Barry Ferguson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Barry Ferguson
MBE

Ferguson with Birmingham City, 2009 pre-season
Personal information
Date of birth	(1978-02-02) 2 February 1978 (age 47)
Place of birth	Hamilton, Scotland
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
	Rangers SABC
1994–1997	Rangers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1997–2003	Rangers	151	(24)
2003–2005	Blackburn Rovers	36	(3)
2005–2009	Rangers	137	(20)
2009–2011	Birmingham City	72	(0)
2011–2014	Blackpool	80	(1)
2012	→ Fleetwood Town (loan)	6	(0)
2014–2015	Clyde	1	(0)
Total		484	(48)
International career
1997–1998	Scotland U21	12	(1)
1998–2009	Scotland	45	(3)
Managerial career
2014	Blackpool (caretaker)
2014–2017	Clyde
2018–2021	Kelty Hearts
2021–2022	Alloa Athletic
2025	Rangers (interim)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Barry Ferguson (born 2 February 1978) is a Scottish football coach and former player. He also works as a pundit, which means he shares his expert opinions on sports. He was most recently the manager of the Scottish Premiership club Rangers.

Ferguson spent most of his playing career with Rangers. He played for them in two different periods. He played a total of 431 games and scored 60 goals for the club. He was also the captain of Rangers from 2000 to 2003 and again from 2005 to 2009.

During his time at Rangers, Ferguson won many trophies. He won the Scottish Premier League, Scottish Cup, and Scottish League Cup five times each. In 2003, he helped Rangers win a treble, which means they won all three major domestic trophies in one season. This achievement earned him the award of SFWA Footballer of the Year. He also helped Rangers reach the final of the 2008 UEFA Cup final.

Ferguson played 45 games for the Scotland national team, starting in 1998. In 2009, after some issues with his behaviour while playing for Scotland, he lost his captaincy at Rangers. He was also told he would no longer be chosen to play for the national team.

Later in his career, he played for English clubs like Birmingham City, Blackpool, and Fleetwood Town. Towards the end of his time playing for Blackpool, he even became the temporary manager of the club. Ferguson then became a player-manager (meaning he played and managed at the same time) for Clyde in June 2014. He left this role in February 2017. He then managed Kelty Hearts from October 2018 to May 2021, helping them get promoted to the SPFL for the first time. After that, he managed Alloa Athletic but left in February 2022. In February 2025, he was appointed as the interim head coach for Rangers.

Early Life and Football Start

Barry Ferguson was born in Hamilton, Scotland. His family were big supporters of Rangers. His older brother, Derek, also played for Rangers as a midfielder in the 1980s. Barry often visited the club's stadium, Ibrox Stadium, when he was a child.

Around the age of eight, he started playing football for a team called Mill United in Hamilton. When he was a teenager, he was considered a very good player. He almost made it into the Scotland Schoolboys squad but was not chosen because he was considered too short at the time.

Ferguson had been training with Rangers since 1991. He signed a professional contract with the club in 1994 after finishing school. Besides his brother, Barry looked up to Ian Durrant, who was still an important player at Rangers when Barry joined.

Playing Career Highlights

First Time at Rangers

Ferguson joined the first-team squad for the 1996–97 season. He played his first game on 10 May 1997 against Hearts. The next season, his manager, Walter Smith, slowly brought him into the team.

Ferguson became a regular player in the 1998–99 season under the new manager, Dick Advocaat. He quickly became a key part of the team and signed a long-term contract. He scored his first goal in a League Cup match on 18 August 1998. He also scored his first league goal against Dunfermline Athletic. He missed the end of the 1998–99 season due to injury, when Rangers won the treble.

Ferguson was very important the next season and signed an extended six-year deal in October 1999. He was named the Scottish Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year for 1999–2000. That season, Rangers won the Premier League and Scottish Cup.

In August 2000, after a match against Celtic, Ferguson was involved in an incident at a hotel. He had also made inappropriate gestures to the crowd during the game. After the club was knocked out of the UEFA Champions League, the captain, Lorenzo Amoruso, lost his captaincy. The role was then given to 22-year-old Ferguson. In September 2001, he was criticised for throwing ice at the Celtic dugout during a game. However, Celtic's manager, Martin O'Neill, said he thought his own doctor had thrown the ice. Ferguson then led his team to win the League Cup and Scottish Cup later that season. In the Scottish Cup final, he scored a free kick to tie the game at 2–2.

