Aiden McGeady facts for kids
McGeady lining up for the Republic of Ireland in 2013
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aiden John McGeady | ||
| Date of birth | 4 April 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Rutherglen, Scotland | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–1997 | Busby Boys Club | ||
| 1997–2000 | Queen's Park | ||
| 2000–2004 | Celtic | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2010 | Celtic | 185 | (31) |
| 2010–2014 | Spartak Moscow | 72 | (11) |
| 2014–2017 | Everton | 32 | (1) |
| 2016 | → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 13 | (1) |
| 2016–2017 | → Preston North End (loan) | 34 | (8) |
| 2017–2022 | Sunderland | 127 | (29) |
| 2020 | → Charlton Athletic (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Hibernian | 9 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Ayr United | 16 | (2) |
| Total | 498 | (83) | |
| International career | |||
| 2002 | Republic of Ireland U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2003 | Republic of Ireland U19 | 1 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 11 | (1) |
| 2004–2017 | Republic of Ireland | 93 | (5) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Aiden John McGeady (born April 4, 1986) is a former professional footballer from Ireland. Even though he was born in Scotland, he played for the Republic of Ireland national team from 2004 to 2017.
McGeady started his career at the Scottish club Celtic. There, he won four league titles, two Scottish Cups, and one Scottish League Cup. In 2010, he moved to the Russian club Spartak Moscow. After that, in January 2014, McGeady joined the English club Everton. While at Everton, he played on loan for Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End. He then joined Sunderland in 2017. After five years with Sunderland, McGeady signed with Hibernian in June 2022. In July 2023, he moved to Ayr United. He announced his retirement from football in October 2024.
McGeady was born in Scotland, but he chose to play for the Republic of Ireland national team. He could do this because his grandparents were from Ireland. He was part of the Irish teams for UEFA Euro 2012 and UEFA Euro 2016. He played in 93 international matches during his career.
Contents
Aiden McGeady's Early Life
McGeady was born in Rutherglen, Scotland. He went to Trinity High School (Rutherglen) for a short time. Later, he attended St Ninian's High School, Giffnock.
His father, John McGeady, was also a professional football player. He played for Sheffield United.
Aiden McGeady's Club Career
Playing for Celtic
McGeady began his football journey with Queen's Park. Before that, he played as a child for a local youth team called Busby Boys Club. After trying out for several clubs in England, including Arsenal, he joined Celtic when he was still a teenager. He grew up through their academy, playing for the youth and reserve teams. He won the Scottish Youth Cup in 2003.
He made his first team debut at 18 years old on April 24, 2004. This was in a league game against Hearts. He scored a goal after just 17 minutes. He played four league games that season, and Celtic won the league title. The next season, he played his first UEFA Champions League game against the Italian team AC Milan. He became a regular player that season, appearing in 27 league games. Celtic finished second in the league that year. He also played as a substitute in the 2005 Scottish Cup Final, which Celtic won 1–0.
In the 2005–06 season, McGeady had a knee injury that made it hard for him to play regularly. He struggled to get a starting spot over players like Shaun Maloney and Shunsuke Nakamura. Still, he played in 19 games as Celtic won the league title.
The 2006–07 season was a big chance for McGeady. Shaun Maloney left Celtic, which opened up a regular starting spot for him. He played consistently for Celtic as they won the SPL championship again. They also reached the knockout stage of the Champions League for the first time. They beat teams like Manchester United and Benfica. McGeady also started in the 2007 Scottish Cup Final, which Celtic won.
The 2007–08 season was a fantastic year for McGeady. He received a lot of praise from the media, fans, and other players. One of his best games was against Aberdeen. He scored a goal and helped set up three others. He continued to create goals for his team. A very important assist was for Scott McDonald's equalizing goal against rivals Rangers. Celtic won that match 3–2, which was key to them winning the league title again. That season, he scored eight goals and made 24 assists. On April 20, 2008, his fellow players voted him both the SPFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year. He was only the second player ever to win both awards in the same season. The club reached the Champions League knockout stages for the second year in a row. They also won the league title for the third year in a row.
