Kenny Miller facts for kids
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Miller in 2011
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kenneth Miller | ||
| Date of birth | 23 December 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Atlanta United (assistant coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1988–1996 | Hutchison Vale | ||
| 1996–1997 | Hibernian | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1997–2000 | Hibernian | 45 | (12) |
| 1998–1999 | → Stenhousemuir (loan) | 11 | (8) |
| 2000–2001 | Rangers | 30 | (8) |
| 2001 | → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 5 | (2) |
| 2001–2006 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 164 | (50) |
| 2006–2007 | Celtic | 33 | (11) |
| 2007–2008 | Derby County | 30 | (4) |
| 2008–2011 | Rangers | 81 | (49) |
| 2011 | Bursaspor | 15 | (5) |
| 2011–2012 | Cardiff City | 43 | (10) |
| 2012–2014 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 43 | (13) |
| 2014–2018 | Rangers | 114 | (35) |
| 2018 | Livingston | 2 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Dundee | 33 | (8) |
| 2019–2020 | Partick Thistle | 21 | (5) |
| Total | 670 | (227) | |
| National team | |||
| 2000–2001 | Scotland U21 | 7 | (2) |
| 2003 | Scotland B | 1 | (0) |
| 2001–2013 | Scotland | 69 | (18) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2018 | Livingston | ||
| 2022 | Falkirk (caretaker) | ||
| 2025– | Atlanta United (assistant coach) | ||
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Kenny Miller (born 23 December 1979) is a Scottish football coach and a former player. He is currently an assistant coach for Atlanta United, a team in Major League Soccer. Kenny was a striker, which means he played at the front of the team, trying to score goals. He is one of only five players since World War II to have played for both of Scotland's biggest rival teams, Rangers and Celtic.
Miller started his career at Hibernian. He then moved to Rangers and later to the English team Wolverhampton Wanderers. There, he won his first big award, the 2003 First Division play-off final, which helped his team get promoted. After five seasons with Wolves, Miller went back to Scotland. He signed with Celtic, the other half of the famous "Old Firm" rivalry. In his only full season at Celtic, he won the SPL title and the Scottish Cup.
After playing for Derby County for one season, he returned to Scotland and joined Rangers again. During this time, he won two SPL titles in a row, the Scottish Cup, and the Scottish League Cup. In 2011, he moved to the Turkish club Bursaspor. Later that year, he came back to the UK to play for Cardiff City. After one season with Cardiff, Miller played in Major League Soccer for Vancouver Whitecaps FC. He had a third time playing for Rangers between 2014 and 2018. After a very short time as a player/manager for Livingston, Miller played for Dundee and Partick Thistle.
Kenny Miller was a regular player for the Scotland national team. He played for Scotland from his first game in 2001 until he stopped playing internationally in 2013. He often played as a single striker, scoring 18 goals in 69 games for his country.
Miller started coaching while still playing. He was briefly a player-manager for Livingston. Later, he became an assistant coach in Australia for the Newcastle Jets and Western Sydney Wanderers. He has also been an assistant manager for Falkirk and Huddersfield Town.
Contents
- Playing Career Highlights
- Starting at Hibernian
- First Time at Rangers
- Time at Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Moving to Celtic
- Short Spell at Derby County
- Second Time at Rangers
- Playing in Turkey and Wales
- Time in Canada with Vancouver Whitecaps
- Third Time at Rangers
- Player-Manager at Livingston
- Later Career at Dundee and Partick Thistle
- International Career for Scotland
- Coaching Career
- Honours and Awards
- Images for kids
- See also
Playing Career Highlights
Starting at Hibernian
Miller grew up in Musselburgh, Scotland. He got his big chance when he signed with his local team, Hibernian. He played his first game for them in the 1997–98 season. He also spent some time on loan at Stenhousemuir. There, he scored 10 goals in 13 games. When he returned to Hibernian, he became a regular player. He was the team's top scorer in the 1999–2000 season. He also won the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2000.
First Time at Rangers
On 26 June 2000, Miller signed with Rangers for £2 million. He made his first appearance for Rangers on 26 July 2000. This was in a Champions League qualifying game against FBK Kaunas. His first goal for the club came on 5 August 2000 against Kilmarnock.
A few months later, Miller scored five goals in one game against St Mirren. This was a record for the Scottish Premier League. He scored 10 goals in his first 14 games for Rangers. Overall, he played 38 games and scored 11 goals in his first time at Rangers.
Time at Wolverhampton Wanderers
In September 2001, Miller joined Wolverhampton Wanderers on a three-month loan. He scored two goals in five games before breaking his collarbone. In December 2001, Wolves bought him permanently for £3 million.
In the 2002–03 season, Miller helped Wolves win promotion to the Premier League. He scored 18 goals in the last 24 games of that season. This included a goal in the play-off final. In the 2003–04 season, Wolves were in the Premier League. Miller scored important goals against Manchester United and Liverpool. However, Wolves were relegated at the end of the season.
Miller wanted to leave Wolves in 2004, but he stayed. He scored 20 goals in the 2004–05 season. He was the top scorer for Wolves for three seasons in a row. He played 191 games and scored 63 goals for the club.
Moving to Celtic
When his contract with Wolves ended, Miller moved to Celtic for free. This was a big move because he became only the third player since World War II to play for both Rangers and Celtic. These two teams are huge rivals in Scotland, known as the "Old Firm".
