He first signed for Palace at Under-11 level, after growing up in Croydon and scoring seven against the club in a match the day before. Citing Diego Maradona and Paul Gascoigne as his footballing idols, his creativity in midfield was one of the driving forces behind the Under-18s’ title challenge.
Before signing as a scholar, Mooney juggled the pressures of playing for a Premier League Academy and taking his GCSEs, often waking up at six to get to school before heading straight to training every evening, getting home at nine.
He has been with a talented Academy side that has travelled to Miami, Israel and Sweden, as well as winning the Floodlit Cup.