Aiden McGeady facts for kids

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Aiden McGeady

McGeady lining up for the Republic of Ireland in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Aiden John McGeady
Date of birth	(1986-04-04) 4 April 1986 (age 39)
Place of birth	Rutherglen, Scotland
Height	1.80 m
Playing position	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	130	(35)
2020	→ Charlton Athletic (loan)	10	(0)
2022–2023	Hibernian	9	(0)
2023–2024	Ayr United	16	(2)
National team
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)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Aiden John McGeady (born 4 April 1986) is a former professional football player from Ireland. He was born in Scotland. Aiden played for the Republic of Ireland national team from 2004 to 2017.

He started his career at the Scottish club Celtic. With Celtic, he won four league titles, two Scottish Cups, and one Scottish League Cup. In 2010, he moved to the Russian club Spartak Moscow.

After playing in Russia, Aiden joined the English club Everton in 2014. While at Everton, he also played on loan for Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End. In 2017, he joined Sunderland. After five years there, he signed with Hibernian in Scotland in 2022. In 2023, he moved to Ayr United. Aiden announced his retirement from football in October 2024.

Aiden was born in Scotland. However, he chose to play for the Republic of Ireland. He qualified because his grandparents were from Ireland. He played for Ireland in the UEFA Euro 2012 and UEFA Euro 2016 tournaments. He played 93 games for his country.

Early Life

Aiden 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.

Club Career

Playing for Celtic

McGeady playing for Celtic in August 2009

Aiden started his football journey with Queen's Park. Before that, he played for a youth team called Busby Boys Club. He had trials with English clubs, including Arsenal. He then joined Celtic when he was a teenager. He played for their youth and reserve teams. In 2003, he won the Scottish Youth Cup.

Aiden made his first team debut at 18 years old. This was on 24 April 2004, against Hearts. He scored a goal after just 17 minutes. Celtic won the league that season. The next season, he played his first UEFA Champions League game. It was against the Italian team AC Milan. He became a regular player that season. Celtic finished second in the league. He also played in the 2005 Scottish Cup Final, which Celtic won.

In the 2005–06 season, Aiden had a knee injury. This made it hard for him to play regularly. Still, he played 19 games as Celtic won the league title.

The 2006–07 season was a big chance for Aiden. Another player, Shaun Maloney, left Celtic. This helped Aiden get a regular spot in the team. Celtic won the SPL championship again. They also reached the knockout stage of the Champions League. They beat Manchester United in the group stage. They lost to AC Milan in extra time. Aiden also started in the 2007 Scottish Cup Final win.

The 2007–08 season was a fantastic year for Aiden. He received lots of praise from fans and media. In one game against Aberdeen, he scored a goal and set up three others. He helped his team score many important goals. One key goal was for Scott McDonald against rivals Rangers. Celtic won that game 3–2. This win was very important for Celtic to win the league title.

That season, he scored eight goals and made 24 assists. He won two big awards from his fellow players. He was named SPFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year. He was only the second player to win both awards in the same season. Celtic reached the Champions League knockout stages again. They won the league title for the third year in a row.

In 2008–09, Aiden was a star player for Celtic. Celtic won the 2009 Scottish League Cup Final. Aiden was one of the goal scorers in that final. However, Celtic finished second to Rangers in the league.

The 2009–10 season started well for Aiden. He scored two goals against Aberdeen on the first day. He stayed healthy and played well. He scored seven goals and made 16 assists in 35 league games. Celtic did not win any trophies that season. They finished second in the SPL.

Moving to Spartak Moscow

McGeady playing for Spartak Moscow in September 2010

In August 2010, Aiden joined the Russian team Spartak Moscow. He signed a four-and-a-half-year contract. The transfer fee was £9.5 million. This made him the most expensive player to leave Scottish football. He played his first league game in September. Spartak won 2–1 against Saturn. He scored his first goal for Spartak in a 2–2 draw against Amkar.

In December 2010, Aiden was named the second-best right winger in Russia. This was on the Russian Football Union's list of top players.

The 2011–12 season began with Aiden scoring a late goal. This goal 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, Aiden scored in a 2–1 win over Volga. Spartak was knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Celtic, Aiden's old club. He played 23 games and scored five goals that season.

Aiden scored his first goal of 2013–14 in a 2–0 win against Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast. He also made an assist in that game. In September, he made three assists in a 3–2 win over Krasnodar.

Playing for Everton

McGeady playing for Everton in October 2014

In January 2014, Aiden joined the English club Everton. They play 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. This was against West Bromwich Albion. Aiden mostly played as a substitute in his first season. He helped Everton get their highest points total in the Premier League.

