Liam Boyce facts for kids
.jpg)
Boyce playing for the Northern Ireland national team in 2019
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Liam Boyce | ||
| Date of birth | 8 April 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Derry City | ||
| Number | 27 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008–2010 | Cliftonville | 52 | (18) |
| 2010–2011 | Werder Bremen II | 3 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Cliftonville | 85 | (51) |
| 2014–2017 | Ross County | 99 | (48) |
| 2017–2020 | Burton Albion | 78 | (22) |
| 2020–2025 | Heart of Midlothian | 93 | (28) |
| 2025– | Derry City | 20 | (8) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2008–2009 | Northern Ireland U19 | 6 | (1) |
| 2010–2012 | Northern Ireland U21 | 9 | (0) |
| 2011–2021 | Northern Ireland | 28 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 March 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 31 May 2021 (UTC) |
|||
Liam Boyce (born 8 April 1991) is a Northern Irish professional footballer. He plays as a forward for League of Ireland Premier Division club Derry City. He also plays for the Northern Ireland national team.
Boyce started his career at Cliftonville. He later returned there after a short time with Werder Bremen II. He has also played for Ross County, Burton Albion, and Heart of Midlothian. Liam Boyce first played for the Northern Ireland national team in February 2011.
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Cliftonville
Liam Boyce began his football journey at Cliftonville. In his very first season, he scored 19 goals. He was named the Northern Ireland Football Writers' Player of the Year for the 2009–10 season. Liam grew up in the Lower Falls area of Belfast. He played for Immaculata as a young player. He also went to St Joseph's Primary School and St Mary's Grammar School.
Cliftonville noticed his talent and signed him. He spent his first year playing for the reserve team. But in the 2009–10 season, he became a regular player for the main team.
Playing in Germany
In August 2010, Boyce signed with the German club Werder Bremen. However, he left the club in October 2011. He only played three games for their reserve team.
Back to Cliftonville
Boyce rejoined Cliftonville in January 2012. In the 2012–13 season, he helped Cliftonville win the league title. This was their first league win since 1998. He was also the league's top scorer with 29 goals. He won the Ulster Footballer of the Year award that season. He also won the Northern Ireland Football Writers' Player of the Year award again.
He won another league title with Cliftonville in 2013–14. He scored 21 league goals that season.
Time at Ross County
On 13 June 2014, Boyce signed with Ross County in Scotland. On 13 April 2015, he scored his first hat-trick for the club. This was in a 3–0 win against St Mirren. He had a great season in 2015–16, scoring 17 goals in 24 games. Boyce signed a new contract with Ross County in February 2016. He was the top goalscorer in the 2016–17 Scottish Premiership with 23 goals.
Moving to Burton Albion
On 20 June 2017, Boyce became a record signing for EFL Championship team Burton Albion. He signed a three-year contract. Just weeks later, he got a serious knee injury during a friendly game. This kept him out for most of the 2017–18 season. He returned to play on 3 February 2018. He scored a goal, but Burton lost 3–2 to Aston Villa. On 21 April, Boyce scored a winning goal in injury time. This goal meant Sunderland was relegated.
Playing for Heart of Midlothian
Boyce joined Heart of Midlothian in January 2020. He signed a three-and-a-half-year deal. He scored the winning goal in the 83rd minute of his first game. This was against Rangers.
Joining Derry City
On 11 January 2025, Boyce signed a two-year contract with League of Ireland Premier Division club Derry City. He is currently playing for them.
International Career
On 31 January 2011, Liam Boyce was called up to the Northern Ireland national team for the first time. This was for the Nations Cup. On 9 February 2011, Boyce played his first game against Scotland. He came on as a substitute in the 72nd minute.
On 2 June 2017, Boyce scored his first goal for Northern Ireland. It was in a 1–0 friendly win against New Zealand. The game was played at Windsor Park in Belfast. He scored his second international goal on 18 November 2020 against Romania.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cliftonville | 2008–09 | NIFL Premiership | 15 | 1 | – | 15 | 1 | |||||||
| 2009–10 | 34 | 16 | – | 34 | 16 | |||||||||
| 2010–11 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 52 | 18 | 4 | 1 | – | 56 | 19 | |||||||
| Werder Bremen II | 2010–11 | 3. Liga | 3 | 0 | — | – | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Cliftonville | 2011–12 | NIFL Premiership | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 4 | 1 | 18 | 2 | |
| 2012–13 | 36 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 48 | 34 | ||
| 2013–14 | 36 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 42 | 23 | |||
| Total | 85 | 51 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 108 | 59 | ||
| Ross County | 2014–15 | Scottish Premiership | 30 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 33 | 11 | ||
| 2015–16 | 35 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 42 | 20 | ||||
| 2016–17 | 34 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 24 | ||||
| Total | 99 | 48 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 5 | — | — | 115 | 55 | ||||
| Burton Albion | 2017–18 | Championship | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 3 | ||
| 2018–19 | League One | 37 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | — | 1 | 0 | 45 | 14 | ||
| 2019–20 | 25 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | — | 1 | 0 | 33 | 14 | |||
| Total | 78 | 22 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 7 | — | 2 | 0 | 94 | 31 | |||
| Heart of Midlothian | 2019–20 | Scottish Premiership | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 2 | ||
| 2020–21 | Scottish Championship | 25 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 28 | 16 | ||
| 2021–22 | Scottish Premiership | 31 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 41 | 16 | |||
| 2022–23 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | |||
| 2023–24 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 21 | 1 | |||
| 2024–25 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | |||
| Total | 93 | 28 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 0 | — | 121 | 36 | |||
| Derry City | 2025 | LOI Premier Division | 20 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 20 | 8 | |||
| Career total | 430 | 175 | 22 | 8 | 38 | 20 | 18 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 516 | 208 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 2011 | 4 | 0 |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 28 | 2 | |
- Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 June 2017 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 9 |  New Zealand |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 18 November 2020 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 27 |  Romania |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B |
Awards and Achievements
Cliftonville
- Irish Premiership: 2012–13, 2013–14
- Irish League Cup: 2012–13, 2013–14
- County Antrim Shield: 2008–09, 2011–12
Ross County
- Scottish League Cup: 2015–16
Hearts
- Scottish Championship: 2020–21
- Scottish Cup runner-up: 2019–20, 2021–22
Individual Awards
- Ulster Footballer of the Year: 2012–13
- NIFWA Player of the Year: 2012–13
- Scottish Premiership Top Scorer: 2016–17
- Scottish Championship Top Scorer: 2020–21
- PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year: 2020–21