Miller had a tough start at Celtic. He didn't score in his first nine games. But then he scored his first goal against his old team, Rangers, in September 2006. He also scored in the Champions League against Copenhagen and Benfica. By scoring in the Champions League for both Rangers and Celtic, he made history. He finished his time at Celtic with 11 goals in 46 games.
Short Spell at Derby County
On 31 August 2007, Miller signed a three-year deal with Derby County. They had just been promoted to the Premier League. He started well, scoring in his first two home games. This included the winning goal against Newcastle United. This goal even won the club's "Goal of the Season" award. But after that, he only scored two more goals in 28 league games. Derby County was struggling, and Miller wanted to move back to Scotland.
Second Time at Rangers
In June 2008, Miller returned to Rangers for £2 million. This meant he was the only player in modern times to play for both Old Firm teams twice. He scored two goals in his first Old Firm game of the season. He also scored the winning goal in the League Cup Final in March 2010. Rangers won the league title two years in a row while he was there.
In August 2010, Miller scored his second hat-trick for Rangers against Hibernian. He said he was in "the best form of his career" after scoring 10 goals in the first six league games of the 2010–11 season. He scored 22 goals by January that season. Even though he left Rangers halfway through, he was still the top goalscorer in the SPL that season.
Playing in Turkey and Wales
On 21 January 2011, Miller signed with Bursaspor in Turkey. He scored on his first start for the team against Galatasaray. He scored five goals in 15 games for Bursaspor. However, he didn't settle in Turkey and wanted to leave.
In July 2011, Miller signed for Cardiff City in Wales. He scored in his first game for Cardiff. He helped Cardiff reach the 2012 Football League Cup Final. But they lost to Liverpool in a penalty shootout, and Miller missed his penalty. He scored 10 goals in 43 games for Cardiff.
Time in Canada with Vancouver Whitecaps
Miller joined Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer on 16 July 2012. He played his first game six days later. He scored his first goal for the Whitecaps in August 2012. He played for the club until May 2014.
Third Time at Rangers
On 4 June 2014, Miller signed with Rangers for a third time. He scored his 100th goal for Rangers in October 2016. He also became Rangers' oldest player to score a hat-trick in January 2016. He helped Rangers win the Scottish Championship in 2016. He scored in the 2016 Scottish Cup Final, but Rangers lost the game.
In April 2018, Miller left Rangers. He had played 301 games for the club across his three spells, scoring 116 goals.
Player-Manager at Livingston
In June 2018, Miller became the player-manager for Livingston. This meant he would both play and manage the team. He scored his first goal for Livingston in July 2018. However, he left the role in August because the club wanted him to stop playing and only focus on managing, which he didn't want to do at that time.
Later Career at Dundee and Partick Thistle
Miller then signed with Dundee in August 2018. He scored five goals in three games in December, including a hat-trick. Dundee was relegated at the end of the season, and Miller left the club.
In June 2019, he signed with Partick Thistle. He scored 10 goals for them before leaving in January 2020. Soon after, he announced he was stopping his playing career.
International Career for Scotland
Miller played for the Scotland Under-21 team first. He made his debut in March 2000 and scored two goals in seven games.
He made his first appearance for the senior Scotland team on 25 April 2001. This was in a friendly game against Poland. He scored his first international goal in March 2003 against Iceland.
From 2003 until 2013, Miller was a key player for Scotland. He scored important goals against teams like Germany and Ukraine. In 2005, he scored four goals in three international games.
Miller played his 50th game for Scotland in October 2010. He also captained the team for the first time in February 2011, scoring a goal against Northern Ireland. He continued to play for Scotland even when he moved to Canada. He scored 18 goals in 69 games for Scotland. Miller stopped playing for Scotland in 2013 to focus on his club career.
Coaching Career
While still playing for Rangers in 2016, Miller also started coaching their Under-20 team part-time. After he stopped playing, he became a coach. He was an assistant coach for Newcastle Jets and Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia. He even took charge of a game for Western Sydney Wanderers when the main coach was sick.
In December 2021, Miller became the assistant head coach for Falkirk in Scotland. He was the caretaker manager for a short time in April 2022. In November 2022, he joined Huddersfield Town as an assistant coach. He and the head coach were let go in February 2023.
In January 2025, Kenny Miller joined Atlanta United in the USA as an assistant coach.
Honours and Awards
Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Won the First Division play-offs in 2003
Celtic
- Won the Scottish Premier League in 2007
- Won the Scottish Cup in 2007
Rangers
- Won the Scottish Premier League in 2009, 2010, and 2011
- Won the Scottish Championship (second tier) in 2016
- Won the Scottish Cup in 2009
- Won the Scottish League Cup in 2010
- Won the Scottish Challenge Cup in 2016
Cardiff City
- Was runner-up in the Football League Cup in 2012
Individual Awards
- Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year: 1999–2000
- Scottish FA International Roll of Honour: 2010 (for playing 50 times for Scotland)
- Scottish Premier League Player of the Month: April 2010, August 2010, September 2010
- Scottish Championship Player of the Month: January 2016
- Scottish Premier League Golden Boot: 2010–11 (top scorer in the league)
- Rangers FC Supporters' Player of the Year: 2016–17
- Rangers FC Players' Player of the Year: 2016–17
- Rangers FC Goal of the Season: 2016–17
Images for kids
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Miller playing for Cardiff
See also
In Spanish: Kenny Miller para niños
- Players who played for both Celtic and Rangers
- List of Scotland national football team captains
