Simon Moore in 2026: Net Worth and Salary, Injury, Wife, Brother, and Frequently Asked Questions

 Simon Moore is the kind of footballer who reminds you that careers in professional sport are built on patience, resilience and an ability to keep going when the obvious path does not open up. The Sandown born Isle of Wight goalkeeper was rejected by Southampton as a teenager for being too small, made his senior debut at 16 under his own father's management at Brading Town, represented the Isle of Wight at an international sports competition, and then built a career stretching across Brentford, Cardiff, Sheffield United and Coventry before arriving at Sunderland in 2024. His contract expires in June 2026 and he is expected to leave the Stadium of Light as a free agent at the end of the season. In this 2026 deep dive we look at his career story, his earnings, his brother Stuart who is also a professional goalkeeper, the injury picture across his long career, his personal life, and all the questions fans keep typing into Google and AI search tools.

Simon Moore Profile 

Who is Simon Moore?

Simon William Moore is a 35 year old English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Sunderland AFC in the Premier League, where he serves as the experienced backup to first choice Anthony Patterson. He stands at around 1.91 metres tall and is known for his commanding presence in the six yard box, his shot stopping ability and the kind of professional calm that makes him a reliable number two and a trusted senior voice in the dressing room across more than 250 career appearances.

He was born on 19 May 1990 in Sandown, on the Isle of Wight, which makes him one of the very few professional footballers in the English Football League to have been born on the island. He grew up in a family where football was central to daily life because of his father's involvement in the local game, came close to making it through the traditional academy system before being released by Southampton, and found his own route to the professional game through non league football in the south of England. His Sunderland contract expires on 30 June 2026 and he is expected to leave as a free agent.

Simon Moore Career Journey

Simon's story starts in an unusual place for any professional goalkeeper. His father Steve Moore managed Brading Town on the Isle of Wight, which meant that when Simon joined the club he was literally playing under his own dad in a setup built around the tight community of island football. He made his senior debut for Brading Town at just 16 years old, which required a special dispensation to play men's football at that age, and caught the eye of scouts from the mainland. Southampton picked him up for their academy, but the club released him on the grounds that he was too small, a decision that looks fairly ironic given he stands at 6 feet 3 inches today.

He joined Farnborough in Hampshire and then signed with Brentford in August 2009 after impressing during a summer trial. His debut for Brentford came in May 2010 when he appeared as a substitute for regular number one goalkeeper Wojciech Szczypsynski. He eventually broke through as the first choice in 2012/13, recording 13 clean sheets in League One across 45 league appearances and earning widespread recognition as one of the best goalkeepers at that level. Cardiff City signed him in the summer of 2013 and he made 14 league appearances for the Premier League side, including a loan spell at Bristol City in 2014.

Sheffield United signed him in 2016 and he was named in the PFA League One Team of the Season as the Blades won promotion to the Championship as champions in 2016/17, one of the best seasons of his career. He spent four further years at the club but gradually lost his first team place and moved to Coventry City in 2021. His debut season at Coventry was excellent, 42 appearances, but mistakes early in 2022/23 cost him the jersey and he never recovered it, eventually being released in May 2024. Sunderland signed him on 21 June 2024 on a two year deal, where he has been a reliable backup in both the Championship promotion season and the 2025/26 Premier League campaign. He made 4 Championship starts in 2024/25, keeping 3 clean sheets and conceding just 2 goals, and has continued as Anthony Patterson's experienced deputy in the top flight.

Simon Moore Net Worth and Salary in 2026

Icon Polls estimates that Simon Moore's net worth in 2026 sits between 4 million and 6 million US dollars. That figure reflects a professional career that has now stretched across seventeen years and nine clubs, with wages earned across League One, Championship and Premier League football at Brentford, Cardiff, Sheffield United, Coventry and Sunderland. His current Sunderland weekly wage is reported at approximately 15,000 pounds per week, which works out at around 780,000 pounds per year, reflecting his status as a backup goalkeeper at Premier League level.

His career earnings across seventeen years include several periods on Championship wages at multiple clubs, Premier League backup pay at Cardiff City and now Sunderland, and the commercial activity generated across a long and geographically wide career. He has never been one of the headline earners at any club he has played for, but the consistency of professional employment since 2009 across some of the most competitive divisions in English football represents a steady and respectable financial foundation. As he approaches free agency at the end of June 2026, his next contract will determine whether he extends his Premier League chapter or drops to the Championship for a final professional spell.