In the 2008–09 season, McGeady was Celtic's star player. However, his performance dropped in the second half of the season. On December 16, 2008, after a public argument with manager Gordon Strachan, McGeady was fined and suspended for two matches. Even though they won the 2009 Scottish League Cup Final, Celtic finished second to Rangers in the league.
The 2009–10 season started well for McGeady. He scored two goals against Aberdeen on the first day. His form improved, and he stayed healthy. He scored seven goals and made 16 assists in 35 league games. However, Celtic was knocked out of the Scottish Cup and finished the season without a trophy for the first time since 2003.
Moving to Spartak Moscow
In August 2010, McGeady joined the Russian team Spartak Moscow. He signed a four-and-a-half-year contract. The transfer fee was £9.5 million, making him the most expensive player to leave Scottish football at that time. He played his first league game in September, a 2–1 win. He scored his first goal for Spartak later that month in a 2–2 draw. In the last game of the season, McGeady was sent off. He was named the second-best right winger in Russia in December 2010.
The 2011–12 season began with McGeady scoring a late goal against FC Basel. This helped Spartak reach the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League. In his first full season, he played 31 games and scored three goals.
In the 2012–13 season, McGeady scored in a 2–1 win. He received his first red card of that season in a 5–0 loss. Spartak was knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by his old club, Celtic. In May 2013, McGeady got another red card for hitting an opponent. He was suspended for two matches. After his ban, he returned in the last game of the season, helping his team win 2–0. That season, he played 23 games and scored five goals.
McGeady scored his first goal of the 2013–14 season and made an assist in a 2–0 win. In September, he made three assists in a 3–2 win. However, he was later disciplined and sent to train with the youth team. He was then put on the transfer list for not following team orders. Despite this, his manager said McGeady could still return to the first team.
Playing for Everton
In January 2014, McGeady joined the English club Everton in the Premier League. He signed a four-and-a-half-year contract. He made his debut as a substitute in a 1–1 draw. McGeady was mostly used as a substitute in his first season. He helped Everton achieve their highest points total in the Premier League era (72) and finish fifth.
McGeady scored his first goal for Everton on August 16, 2014. He curled the ball into the net in a 2–2 draw with Leicester City on the first day of the 2014–15 Premier League season. A knee injury in January 2015 caused McGeady to lose his place in the team. He only played two more times for Everton that season, both as a late substitute. By November 2015, he had only played once, in a League Cup game where he was taken off at half-time. He was not given a squad number for the 2016–17 season.
Loan to Sheffield Wednesday
On February 1, 2016, McGeady joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan for the rest of the 2015–16 season. The manager, Carlos Carvalhal, said he had tried to sign McGeady before. McGeady scored his first goal for Sheffield Wednesday in a 3–0 win on March 12, 2016. However, after some poor performances, McGeady was not included in the squads for the playoff semi-final or the final.
Loan to Preston North End
On August 31, 2016, McGeady signed with Preston North End for a season-long loan. Playing regularly helped McGeady regain his good form. He won the Championship Player of the Month award for February, scoring three goals and making four assists. His goal from 25 yards against Huddersfield Town was nominated for Goal of the Month. He scored eight goals in 35 games for Preston. He was named Preston's Player of the Year.
Playing for Sunderland
McGeady signed a three-year contract with Sunderland on July 13, 2017. This reunited him with his former Preston manager, Simon Grayson. He made his debut on August 4, 2017, in a 1–1 draw. McGeady scored his first goal for Sunderland the next weekend, on August 13, 2017. He also made two assists in that 3–1 victory.
He was nominated for League One Player of the Month twice in the 2018–19 season, winning the award for February. His strong performances led to him being named in the Team of the Year. He was also a finalist for Player of the Year in League One. McGeady was voted the Supporters Player of the Year for Sunderland.