In the 2002–03 season, Ferguson captained the team to win a domestic treble. He scored 18 goals from midfield. He also won the Scottish Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year and Scottish PFA Players' Player of the Year awards.

Time at Blackburn Rovers

On 29 August 2003, Ferguson joined Premier League club Blackburn Rovers for £7.5 million. He played his first game for Blackburn on 19 September against Liverpool. He scored his first goal against Liverpool in a League Cup match on 29 October.

Graeme Souness made Ferguson captain of Blackburn in July 2004. Ferguson seemed to be settling into English football. However, after 16 months, and a serious knee injury, Ferguson asked to leave the club in January 2005. He said that playing in the Premier League was not as exciting as the Old Firm matches in Scotland.

Return to Rangers

After talks between the clubs, Ferguson rejoined Rangers for £4.5 million. His second debut for Rangers was in a League Cup semi-final win on 26 January 2005. His first goal after returning was on 5 March 2005. Ferguson played in the 2005 Scottish League Cup final and helped Rangers win the league title on the last day of the season.

Ferguson (right, with Lionel Messi) playing for Rangers against Barcelona in a UEFA Champions League match in 2007

At the start of the 2005–06 season, manager Alex McLeish made Ferguson captain again. Ferguson played the end of the season with a serious ankle injury. He later said he should have had surgery sooner.

On 27 December 2006, after an incident in the dressing room, Ferguson was removed as Rangers captain by manager Paul Le Guen. He was also left out of the next game. Le Guen later said Ferguson was trying to undermine him. Ferguson said years later that they never had an argument. Le Guen resigned on 4 January, and Ferguson was brought back into the team and made captain again by caretaker manager Ian Durrant.

The 2007–08 season started well for Ferguson. He scored twice in the first league game. He also scored in a 3–0 win over Celtic and in the UEFA Champions League. The goal against Celtic was his first against them since the 2002 Scottish Cup Final.

In January 2008, he scored a goal in a League Cup semi-final that caused some debate. He later admitted he accidentally handled the ball before scoring. Rangers went on to win both the League Cup final and the Scottish Cup final.

On 14 May 2008, Ferguson played his 400th game for Rangers in the UEFA Cup Final. He captained the team in a 2–0 loss to Zenit Saint Petersburg.

Barry Ferguson playing for Birmingham City

In the summer of 2008, Ferguson had surgery for a new injury. He returned to play on 1 November.

In April 2009, after some issues with his behaviour while with the Scotland national team, Ferguson was removed as captain for both his club and country. He still helped Rangers win the 2009 Scottish Cup Final against Falkirk. Rangers also won the SPL title that season.

Ferguson was added to the Rangers F.C. Hall of Fame in 2004 when he was 26 years old.

European Appearances Record

Ferguson played 82 games in European competitions, all for Rangers. This made him the player with the most European appearances for the club. He also broke the record for the most European appearances by a Scottish footballer.

Playing for Birmingham City

On 17 July 2009, Ferguson moved to English Premier League club Birmingham City. He signed a three-year contract. He joined up with his former manager, Alex McLeish. McLeish believed Ferguson could compete with the best players in the Premier League. Ferguson played his first game on 15 August 2009 against Manchester United. He scored his first goal for the club in an FA Cup match in January 2010. Ferguson won the Birmingham City players' Player of the Year award for the 2009–10 season.

Ferguson helped Birmingham win the 2011 League Cup Final against Arsenal. He played the last hour of the game with a broken rib. In both his seasons with Birmingham, Ferguson made many passes. He had the highest number of completed passes in the Premier League in the 2009–10 season.

Playing for Blackpool

Ferguson, as captain of Blackpool, with Kevin Nolan before the 2012 Football League Championship play-off final

Birmingham City needed to reduce their player wages after being relegated. So, Ferguson joined Championship club Blackpool on 22 July 2011. This move allowed him to be closer to his family in Scotland. He signed a two-year deal. He was made captain for the club's first league game on 5 August.

Ferguson scored his first goal for Blackpool on 10 September. It was his first goal in English league football in seven years.

In late October 2012, after a disagreement with the club chairman, Ferguson was made to train with the Blackpool youth team. The next month, he went on loan to Fleetwood Town. This was the only loan move of his career. He spent three months there.

Ferguson returned to the Blackpool team on 20 February 2013. He was made captain again for a home game in April.