Simon Moore Brother Stuart Moore

One of the most unusual facts about Simon Moore in professional football is that his younger brother Stuart Moore is also a professional goalkeeper. Stuart Moore, born on 3 May 1994, is currently a goalkeeper at Wycombe Wanderers, the League One club based in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. Stuart came through the same Isle of Wight football environment as Simon and has had his own professional career spanning MK Dons, Reading, Morecambe, Stevenage, Luton Town, Portsmouth and Wycombe.

Two brothers from the Isle of Wight, both professional goalkeepers, both still in the professional game at the same time, is an almost uniquely unlikely piece of football trivia. During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 a short film made about the Moore brothers focused on the Isle of Wight goalkeeping duo became a popular watch among football fans and gave both players a level of media attention that their club profiles alone had not always generated. Icon Polls considers the Simon and Stuart Moore goalkeeper brothers story one of the most charming and quirky tales in modern English football.

Simon Moore Injury Update

Simon Moore has had a broadly manageable injury record across his long career, which is one of the reasons he has been able to remain active as a professional goalkeeper into his mid thirties. A goalkeeper's body takes less direct physical punishment than outfield players on a weekly basis, but the demands of training, diving and repeated high intensity repetition still create wear over time. He has had various minor issues throughout his career but has avoided the kind of long term serious injuries that have affected some of his contemporaries.

The defining low point of his career in recent years was not a physical injury but the form crisis at Coventry City in 2022/23, when a series of high profile mistakes cost him his place in the team and his manager Mark Robins publicly criticised his performance after a 4 to 3 FA Cup home loss to Wrexham. He did not play for Coventry again in a competitive match following that game, spending the entire 2023/24 season without a senior appearance before being released. His recovery from that professional setback, and his ability to sign with Sunderland in 2024 and perform reliably enough to keep three clean sheets in four Championship starts, speaks to the character behind the goalkeeper. Icon Polls considers that professional bounce back one of the more quietly admirable stories in his career.

Simon Moore Wife and Personal Life

Simon Moore has kept his personal life consistently private throughout his career. There is no publicly confirmed wife or girlfriend on his social media or in his interviews, which is consistent with the low profile approach he has taken to his life off the pitch across more than seventeen years as a professional. He has never courted celebrity attention and the most personal elements of his story that have featured in football media have been the family angles around his father Steve's management of Brading Town and his brother Stuart's parallel goalkeeping career rather than anything romantic.

His Isle of Wight roots remain an important part of his identity. He is arguably the most famous professional footballer ever to come from the island, and the local community has followed his career with pride across the years. His father Steve's role as a football manager and his brother Stuart's parallel goalkeeping journey mean the family dynamic in football is genuinely unusual and worth appreciating as a story in its own right. His personal relationship status is something he will share publicly only if and when he chooses to.

Frequently Asked Questions About Simon Moore

1. How old is Simon Moore in 2026?

He is 35 years old in 2026. He was born on 19 May 1990 and will turn 36 in May 2026.

2. Where was Simon Moore born?

He was born in Sandown, on the Isle of Wight, England, on 19 May 1990, making him one of the very few professional English footballers to have been born on the island.

3. What is Simon Moore's full name?

His full name is Simon William Moore.

4. What position does Simon Moore play?

He plays as a goalkeeper. He is 6 feet 3 inches tall and serves as the backup to Anthony Patterson at Sunderland.

5. Which club does Simon Moore play for?

He plays for Sunderland AFC in the Premier League, where he is the backup goalkeeper. His contract expires on 30 June 2026 and he is expected to leave as a free agent.

6. How tall is Simon Moore?

He stands at about 6 feet 3 inches tall, which is roughly 1.91 metres.

7. What is Simon Moore's net worth in 2026?

Icon Polls estimates his net worth is between 4 million and 6 million US dollars in 2026.

8. How much does Simon Moore earn at Sunderland?

His weekly wage at Sunderland is reported at approximately 15,000 pounds per week, which works out at around 780,000 pounds per year, reflecting his status as an experienced backup Premier League goalkeeper.