In July 2019, he signed a one-year contract extension with the club. However, in December 2019, manager Phil Parkinson announced that McGeady no longer had a future at the club.
After this, McGeady joined Charlton Athletic on loan for the rest of the 2019–20 season on January 31, 2020. This loan was extended due to the Championship season being longer.
McGeady played his first Sunderland game in over a year under new coach Lee Johnson on December 6, 2020. On February 13, 2021, McGeady was part of the team that won 4–1. He provided all four assists for Sunderland's goals in that match. By the end of that game, McGeady had recorded eight assists in his first 12 games since returning. He was a finalist for February's Player of the Month award.
After the 2020–21 season, McGeady was named in the 2020–21 EFL League One Team of the Season. After Sunderland won promotion through the play-offs at the end of the 2021–22 season, McGeady left the club after five years.
Playing for Hibernian
McGeady signed a one-year contract with the Scottish club Hibernian on June 24, 2022. This meant he was reunited with his former Sunderland manager, Lee Johnson. McGeady played in four Scottish League Cup games in July. However, an ankle injury kept him out of action for a long time. He returned in December but got a hamstring injury on February 18, 2023. This injury prevented him from playing for the rest of the 2022–23 season. McGeady left Hibs at the end of that season.
Playing for Ayr United
On July 21, 2023, McGeady signed a two-year deal with the Scottish Championship club Ayr United. He also took on the role of technical manager at the club. He left Ayr United by agreement on October 1, 2024.
On October 17, 2024, McGeady announced that he was retiring from football at 38 years old.
Aiden McGeady's International Career
McGeady played for Scotland Schools when he was at Queen's Park. He also played in an under-13 World Cup in Paris. After joining Celtic, the club did not allow their young players to play for their school teams. Scotland had a rule that players who didn't play for their school team couldn't be chosen for Scotland Schools' teams.
The Republic of Ireland did not have such a rule. They invited McGeady to play for their Under-15 Schoolboys team because he had Irish heritage. McGeady qualified for Ireland through his grandparents, who were from Gweedore, County Donegal. McGeady accepted the offer and joined the Irish youth setup. He was later named in a Scotland under-16 squad, but he chose to stay with Ireland.
McGeady made his full debut for the Republic of Ireland in July 2004 against Jamaica. He played over 90 games for Ireland and was often chosen by manager Giovanni Trapattoni.
On March 26, 2011, McGeady scored his first goal for Ireland in a Euro 2012 qualifier. Ireland won that game 2–1. On October 7, 2011, he scored his second international goal. In a play-off game for Euro 2012, McGeady assisted the first goal, which helped Ireland win 4–0.
McGeady was chosen for the 2012 European Championships in Poland and Ukraine. He set up Ireland's only goal of the tournament from a free-kick.
In Martin O'Neill's first game as Irish manager, McGeady scored his first international goal in over two years. This was in a 3–0 win. In September 2014, McGeady scored both of Ireland's goals in a 2–1 win against Georgia. This was the first game of the Euro 2016 qualifiers. Even though he had only played 13 club games that season, he was chosen for the Ireland squad for the Euro 2016 tournament. He appeared as a substitute in all three group games.
McGeady was a finalist for the FAI Senior International Player of the Year in 2014.
Aiden McGeady's Playing Style
McGeady was a player who could use both feet well. He was known for his speed, skill, and creativity with the ball on the wing. He was also famous for his dribbling skills, technique, and close control. He often used feints and tricks when he had the ball.
