Craig Gordon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Craig Gordon

Gordon with Heart of Midlothian in 2006
Personal information
Full name	Craig Sinclair Gordon
Date of birth	(1982-12-31) 31 December 1982 (age 42)
Place of birth	Edinburgh, Scotland
Height	6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Heart of Midlothian
Number	1
Youth career
	Currie Boys
2000–2003	Heart of Midlothian
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2001–2007	Heart of Midlothian	139	(0)
2001–2002	→ Cowdenbeath (loan)	12	(0)
2007–2012	Sunderland	88	(0)
2014–2020	Celtic	147	(0)
2020–	Heart of Midlothian	102	(0)
National team‡
2002–2003	Scotland U21	5	(0)
2003–2005	Scotland B	2	(0)
2004–	Scotland	79	(0)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13 January 2025. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18 November 2024

Craig Sinclair Gordon (born 31 December 1982) is a Scottish professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Heart of Midlothian and the Scotland national team.

Gordon began his career with Currie Boys. He then joined Heart of Midlothian (Hearts). He was loaned to Cowdenbeath in 2001. From 2003 to 2007, he became Hearts' main goalkeeper. He helped them win the Scottish Cup in 2006. In 2007, English club Sunderland bought him for £9 million. This was a record fee for a goalkeeper in Britain at the time.

During his time at Sunderland, Gordon had serious injuries. He left the club in 2012. After two years away from the game, he joined Celtic in July 2014. With Celtic, he won five Scottish league titles. He also won two Scottish Cups and four Scottish League Cups. This included winning all three domestic trophies in 2017, 2018, and 2019. He returned to Hearts in June 2020.

Gordon was the main goalkeeper for the Scotland national football team from 2004 to 2010. Injuries stopped him from playing for a while. He returned to the national team in 2014. In 2017, he played his 50th international game for Scotland. In June 2024, he became the oldest player to ever play for Scotland. Gordon has been named the SFWA Footballer of the Year three times. He also won the SFWA Young Player of the Year award in 2004.

Craig Gordon's Football Journey

Starting His Career

Craig Gordon was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He went to Balerno Community High School. His father, David Gordon, was also a goalkeeper. Craig started playing football at a local team called Currie Boys Football Club. Later, he joined the youth program at Heart of Midlothian (Hearts). He won the Scottish Youth Cup in 2000. He also won the SPL Under-18 League in 2001.

Loan to Cowdenbeath

In 2001, Gordon was loaned to Cowdenbeath, a team in a lower league. He still trained with Hearts but also trained with Cowdenbeath twice a week. His first professional game was against Stirling Albion. He played 13 games for Cowdenbeath. During his time there, Cowdenbeath did not lose any home games. He was praised for his great saves in a match against Queen of the South.

Playing for Heart of Midlothian

Gordon first played for Hearts on 6 October 2002. It was a 1–1 draw against Livingston. In the 2003–04 season, he became Hearts' main goalkeeper. He played in 29 league games. He also played his first European game in 2003 against Bordeaux in France. Hearts won 1–0, and Gordon kept a clean sheet. His good performances earned him the SFWA Young Player of the Year award in 2004. He signed a new three-year contract with Hearts in August 2004.

In his first full season as the main goalkeeper, Hearts finished third in the league. This meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup. They reached the group stages after beating Braga. Hearts also reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup in 2005.

By 2005, Gordon was a regular player for the Scotland national football team. In the 2005–06 season, his strong performances helped Hearts finish second in the league. They also won the Scottish Cup. In the final, they drew 1–1 with Gretna and won in a penalty shootout. Gordon saved a penalty during the shootout. He also kept a clean sheet in a 4–0 win against rivals Hibernian in the semi-final. That season, he was named Scottish Football Writers' Association Player of the Year. He was the first Hearts player to win this award since 1986.

In March 2007, Gordon said he was interested in playing for Arsenal. Hearts did not qualify for European competitions that season. This made people think Gordon would be sold. His last game for Hearts was a friendly against Barcelona on 28 July 2007. In November 2007, Gordon was added to the Hearts Hall of Fame. He was the youngest player to receive this honour at just 24 years old.

Moving to Sunderland

Gordon (blue shirt) playing for Sunderland in 2008

In August 2007, Gordon signed a five-year contract with Sunderland. The transfer fee was £9 million. This was the most money a British club had ever paid for a goalkeeper at that time. He played his first game for Sunderland on the opening day of the 2007–08 Premier League season. Sunderland won 1–0 against Tottenham Hotspur, and Gordon kept a clean sheet.

