Kyle Lafferty facts for kids
Lafferty playing for Northern Ireland in 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kyle Joseph George Lafferty | ||
| Date of birth | 16 September 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Enniskillen, Northern Ireland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Johnstone Burgh | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2005 | Burnley | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2008 | Burnley | 83 | (10) |
| 2006 | → Darlington (loan) | 9 | (3) |
| 2008–2012 | Rangers | 104 | (31) |
| 2012–2013 | Sion | 25 | (5) |
| 2013–2014 | Palermo | 34 | (11) |
| 2014–2017 | Norwich City | 31 | (2) |
| 2015 | → Çaykur Rizespor (loan) | 14 | (2) |
| 2016 | → Birmingham City (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 2017–2018 | Heart of Midlothian | 37 | (13) |
| 2018–2019 | Rangers | 21 | (4) |
| 2019 | Sarpsborg 08 | 9 | (1) |
| 2020 | Sunderland | 5 | (2) |
| 2020 | Reggina | 9 | (1) |
| 2021 | Kilmarnock | 9 | (8) |
| 2021 | Anorthosis Famagusta | 5 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Kilmarnock | 26 | (9) |
| 2023 | Linfield | 8 | (0) |
| 2023– | Johnstone Burgh | 25 | (11) |
| International career‡ | |||
| Northern Ireland U17 | 5 | (5) | |
| Northern Ireland U19 | 6 | (4) | |
| 2006 | Northern Ireland U21 | 2 | (4) |
| 2006–2022 | Northern Ireland | 89 | (20) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:38, 29 July 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:50, 16 February 2022 (UTC) |
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Kyle Joseph George Lafferty (born 16 September 1987) is a professional footballer from Northern Ireland. He plays as a striker for the Scottish team Johnstone Burgh.
Kyle Lafferty started his career with Burnley in England. He played 89 games for them. In 2008, he joined Rangers for £3.25 million. With Rangers, he won three Scottish Premier League titles, one Scottish Cup, and two Scottish League Cups.
In 2012, Lafferty moved to FC Sion in Switzerland. He then played for Serie B club Palermo in 2013. He helped them win their league title before moving to Norwich City. He also played on loan for Çaykur Rizespor in Turkey and Birmingham City in England.
After playing for Heart of Midlothian, Lafferty returned to Rangers in 2018. Since then, he has played for Sarpsborg 08, Sunderland, Reggina, Kilmarnock, and Anorthosis Famagusta. In January 2022, he rejoined Kilmarnock. He later played for Linfield in Northern Ireland. Currently, he plays for Johnstone Burgh in Scotland.
Lafferty first played for the Northern Ireland national team in 2006. He has played over 80 games for his country. He was part of the team that played in UEFA Euro 2016. With 20 goals, he is Northern Ireland's second-highest goal scorer ever. Only David Healy has scored more goals (36).
Contents
Kyle Lafferty's Club Journey
Starting at Burnley
In 2004, Kyle Lafferty joined Burnley as a young player. The next season, he started playing for their main team. His first game was on 6 August 2005, against Crewe Alexandra. He came on as a substitute late in the game.
In January 2006, Lafferty went on loan to Darlington. He played nine games and scored three goals for them. He scored in his first game for Darlington against Notts County. He returned to Burnley in February 2007.
He scored his first goal for Burnley against Luton Town on 30 April 2006. It helped Burnley get a 1–1 draw. Overall, Lafferty played 89 games for Burnley and scored 10 goals.
Playing for Rangers
On 16 June 2008, Rangers offered £3 million to sign Lafferty from Burnley. He officially joined Rangers on 19 June. He played his first game for Rangers on 5 August 2008, in a UEFA Champions League match against FBK Kaunas. His first goal for the club came on 16 August 2008, against Heart of Midlothian.
On 16 May 2009, during a game against Aberdeen, Lafferty was involved in an incident with an Aberdeen player. The referee sent the Aberdeen player off. However, replays showed little contact. Rangers later fined Lafferty for his actions. The Scottish Football Association also banned him for two matches.