When facing opponents one-on-one, he used a special move. It was a version of the marseille turn, which was made famous by Zinedine Zidane. McGeady's version involved dragging the ball with his right foot behind his standing foot. This move became known as the McGeady Spin in his honor. This move has even been included in the EA Sports' FIFA video game series.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Celtic | 2003–04 | Scottish Premier League | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 4 | 1 | |
| 2004–05 | Scottish Premier League | 27 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | 37 | 5 | ||
| 2005–06 | Scottish Premier League | 20 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 24 | 4 | ||
| 2006–07 | Scottish Premier League | 34 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | – | 46 | 5 | ||
| 2007–08 | Scottish Premier League | 36 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | – | 51 | 8 | ||
| 2008–09 | Scottish Premier League | 29 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | – | 40 | 7 | ||
| 2009–10 | Scottish Premier League | 35 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | – | 50 | 7 | ||
| Total | 185 | 31 | 21 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 33 | 2 | – | 252 | 37 | |||
| Spartak Moscow | 2010 | Russian Premier League | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | – | 23 | 3 | ||
| 2011–12 | Russian Premier League | 31 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | – | 34 | 4 | |||
| 2012–13 | Russian Premier League | 17 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | – | 23 | 5 | |||
| 2013–14 | Russian Premier League | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | – | 13 | 1 | |||
| Total | 72 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | – | 93 | 13 | |||
| Everton | 2013–14 | Premier League | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 24 | 1 | ||
| 2015–16 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 32 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 43 | 1 | |||
| Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 2015–16 | Championship | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 1 | |||
| Preston North End (loan) | 2016–17 | Championship | 34 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 8 | ||
| Sunderland | 2017–18 | Championship | 35 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 7 | ||
| 2018–19 | League One | 34 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 2 | 40 | 14 | ||
| 2019–20 | League One | 15 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | 21 | 6 | ||
| 2020–21 | League One | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 2 | 36 | 6 | ||
| 2021–22 | League One | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3 | ||
| Total | 127 | 29 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 1 | — | 13 | 4 | 150 | 36 | |||
| Charlton Athletic (loan) | 2019–20 | Championship | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||||
| Hibernian | 2022–23 | Scottish Premiership | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| Ayr United | 2023–24 | Scottish Championship | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| Career total | 490 | 81 | 37 | 4 | 26 | 4 | 55 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 621 | 96 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland | 2004 | 2 | 0 |
| 2005 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2015 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 93 | 5 | |
- Scores and results list the Republic of Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each McGeady goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 March 2011 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland |  Macedonia |
1–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying |
| 2 | 7 October 2011 | Estadi Comunal d'Aixovall, Andorra |  Andorra |
2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying |
| 3 | 15 November 2013 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland |  Latvia |
2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | 7 September 2014 | Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi, Georgia |  Georgia |
1–0 | 2–1 | Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 5 | 2–1 |
Awards and Achievements
Celtic
- Scottish Premier League: 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08
- Scottish Cup: 2004–05, 2006–07
- Scottish League Cup: 2008–09
Sunderland
- EFL League One play-offs: 2022
- EFL Trophy: 2020–21; runner-up: 2018–19
Individual Awards
- FAI Young International Player of the Year: 2008
- PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year: 2007–08
- PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year: 2007–08
- PFA Scotland Team of the Year (SPL): 2007–08, 2008–09
- SPL Young Player of the Year: 2007–08
- BBC Sportsound Player of the Year: 2007–08
- Celtic FC Fans Player of the Year: 2007–08
- Celtic FC Players' Player of the Year: 2007–08, 2009–10
- Celtic FC Young Player of the Year: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07
- SPL Player of the Month: December 2004, November 2007, February 2008
- SPL Young Player of the Month: March 2005, November 2005, August 2006, September 2006
- Russian Football Union Top 33: 2010, 2011–12
- FAI International Goal of the Year: 2014
- Preston North End FC Player of the Year: 2016–17
- EFL Championship Player of the Month: February 2017
- PFA Team of the Year: 2018–19 League One, 2020–21 League One
- Sunderland Player of the Year: 2018–19
- Preston North End FC Team of the Decade: 2010–19
- EFL League One Player of the Month: February 2019
- EFL League One Team of the Season: 2020–21
See also
In Spanish: Aiden McGeady para niños
- List of Republic of Ireland international footballers born outside the Republic of Ireland