Aiden scored his first goal for Everton on 16 August 2014. It was a curling shot in a 2–2 draw with Leicester City. This was on the first day of the 2014–15 Premier League season. In January 2015, a knee injury caused him to lose his spot. He only played two more times for Everton that season. By November 2015, he had only played one game. He was not given a squad number for the 2016–17 season.

Loan to Sheffield Wednesday

On 1 February 2016, Aiden joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan. He stayed there for the rest of the 2015–16 season. He scored his first goal for them in a 3–0 win. This was against Nottingham Forest on 12 March 2016.

Loan to Preston North End

On 31 August 2016, Aiden signed with Preston North End on a loan for the season. Playing regularly helped him find his best form again. He won the Championship Player of the Month award for February. He scored three goals and made four assists that month. 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

Aiden signed a three-year contract with Sunderland on 13 July 2017. He was reunited with his former Preston manager, Simon Grayson. He played his first game on 4 August 2017. It was a 1–1 draw with Derby County. Aiden scored his first goal for Sunderland the next weekend. This was on 13 August 2017, in a 3–1 win over Norwich City. He also made two assists in that game.

He was nominated for League One Player of the Month twice in 2018–19. He won the award for February. His good play earned him a spot in the Team of the Year. He was also a finalist for Player of the Year in League One. Aiden was voted the Supporters Player of the Year.

In July 2019, he extended his contract for another year. However, his manager later said Aiden would not play for the club anymore.

Aiden then joined Charlton Athletic on loan. This was for the rest of the 2019–20 season.

Aiden played for Sunderland again in December 2020. This was under new coach Lee Johnson. On 13 February 2021, he helped Sunderland win 4–1 against Doncaster Rovers. He provided all four assists for Sunderland's goals. By then, he had eight assists in his first 12 games back. He was named in the 2020–21 EFL League One Team of the Season. After Sunderland won promotion in 2021–22, Aiden left the club.

Joining Hibernian

Aiden signed a one-year contract with Scottish club Hibernian on 24 June 2022. He joined his former Sunderland manager, Lee Johnson. Aiden played four Scottish League Cup games in July. But an ankle injury kept him out for a long time. He returned in December. However, he got a hamstring injury on 18 February 2023. This was in a game against Kilmarnock. The injury meant he could not play for the rest of the season. Aiden left Hibs at the end of the 2022–23 season.

Playing for Ayr United

On 21 July 2023, Aiden signed a two-year deal with Scottish Championship club Ayr United. He also took on a role as technical manager. He left the club by agreement on 1 October 2024.

On 17 October 2024, Aiden McGeady announced he was retiring from football. He was 38 years old.

International Career

Aiden played for Scotland Schools when he was at Queen's Park. He played in an under-13 World Cup in Paris. When he joined Celtic, they did not let their young players play for school teams. Scotland had a rule that players not playing for school teams could not be called up.

The Republic of Ireland did not have this rule. They invited Aiden to play for their Under-15 Schoolboys team. Aiden qualified for Ireland because his grandparents were from Gweedore, County Donegal. Aiden accepted the offer and joined the Irish youth teams. He was later invited to play for Scotland's under-16 team. But he chose to stay with Ireland.

Aiden made his full debut for the Republic of Ireland in July 2004. This was against Jamaica. He played over 90 games for Ireland. He often played under manager Giovanni Trapattoni.

McGeady in action for the Republic of Ireland against Poland, November 2013.

On 26 March 2011, Aiden scored his first goal for Ireland. It was in the Aviva Stadium against Macedonia. Ireland won 2–1 in a Euro 2012 qualifier. On 7 October 2011, he scored his second international goal. This was against Andorra. In the Euro 2012 play-off against Estonia, Aiden assisted the first goal. Ireland won that game 4–0.

Aiden was chosen for Ireland's squad for the 2012 European Championships. He set up Ireland's only goal of the tournament. This was from a free-kick against Croatia.

In Martin O'Neill's first game as Irish manager, Aiden scored his first goal in over two years. Ireland won 3–0 against Latvia. In September 2014, Aiden scored both of Ireland's goals. This was against Georgia in a 2–1 win. He was selected for the Euro 2016 finals tournament. He played as a substitute in all three group games.

Aiden was a finalist for the FAI Senior International Player of the Year in 2014.

Style of Play

Aiden McGeady could use both feet well. He was known for his speed and skill with the ball. He was also very creative when playing on the wing. People admired his dribbling skills and close control. He was good at using feints and tricks.

When facing opponents, he often used a special move. It was a version of the marseille turn. This move is sometimes called the McGeady Spin. It was even included in the EA Sports' FIFA video game series.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list the Republic of Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each McGeady goal.

List of international goals scored by Aiden McGeady

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

Honours

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

• 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