On 25 April 2010, Lafferty scored the winning goal against Hibernian. This goal helped Rangers win the league title with three games left. On 25 September, Lafferty scored his first hat-trick for Rangers. It was in a 7–2 win over Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish League Cup.
Lafferty scored in Rangers' 4–0 win over Dundee United in April 2011. He then scored in three games in a row against Motherwell, Hearts, and Dundee United. Lafferty scored another hat-trick in the final league game of the season. Rangers beat Kilmarnock 5–1 and won their third league title in a row.
On 18 September 2011, Lafferty scored his first goal against Celtic in a 4–2 win. In April 2012, Rangers manager Ally McCoist announced that Lafferty was suspended for two weeks after an argument during training.
In June 2012, Lafferty decided not to transfer his contract to the new company that took over Rangers. This meant he became a free agent.
Moving to Sion
Lafferty signed a three-year contract with Swiss club FC Sion on 30 June 2012. He joined his former Rangers teammate Gennaro Gattuso there. He could not play his first league game because of issues with his transfer. However, FIFA later gave him temporary permission to play.
On 22 July 2012, Lafferty made his debut for Sion. He came on as a substitute in a 1–0 win against Servette. He scored his first goal a week later in a 3–0 win over Luzern.
Time at Palermo
On 26 June 2013, Lafferty joined Serie B club Palermo in Italy. He signed a three-year contract. He said he was excited to play for Palermo because he used to watch Italian football.
He scored 11 goals in 34 games for Palermo. He helped the team win the Serie B title and get promoted to Serie A. He also won the Fans Player of the Season award. However, he was sold after just one season.
Playing for Norwich City
On 27 June 2014, Lafferty signed a three-year contract with Norwich City. They were in the Football League Championship. He was excited to join a team that wanted to get back to the Premier League. He was given the number 9 shirt.
Lafferty played his first game for Norwich on 10 August. It was a 1–0 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Six days later, he started his first game at Carrow Road. Norwich won 3–0 against Watford. In 20 games, he scored only one goal. It was in a 3–2 home win against Cardiff City on 17 January 2015.
On 2 February 2015, Lafferty was loaned to Turkish club Çaykur Rizespor. He scored two goals in 14 league games there.
Norwich was promoted to the Premier League while Lafferty was away. He scored his first goal of the 2015–16 season in a 3–0 League Cup win. This was against West Bromwich Albion. He did not play many games for Norwich. On 24 March 2016, he joined Birmingham City on loan.
He scored in his first game for Birmingham City against Brighton & Hove Albion. He scored after 16 minutes, but Brighton won 2–1. He played five more league games without scoring. In May 2017, Norwich announced that Lafferty would leave the club.
Joining Hearts
On 28 June 2017, Lafferty joined Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish Premiership. He signed a two-year deal. He scored in his debut game on 18 July against Elgin City. Two days later, he scored two more goals against East Fife. He scored four goals in his first three games for Hearts.
In the league season, Lafferty scored 12 goals. Hearts finished 6th in the league. One of his goals was on 17 December 2017, in a 4–0 win over Celtic. This win ended Celtic's 69-match unbeaten run.
Returning to Rangers
On 22 August 2018, Lafferty came back to Rangers for a second time. He signed a two-year deal. In his first league game back, he scored two goals against Motherwell. Rangers drew that game 3–3. Lafferty left Rangers on 24 July 2019, after his contract ended by agreement.
Playing in Norway and England
On 27 August 2019, Lafferty signed for Norwegian club Sarpsborg 08. He played there until the end of the 2019 season.
Lafferty then signed a short-term contract with Sunderland on 10 January 2020. He scored two goals in 11 games before leaving the club.
Moving to Italy and Cyprus
In July 2020, Lafferty moved to Italy to play for Reggina. He scored once in nine games. He left the club in January 2021.