In the 2008–09 season, Gordon was out for several months with a knee injury. He returned as the main goalkeeper at the start of the 2009–10 season. On 7 November, he broke his arm after colliding with a player. He was out for almost three months. He came back to play on 23 January.

In the summer of 2010, Gordon had surgery on his broken arm. He fractured his arm again during training. This meant he missed the start of the 2010–11 season. When he returned from injury, another goalkeeper, Simon Mignolet, was playing as the first choice. On 18 December 2010, Gordon made an amazing save against Bolton Wanderers. In 2012, this save was voted the best save in the 20-year history of the Premier League.

He suffered another knee injury in April 2011. This led to more surgery. In May 2012, Sunderland released Gordon from his contract.

Time as a Free Agent

Gordon did not sign with another club for two years. He continued to have problems with his knee. During this time, he worked in television. He also did some coaching for Dumbarton. In March 2014, Gordon announced that he was fully recovered. He wanted to start playing football again. In June, Celtic confirmed that Gordon was training with them.

Success with Celtic

First Season at Celtic (2014–15)

Gordon playing for Celtic in 2018

In July 2014, Gordon signed with Celtic. He played his first game for Celtic in a friendly match on 19 July. He played for 45 minutes and kept a clean sheet. In August, Celtic's main goalkeeper left the club. This made Gordon the new first-choice goalkeeper. He played his first competitive game for Celtic on 13 August 2014.

After only three games for Celtic, Gordon was called back to the Scotland national football team. He played very well for Celtic in both domestic and European games. He helped Celtic reach the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League. Many people thought he was back to his best form. He kept eight clean sheets in a row between December and February.

Gordon won his first trophy with Celtic on 15 March 2015. They beat Dundee United 2–0 in the Scottish League Cup Final. He did not let in any goals in the whole competition. This included playing in the first Old Firm game in three years. On 2 May 2015, Celtic became league champions. This was Gordon's first league title. In his first season at Celtic, Gordon played 52 games and kept 28 clean sheets.

Gordon was voted Player of the Year by the Scottish Football Writers' Association. He was also chosen for the PFA Scotland Premiership Team of the Year.

Later Years at Celtic

For the 2015–16 season, Gordon was given the number 1 shirt. In July 2015, he signed a new contract with Celtic until 2018. He helped Celtic reach the UEFA Champions League group stage in 2016. This was after a three-year absence. He played his first Champions League group stage game on 28 September 2016.

Gordon won his second League Cup with Celtic in November 2016. They beat Aberdeen 3–0 in the final. He did not concede any goals in the competition. This win was Celtic's 100th major trophy. In January 2017, Premier League club Chelsea tried to buy Gordon, but Celtic said no. In March 2017, Gordon signed a new contract with Celtic until 2020.

On 2 April 2017, Celtic won the Scottish Premiership title. They won it in record time with eight games left. They also broke a 100-year-old club record for not losing a domestic game. They went 37 games unbeaten. Gordon was also in goal when Celtic beat Rangers 5–1. This was their biggest win at Ibrox since 1897. On 21 May 2017, Celtic finished the league season without losing a single match. This was the first time a Scottish team had done this since 1899. He also won the Scottish Cup in May 2017. This meant Celtic won all three domestic trophies, completing a "treble".

Celtic won domestic trebles again in 2018 and 2019. This meant they won all three competitions for three years in a row. This is called the "treble treble". Gordon played regularly during this time. However, he decided to leave Celtic in June 2020. He wanted to play more often.

Return to Heart of Midlothian

After leaving Celtic, Gordon signed a two-year contract with Heart of Midlothian in June 2020. He started his second time at Hearts very well. He helped them reach the 2020 Scottish Cup Final. He made important saves in the semi-final. He captained the team in his 200th game for the club. He finished the season with eight clean sheets in a row.

Before the 2021–22 season, Gordon became the Hearts club captain. He signed a new contract in December 2021. This contract keeps him at the club until 2024. In November 2021, he broke the record for most international games played while with Hearts. Gordon was nominated for PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year in 2022. The SFWA voted him their SFWA Footballer of the Year for a record third time.

On 24 December 2022, Gordon suffered a serious leg injury. This happened during a match against Dundee United. Hearts confirmed he had a double leg break. He missed the rest of the 2022–23 season.

