Joel Cooper is currently in his third Linfield spell.

The winger played his youth football with Ballyclare Colts, and was in the Linfield Academy for one year, before making a breakthrough at his local NIFL Championship team Ballyclare Comrades where he scored nine goals across 38 appearances in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons under the management of Eddie Hill and latterly former Linfield Swifts head coach David Dorrian.

Cooper was named Ballyclare Comrades’ Young Player of the Year before sealing a move to Glenavon in the Irish Premiership in the summer of 2015. He went on trial with Stranraer in Scotland before signing for the Lurgan Blues., who he’d supported a boy due to family connections to the club.

Cooper would go on to have a successful three-year spell at Glenavon where he established himself as one of the top players in the NIFL Premiership, scoring 17 goals and assisting 24 times in 98 appearances. He won the Irish Cup in his first season – 2015/16 – playing in a 2-0 win over Linfield in the final. Cooper was also named the Ulster Young Player of the Year in his first season, and helped Glenavon win the NIFL Charity Shield at the beginning of the 2016-17 season.

The Carnmoney man left Glenavon in August 2017 to start a two-and-a-half year scholarship at the University of New Hampshire in America, however he returned home to Northern Ireland in December and resigned for Glenavon on a short-term deal. Cooper turned down a three-and-a-half year contract with Glenavon before signing a pre-contract to join Linfield upon the opening of the transfer window for the 2018-19 season. In total, he scored 17 goals and assisted 24 times in 98 appearances for Glenavon.

Cooper took the number nine shirt at Linfield and the left winger hit the ground running, scoring his first goal for the Blues in a 3-0 home Premiership win over Institute on August 10, 2018. The then 22-year-old scored 8 goals and assisted 12 in his debut season at Windsor Park, helping the Blues win the League Cup and the NIFL Premiership, although lost the final of the County Antrim Shield in a 4-3 loss to Crusaders at Seaview.

The winger then took his game to another level the following season, scoring 13 goals and assisting 17 times which attracted interest from clubs in England and Scotland. Cooper was named the Ulster Footballer of the Year and won a second NIFL Premiership title, as well as being a part of the Linfield team who reached the play-off round of the UEFA Europa League for the first time in the club’s history.

Off the back of a stellar 2019-20 season, Cooper secured a move to EFL League One side Oxford United for an undisclosed fee in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, signing a three-year deal. The winger made six appearances for Oxford United, with the highlight being an assist in a 1-1 draw against Premiership side Watford in the EFL League Cup, before U’s manager Karl Robinson confirmed in November 2020 that Cooper would be returning home to deal with personal matters. Subsequently, Robinson loaned Cooper back to Linfield in January 2021 to ensure he’d retain his sharpness and match fitness.

During his second Linfield spell whilst on loan for the second half of the 2020-21 season, Cooper took the number 99 shirt and helped the Blues win the NIFL Premiership and Irish Cup ‘Double’ for the 25th time in history, scoring and putting in a Man of the Match display in a 2-1 win over Larne at Mourneview Park in the Irish Cup Final.

Following the expiry of his loan, Cooper returned to Oxford United in the summer of 2021, playing a further two matches in League One, as well as three appearances in the EFL Trophy, in which he scored twice against Tottenham Hotspur U21. However, with gametime limited, he went on loan to Port Vale in EFL League Two for the second half of the 2021-22 season under the management of Andy Crosby, the former Northern Ireland U21 head coach. Cooper made six appearances on loan at Port Vale before leaving Oxford United by mutual consent.

Linfield wasted no time in bringing Cooper back for a third spell as he signed a three-year contract in May 2022. He reclaimed the number 9 shirt following the departure of Christy Manzinga. In his first season back at Windsor Park he was part of a Linfield team who reached the play-off round of the UEFA Conference League, with Cooper scoring away to RFS in Latvia in the first leg. Cooper also scored the opening goal in the NIFL League Cup Final as the Blues defeated Coleraine 2-0 to lift the trophy. He marked his 150th Linfield appearance with four goals in a 7-0 win over Newry City in March 2023.

Cooper won the NIFL League Cup again in the 2023-24 season, as well as winning the Goal of the Season award for a spectacular solo goal against Glenavon at Windsor Park. The 23/24 season was his most prolific season at Windsor Park to date, scoring 16 goals from a new central role.

When Northern Ireland qualified for EURO 2016, Joel Cooper was one of two extras – along with the then Linfield winger Paul Smyth – brought to France by Michael O’Neill to train with the senior International squad. He has represented Northern Ireland U21s on five occasions under the management of Jim Magilton. Cooper also represented Northern Ireland Eastern Region at the 2015 Regions Cup.

At senior level, Ian Baraclough called Cooper up to his squad for UEFA Nations League matches against Romania and Norway in September 2020, however a senior debut was not forthcoming.