Lafferty returned to Scottish football in February 2021, joining Kilmarnock. He quickly made a big impact, scoring 12 goals in eight games. This included a hat-trick against Dundee United. Kilmarnock finished 11th and were relegated after losing a play-off. Lafferty left Kilmarnock after scoring 13 goals in 13 games.
He then signed a deal with Cypriot club Anorthosis Famagusta. Lafferty left the club in December 2021.
Back to Kilmarnock and Linfield
On 21 January 2022, Lafferty returned to Kilmarnock. He signed a deal until the end of the season, which was later extended.
On 8 February 2023, Lafferty signed a short-term deal with Linfield in Northern Ireland. He left the club at the end of the season.
Joining Johnstone Burgh
On 12 July 2023, Lafferty joined Johnstone Burgh in Scotland. He signed a two-year deal and joined his former teammate Graham Dorrans. He scored two goals in his first game. However, he got a serious knee injury in his second match. This injury kept him out of action until 2024.
On 1 June 2025, Lafferty scored the winning penalty against Tranent. This helped Johnstone Burgh win their first Scottish Junior Cup since 1968.
Kyle Lafferty's International Career
In early 2006, Lafferty played for the Northern Ireland under-19s in the Milk Cup. He scored in his first game against Paraguay.
Later in 2006, he was called up to the senior Northern Ireland team. He played in friendly games against Romania and Uruguay. Lafferty scored his first goal for Northern Ireland in a friendly against Finland the next year. He often played alongside David Healy during the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying games. He scored his first goal in a competitive international game in a 4–1 win over Liechtenstein. He also scored an equalizer in a 1–1 draw against Sweden.
On 26 March 2008, he scored two goals in an international match for the first time. Northern Ireland won that friendly game against Georgia 4–1.
Lafferty scored in Northern Ireland's first three matches in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying. These games were against Hungary, the Faroe Islands, and Greece. This was the first time Northern Ireland won their first three games in any qualification campaign. He scored two more goals on 29 March 2015, in a 2–1 home win over Finland.
On 4 September, Lafferty scored in a 3–1 win against the Faroe Islands. This result put Northern Ireland at the top of their group. It meant they were very close to qualifying for their first European Championship. In the next game, he scored a late equalizer against Hungary. This kept Northern Ireland at the top of their group. Lafferty finished the qualifying stage with seven goals. He was Northern Ireland's top scorer as they won their group. On 27 May 2016, Lafferty played his 50th international game. He scored a goal in a 3–0 win over Belarus.
In October 2018, Lafferty did not join the Northern Ireland squad for two matches. The Irish Football Association then stopped him from playing for Rangers in their next league game.
Kyle Lafferty's Personal Life
While playing for Rangers, Kyle Lafferty experienced vandalism multiple times.
He married Nicola Mimnagh, a former Miss Scotland, in June 2012. They had a son born in 2011. They later divorced. Lafferty married model Vanessa Chung in May 2016. They have two daughters, born in 2018 and 2020.
In August 2016, Lafferty was fined £23,000 for breaking rules about football betting.
In September 2022, Kilmarnock investigated an incident involving Lafferty. He later withdrew from the Northern Ireland squad.