Gordon started training with Hearts again in October 2023. He played his first game since the injury on 20 January 2024. This made him the oldest player to play a competitive game for Hearts. A month later, he signed a new contract with Hearts for the 2024–25 season.

International Career

Scotland Under-21 Team

Gordon first played for the Scotland under-21 team on 4 September 2002. They won 2–1 against Israel. He played four more times for the under-21 team over the next year.

Playing for Scotland (2004–2010)

Gordon made his debut for the main Scotland team on 30 May 2004. They won 4–1 against Trinidad and Tobago. He became Scotland's first-choice goalkeeper. He played in all ten of Scotland's qualifying matches for the 2006 World Cup.

Football experts saw him as a great talent. After a 1–1 draw against Italy, the Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said Gordon could be one of the best in the world. Gordon kept clean sheets when Scotland won 1–0 twice against France in Euro 2008 qualifiers. He also helped set up a goal in one of these games. By November 2010, Gordon had played 40 games for Scotland. However, injuries stopped him from playing for the national team for the next four years.

Comeback to the National Team (2014–2017)

After his return to Celtic, Gordon was called back to the Scotland squad in September 2014. He played his 41st game for Scotland on 18 November 2014. This ended his four-year absence from international football. He played his first competitive game for Scotland in almost five years in November 2016. This was a World Cup qualifier against England. On 5 October 2017, Gordon played his 50th game for Scotland. This put him on Scotland's Roll of Honour.

Under Steve Clarke (2020–Present)

Scotland manager Steve Clarke did not pick Gordon for a year. This was because Gordon was not playing regularly for Celtic. After his good start back at Hearts, Gordon was called back to the national squad in November 2020. He was part of the team that beat Serbia to qualify for UEFA Euro 2020. This was Scotland's first major tournament in 23 years. He also set a new record for the longest international career for a Scottish player.

Gordon was chosen for the Scotland squad for Euro 2020. However, he was a substitute and did not play. Gordon became the first-choice goalkeeper again in September 2021. In November 2021, he saved a penalty during a 2–0 win against Moldova. This win helped Scotland get a place in the World Cup qualifying playoffs. His teammate Callum McGregor said Gordon was "like Peter Pan" because of how long he had been playing well.

On 14 June 2022, he played his 70th game for Scotland. He became only the seventh player to reach 70 caps for Scotland. In his 73rd game against Ukraine, Gordon kept his 30th clean sheet. This helped Scotland get promoted in the UEFA Nations League. Gordon missed the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying games due to his broken leg. However, Scotland still qualified. In February 2024, he said he wanted to become Scotland's oldest player. He broke that record on 7 June when he played in a friendly against Finland.

He kept clean sheets in Nations League games in October and November 2024. Scotland drew with Portugal and beat Croatia. On 18 November 2024, Gordon became the third oldest player to play in a European competition. He was 41 years and 322 days old.

Personal Life

Craig Gordon has four children. He has two daughters, Freya and Emma, with his former wife Jennifer. He also has two sons, Ace Harlow (born 2021) and Axel (born 2022), with his partner Summer Harl. Axel was born on the morning of a Scotland international match that his father played in.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Honours

Hearts Academy

• Scottish U-18 Premier League: 2000–01
• Scottish Youth Cup: 1999–2000

Heart of Midlothian

• Scottish Cup: 2005–06
• Scottish Championship: 2020–21

Celtic

• Scottish Premiership: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19
• Scottish Cup: 2016–17, 2017–18
• Scottish League Cup: 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20

Individual

• SFWA Footballer of the Year: 2005–06, 2014–15, 2021–22
• SPFL Premiership Player of the Year: 2021–22
• SFWA Young Player of the Year: 2003–04
• SPL Young Player of the Year: 2003–04
• SFWA International Player of the Year: 2009–10
• Heart of Midlothian Hall of Fame: 2007
• Hearts Supporters Player of the Year: 2021–22
• Hearts Players' Player of the Year: 2021–22
• PFA Scotland Premiership Team of the Year: 2014–15, 2021–22
• Scotland national football team roll of honour inductee: 2017
• SPL Young Player of the Month: December 2003

Images for kids

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  Gordon with Heart of Midlothian in 2006

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  Gordon (blue shirt) playing for Sunderland in 2008

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  Gordon playing for Celtic in 2018

See also

In Spanish: Craig Gordon para niños