Trai Hume (born 18 March 2002) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a full-back for club Sunderland and the Northern Ireland national team. He previously played in the Irish Premiership for Linfield and Ballymena United.
Early and personal life Hume attended Slemish College in Ballymena and the NIFL Academy.
Club career Hume played youth football for Ballymena United and Linfield. He signed a professional contract with Linfield in January 2019 until the end of the 2020–21 season. Hume made his first team debut for Linfield as a substitute in a 5–1 Irish Premiership win against Cliftonville on 23 April 2019. On 7 September 2020, he agreed two-year contract extension with Linfield.
On 11 September 2020, Hume signed a season-long loan deal with his hometown club Ballymena United. He made his debut for the Sky Blues in a 1–0 Irish Premiership win against Coleraine on 16 October 2020. He made a total of 37 appearances in all competitions for Ballymena, scoring six goals.
He returned to Linfield for the 2021–22 season and played in the qualifying rounds for both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa Conference League, establishing himself as the club's first-choice right back.
Hume scored his first goal for Linfield in a 3–0 Irish League win against Glentoran on 28 September 2021. He also scored in his final game for the club against Dungannon Swifts on 1 January 2022.
On 4 January 2022, Hume signed for EFL League One club Sunderland on a four-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He had made a total of 31 appearances in all competitions for Linfield, scoring three goals. He made his debut for Sunderland in a 2–1 league defeat to Cheltenham Town on 8 February 2022.
Having established himself as a regular starter in the team during the 2022–23 season, in June 2023 Hume extended his contract with the English club for a further year, until 2027, with an option for another year.
On 13 August 2025, following Sunderland's promotion to the Premier League, Hume signed a long-term contract, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2030.
On 19 April 2026, he scored his first Premier League goal in a 4-3 defeat to Aston Villa.
International career Hume has played for Northern Ireland at under-17, under-19 and under-21 youth levels. He was sent-off in a 2–0 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification defeat against Malta on 16 November 2021.
Hume was called up to the senior Northern Ireland squad in March 2022. He made his debut in a 1–0 friendly defeat against Hungary.
Hume scored his first ever international goal against Slovakia during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers to make it 2–0, helping Northern Ireland to gain a famous victory and derailed Slovakia's qualification hope in process.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cup Europe OtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals Linfield2018–19NIFL Premiership20000000—202019–20NIFL Premiership20000000—202020–21NIFL Premiership00—0000—002021–22NIFL Premiership173001050—233Total213001050—273Ballymena United (loan)2020–21NIFL Premiership3453000——375Sunderland2021–22League One300000—00302022–23Championship2813010—213422023–24Championship4611000——4712024–25Championship4431000—304832025–26Premier League3822000——4022026–27Premier League40001010—60Total1637702010511788Career total2181510030605124216
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsNorthern Ireland202220202380202490202581202680Total351
Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hume goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Trai HumeNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition 1 10 October 2025 Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland 2–0 2–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours Linfield NIFL Premiership: 2021–22
Sunderland EFL League One play-offs: 2022 EFL Championship play-offs: 2025
Individual Northern Ireland Senior Men's Player of the Year: 2023 Sunderland Player of the Season: 2024–25
References