Career Statistics
Club Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Burnley | 2005–06 | Championship | 11 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | ||
| 2006–07 | Championship | 35 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 37 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | Championship | 37 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 40 | 5 | ||
| Total | 83 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 89 | 10 | ||
| Darlington (loan) | 2005–06 | League Two | 9 | 3 | — | — | — | 9 | 3 | |||
| Rangers | 2008–09 | Scottish Premier League | 25 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 9 |
| 2009–10 | Scottish Premier League | 28 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 39 | 7 | |
| 2010–11 | Scottish Premier League | 31 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 44 | 15 | |
| 2011–12 | Scottish Premier League | 20 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 7 | |
| Total | 104 | 31 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 138 | 38 | ||
| Sion | 2012–13 | Swiss Super League | 25 | 5 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 28 | 8 | ||
| Palermo | 2013–14 | Serie B | 34 | 11 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 36 | 12 | ||
| Norwich City | 2014–15 | Championship | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 20 | 1 | |
| 2015–16 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | ||
| 2016–17 | Championship | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 16 | 2 | ||
| Total | 31 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 4 | ||
| Çaykur Rizespor (loan) | 2014–15 | Süper Lig | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 2 | ||
| Birmingham City (loan) | 2015–16 | Championship | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | |||
| Heart of Midlothian | 2017–18 | Scottish Premiership | 35 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | — | 41 | 19 | |
| 2018–19 | Scottish Premiership | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | ||
| Total | 37 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 20 | ||
| Rangers | 2018–19 | Scottish Premiership | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 26 | 5 |
| Sarpsborg 08 | 2019 | Eliteserien | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Sunderland | 2019–20 | League One | 11 | 2 | — | — | — | 11 | 2 | |||
| Reggina | 2020–21 | Serie B | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 1 | ||
| Kilmarnock | 2020–21 | Scottish Premiership | 9 | 8 | 2 | 4 | — | 2 | 1 | 13 | 13 | |
| Anorthosis Famagusta | 2021–22 | Cypriot First Division | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | 11 | 1 | |
| Kilmarnock | 2021–22 | Scottish Championship | 14 | 8 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 8 | |
| 2022–23 | Scottish Premiership | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | — | 17 | 5 | ||
| Total | 26 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 13 | ||
| Linfield | 2022–23 | NIFL Premiership | 8 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| Johnstone Burgh | 2023-24 | West of Scotland League First Division | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 2 | |
| Career total | 443 | 107 | 30 | 14 | 30 | 12 | 23 | 3 | 531 | 138 | ||
International Statistics
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 2006 | 7 | 1 |
| 2007 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 5 | 3 | |
| 2009 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 5 | 3 | |
| 2015 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2016 | 12 | 4 | |
| 2017 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 89 | 20 | |
International Goals
- As of match played 5 September 2021
- Northern Ireland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Lafferty goal
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 August 2006 | Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland | 3 |  Finland |
2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 22 August 2007 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 11 |  Liechtenstein |
3–0 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 3 | 17 October 2007 | Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden | 13 |  Sweden |
1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 4 | 26 March 2008 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 16 |  Georgia |
1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 5 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 6 | 15 October 2008 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 18 |  San Marino |
3–0 | 4–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 5 September 2009 | Silesian Stadium, Chorzów, Poland | 22 |  Poland |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 12 October 2010 | Svangaskarð, Toftir, Faroe Islands | 28 |  Faroe Islands |
1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying |
| 9 | 15 August 2012 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 31 | Finland |
2–0 | 3–3 | Friendly |
| 10 | 7 September 2014 | Groupama Arena, Budapest, Hungary | 38 |  Hungary |
2–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 11 | 11 October 2014 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 39 | Faroe Islands |
2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 12 | 14 October 2014 | Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece | 40 |  Greece |
2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 13 | 29 March 2015 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 42 | Finland |
1–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 14 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 15 | 4 September 2015 | Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands | 44 | Faroe Islands |
3–1 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 16 | 7 September 2015 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 45 | Hungary |
1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 17 | 27 May 2016 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 50 |  Belarus |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 18 | 8 October 2016 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 53 | San Marino |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 19 | 4–0 | ||||||
| 20 | 11 November 2016 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 54 |  Azerbaijan |
1–0 | 4–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours and Achievements
Rangers
- Scottish Premier League: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11
- Scottish Cup: 2008–09
- Scottish League Cup: 2009–10, 2010–11
Palermo
- Serie B: 2013–14
Kilmarnock
- Scottish Championship: 2021–22
Johnstone Burgh
- Scottish Junior Cup: 2024–25
See also
In Spanish: Kyle Lafferty para niños
