Ayrshire side's 1–0 win over Scottish Premiership Champions Celtic. Tshibola scored his first Kilmarnock goal in the 4–0 Scottish Cup win over Brora Rangers the following week. After six months, he returned to Aston Villa, only to be loaned back out to Kilmarnock for another season on 29 August 2018.
Waasland Beveren On 29 August 2019, Tshibola signed for Belgian club Waasland Beveren for an undisclosed fee. On 19 October 2019, he made his debut in a 2–0 defeat to Gent.
Aves On 31 January 2020, Tshibola signed for Portuguese side Aves on a one-and-a-half-year contract. On 1 March 2020, he made his debut, coming on as substitute in a 3–1 defeat to Paços de Ferreira. He made one other appearance in a 2–0 defeat to Sporting CP before the league was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal.
On 13 July 2020, Tshibola announced on his Twitter account that due to financial difficulties at the club, he had left Aves and was a free agent once again.
Kilmarnock On 31 July 2020, Tshibola returned for a third spell with Kilmarnock, signing a one-year contract. He left Kilmarnock at the end of the 2020–21 season.
Gençlerbirliği In July 2021, Tshibola signed for Turkish side Gençlerbirliği. He made his debut playing 90 minutes of a 0–0 draw with Adanaspor. On 19 December 2021, he scored his first goal in Turkish football, in a 5–0 victory over Menemenspor.
AEL Limassol On 12 August 2022, Cypriot First Division club AEL Limassol announced that Tshibola had joined the club. He made his debut of the club on 28 August 2022, in a 2–1 away defeat to local rivals Aris Limassol. He scored his first goal in Cyprus on 28 October 2022, in a 3–0 victory over Akritas Chlorakas.
Hatta Club In August 2023, Tshibola joined newly promoted UAE Pro League team Hatta Club for a €150,000 fee.
After half a season with Lamia, Tshibola joined Greek Super League club Levadiakos in June 2025.
Kilmarnock (fourth spell) On 2 February 2026, Tshibola returned to Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock on a permanent deal.
International career Tshibola was called up by England U18 and made his debut, coming on as a substitute in the second half, in a 1–0 loss against Belgium on 5 March 2013.
He is also eligible to represent DR Congo national team due to his ancestry. He was called up to the DR Congo national team for a friendly against Kenya on 26 March 2017, but did not make an appearance. On 27 March 2018, he finally made his senior international debut for DR Congo, playing 45 minutes in a friendly against Tanzania.
Tshibola was called up to the DR Congo squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on 20 May 2026, replacing the injured Rocky Bushiri.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearance and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague CupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsReading2013–14Championship000000—002014–15Championship100000—102015–16Championship1201030—160Total130103000170Hartlepool United (loan)2014–15League Two230000000230Aston Villa2016–17Championship811010—1012017–18Championship000000—00Total81101000101Nottingham Forest (loan)2016–17Championship400000—40Milton Keynes Dons (loan)2017–18League One12000202Appearances in the EFL Trophy1161Kilmarnock (loan)2017–18Scottish Premiership1202100—1412018–19Scottish Premiership2712000—291Total391410000432Waasland-Beveren2019–20Belgian First Division A8010——90Aves2019–20Primeira Liga400000—40Kilmarnock2020–21Scottish Premiership3033000—333Gençlerbirliği2021–22TFF First League19100——191AEL Limassol2022–23Cypriot First Division22240——262Hatta2023–24UAE Pro League1800021—201Lamia2024–25Super League Greece122———122Levadiakos2025–26Super League Greece10050——150Kilmarnock2025–26Scottish Premiership140———1402026–27Scottish Premiership50—30—80Total190—30—220Career total239101811212127313
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsDR Congo201810202361202490202620Total181
Scores and results list DR Congo's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Tshibola goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Aaron TshibolaNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 19 June 2023 Franceville Stadium, Franceville, Gabon 1–0 2–0 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
Honours Reading U21 U21 Premier League Cup: 2013–14 Gençlerbirliği
TSYD Cup: 2021–22
References
External links
Aaron Tshibola profile at Reading F.C
England profile at the FA