In October 2013, Ferguson had his sixth and final operation on his ankle. This kept him out until December. After the surgery, the surgeon told him he should stop playing football.

On 21 January 2014, Ferguson became Blackpool's temporary manager. He said he didn't want the job but no one else would take it. He initially said he wouldn't play while managing. However, on 12 April, he played in a game to try and help the team avoid being relegated.

Blackpool only won three of their twenty games with Ferguson in charge. But they managed to avoid relegation by two points. Ferguson left Blackpool at the end of the 2013–14 season.

International Career

Ferguson played twelve games for Scotland's under-21 team. He played his first full international game for Scotland at age 20 on 5 September 1998. However, injuries kept him from playing more games that season. He returned to the Scotland team a year later.

He was made captain of the national team in 2004. Ferguson captained Scotland 28 times. He led the team to a 1–0 victory over former World Champions France on 12 September 2007.

On 3 April 2009, he was banned from ever playing for Scotland again. This was due to serious issues with team discipline. He also lost his captaincy at Rangers and was suspended by his club.

After the Scotland manager was dismissed, it was said that the new manager could choose Ferguson if they wanted. However, on 6 July 2010, Scotland coach Craig Levein confirmed that Ferguson would not play for Scotland again. Ferguson told him he wanted to focus on club football.

Coaching Career

Clyde

In June 2014, Ferguson became the player-manager of Scottish League Two club Clyde. He played his first game for Clyde on 27 September. Towards the end of a game in the Scottish Cup, Ferguson had a disagreement with Clyde supporters and was sent off. In April 2015, Ferguson announced that he had stopped playing as a player.

In his second season at Clyde, the team finished third and reached the play-offs. They won their semi-final but lost in the final. In his third season, Clyde had a difficult run of games. Ferguson resigned in February 2017.

Kelty Hearts

In October 2018, Ferguson became the new manager of Lowland League club Kelty Hearts. In his first season, Hearts finished third. They won the championship the next season, 2019–20.

Ferguson led Kelty to join the SPFL for the first time in their history. They won their play-off games at the end of the 2020–21 season. This also meant that another team, Brechin City, left the senior leagues after 67 years. Ferguson left Kelty the day after the play-offs ended.

Alloa Athletic

Soon after leaving Kelty, Ferguson was appointed manager of Alloa Athletic. The club was struggling in the league. On 14 February 2022, the club announced that Ferguson had resigned.

Rangers

On 24 February 2025, Ferguson was appointed as the interim head coach of Scottish Premiership club Rangers. This happened after the previous manager was dismissed. He brought former teammates Neil McCann, Billy Dodds, and Allan McGregor onto his coaching team.

Media Work

Ferguson often appears on STV's Peter & Roughie's Football Show. He also appears on the online sports show PLZ Soccer – Football Show. He writes a regular column for the Daily Record newspaper.

Personal Life

Ferguson is married to Margaret. They have three children. His son, Kyle, is also a professional footballer. Kyle plays as a centre back and signed for Harrogate Town in June 2022.

During the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Ferguson supported the campaign against Scottish independence.

In July 2017, it was reported that Ferguson had some financial difficulties. He successfully managed his finances and exited bankruptcy in July 2018.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Goals

Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ferguson goal.

List of international goals scored by Barry Ferguson

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	30 May 2000	Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland	Republic of Ireland	2–1	2–1	Friendly
2	7 September 2002	Svangaskarð, Toftir, Faroe	Faroe Islands	2–2	2–2	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
3	17 November 2007	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	Italy	1–1	1–2	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying

Managerial Record

Honours and Awards

As a Player

Rangers

• Scottish Premier League: 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2008–09
• Scottish Cup: 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2007–08, 2008–09
• Scottish League Cup: 1998–99, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2007–08
• UEFA Cup runner-up: 2007–08

Birmingham City

• Football League Cup: 2010–11

Individual Awards

• PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year:1998–99
• SFWA Footballer of the Year: 1999–2000, 2002–03
• SPFA Players' Player of the Year: 2002–03
• SPL Player of the Month: November 2000, December 2000, February 2002, January 2003
• Ferguson became a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) on 17 June 2006. This is an honour given by the King or Queen for special achievements.

As a Manager

Kelty Hearts

• Lowland League: 2019–20, 2020–21 (promoted after winning the Scottish League Two play-offs)

See also

In Spanish: Barry Ferguson para niños

• List of Scotland national football team captains
• List of Scottish football families