9. Who is Simon Moore's brother?

His brother is Stuart Moore, a professional goalkeeper currently at Wycombe Wanderers in League One. Both brothers are from the Isle of Wight and both pursued professional goalkeeping careers at the same time.

10. Who is Simon Moore's father?

His father is Steve Moore, a former manager of Brading Town on the Isle of Wight. Simon made his senior debut for Brading Town at the age of 16, playing under his own father's management.

11. Did Simon Moore play for Brentford?

Yes. He signed with Brentford in August 2009 and made his debut in May 2010. His breakthrough season was 2012/13 when he recorded 13 clean sheets in League One and made 45 appearances for the club.

12. Did Simon Moore play for Cardiff City?

Yes. Cardiff City signed him in the summer of 2013 and he made 14 league appearances for the Premier League club. He also had a loan spell at Bristol City in 2014 during his time at Cardiff.

13. Did Simon Moore play for Sheffield United?

Yes. He joined Sheffield United in 2016 and was named in the PFA League One Team of the Season in his first year as the Blades won promotion to the Championship as champions in 2016/17. He made 60 league appearances for the club across his time there.

14. Did Simon Moore play for Coventry City?

Yes. He joined Coventry City in 2021 and had an excellent debut season with 42 appearances. He lost his first team place in 2022/23 after several mistakes and was eventually released in May 2024.

15. Is Simon Moore married?

There is no public confirmation of a marriage. He has kept his personal life consistently private throughout his career.

16. Who is Simon Moore's wife or girlfriend?

There is no publicly confirmed partner at the time of writing. He has kept his relationship status entirely away from social media and out of interviews.

17. What religion does Simon Moore practise?

He is a Christian, which is consistent with his English upbringing on the Isle of Wight.

18. Did Simon Moore play for the Isle of Wight?

Yes. He represented the Isle of Wight at the 2009 Island Games, an international multi-sport event for island communities. This makes him unusual among professional English footballers in having represented a specific island territory at an international sports competition.

19. Why did Southampton release Simon Moore?

Southampton released him from their academy on the grounds that he was too small, a decision that looks particularly ironic given he went on to stand at 6 feet 3 inches and build a career of over 250 professional appearances.

20. Is Simon Moore leaving Sunderland?

Yes. His Sunderland contract expires on 30 June 2026 and he is listed among the expected summer 2026 departures, likely leaving as a free agent at the end of the season.

21. How many appearances did Simon Moore make for Sunderland?

In the Championship 2024/25 season he made four starts, keeping three clean sheets and conceding just two goals. He has continued as the backup goalkeeper in Sunderland's 2025/26 Premier League campaign behind Anthony Patterson.

22. Where did Simon Moore make his senior debut?

He made his senior debut at the age of 16 at Brading Town on the Isle of Wight, where his father Steve Moore was the manager. He needed special dispensation to play senior men's football at that age.

23. Are both Moore brothers goalkeepers?

Yes. Simon Moore and his younger brother Stuart Moore are both professional goalkeepers. Simon plays at Sunderland in the Premier League and Stuart plays at Wycombe Wanderers in League One. Both are from Sandown on the Isle of Wight.

24. What happened to Simon Moore at Coventry City?

He had an excellent first season at Coventry with 42 appearances in 2021/22, but a series of mistakes early in 2022/23 cost him the first team jersey. After a difficult 4 to 3 FA Cup loss to Wrexham he was dropped, did not play again in 2022/23, and did not play at all in 2023/24 before being released in May 2024.

Simon Moore's career story is one of those that the football industry does not celebrate loudly enough. A kid from Sandown on the Isle of Wight, told by Southampton he was too small, who went back to play under his father's management at Brading Town, who ground his way through Farnborough, Brentford's reserves, Cardiff's squad and Sheffield United's promotion before spending the back end of his career as a reliable, respected Premier League backup at 35. He has over 250 career appearances and a brother who is also a professional goalkeeper from the same small island community.

As his Sunderland contract expires in June 2026, Icon Polls will continue to follow the final chapters of one of the most grounded and unusual careers in recent English football. Whatever comes next for Simon Moore, the story from Sandown to the Stadium of Light is one worth telling in full.