Scott McDonald facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Scott McDonald

McDonald with Australia in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Scott Douglas McDonald
Date of birth	(1983-08-21) 21 August 1983 (age 41)
Place of birth	Dandenong, Victoria, Australia
Height	1.73 m
Playing position	Striker, attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club	Gold Coast Knights
Number	12
Youth career
1998	Gippsland Falcons
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1998–1999	Gippsland Falcons	3	(0)
1999–2000	Casey Comets	10	(3)
2000–2002	Southampton	2	(0)
2002	→ Huddersfield Town (loan)	13	(1)
2002	→ AFC Bournemouth (loan)	8	(1)
2003	Wimbledon	2	(0)
2004–2007	Motherwell	108	(42)
2007–2010	Celtic	88	(51)
2010–2013	Middlesbrough	116	(37)
2013–2015	Millwall	55	(5)
2015–2017	Motherwell	83	(24)
2017–2018	Dundee United	34	(15)
2019	Partick Thistle	12	(6)
2019–2020	Western United	9	(1)
2020–2021	Brisbane Roar	23	(9)
2021	Western Sydney Wanderers	7	(1)
2022	Gold Coast Knights	1	(0)
Total		574	(196)
National team
1999–2000	Australia U17	17	(13)
2001–2003	Australia U20	24	(16)
2003–2004	Australia U23	3	(0)
2006–2012	Australia	26	(0)
Teams managed
2021–	Gold Coast Knights
Honours Men's football Representing  Australia FIFA U-17 World Championship Runner-up 1999 New Zealand AFC Asian Cup Runner-up 2011 Qatar OFC U-20 Championship Winner Cook Islands/New Caledonia 2001 Winner Fiji/Vanuatu 2002
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21 September 2022. † Appearances (Goals).

Scott Douglas McDonald (born August 21, 1983) is an Australian former professional footballer. He is currently the head coach for the National Premier Leagues club Gold Coast Knights. Scott mainly played as a striker, which means he was a goal scorer. He could also play as an attacking midfielder, helping to create chances for his team.

Born in Dandenong, Australia, Scott started his senior football journey with Gippsland Falcons. In 2001, he moved to Great Britain to play football there. He played for many different clubs, including Southampton in the top English league, the Premier League. He also played for Celtic and Motherwell in Scotland's top league.

Scott McDonald also represented his home country, Australia, 26 times between 2006 and 2012. He was part of the team that finished second in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. He also played in youth World Championships, like the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship.

Scott McDonald's Club Career

Starting Out in Football

Scott McDonald was born in Dandenong. He began playing football at a young age with Doveton, then joined Casey Comets. He made his first team debut for Gippsland Falcons when he was just fifteen years old. This made him the youngest player ever in the NSL.

In 2001, Scott joined Southampton as a young player. He played only three times for their main team. He was then loaned to other clubs like Huddersfield Town and AFC Bournemouth to get more playing time. He scored one goal for Huddersfield and one for Bournemouth. After his contract with Southampton ended, he joined Wimbledon.

Playing for Motherwell

In January 2004, Scott joined the Scottish club Motherwell. He had a slow start, scoring only one goal in his first half-season. However, in the next season, he scored 15 goals, showing his talent.

A famous moment for Scott at Motherwell was when he scored two late goals against Celtic in the 2004–05 season. These goals stopped Celtic from winning the league title, which instead went to their rivals, Rangers.

He continued to score many goals for Motherwell. In the 2006–07 season, he scored 15 goals in 32 games. One of his goals, against Falkirk in November 2006, was the 5000th goal ever scored in the SPL. Overall, he scored 45 goals in 108 games for Motherwell.

Because of his great performances, Scott was named the BBC Sportsound Player of the Year in December 2007.

Time at Celtic

McDonald playing for Celtic

McDonald playing for Celtic in 2008.

In March 2007, Scott moved to Celtic, the club he supported as a child. Celtic paid £700,000 for him. He joined them at the start of the 2007–08 season.

Scott's first game for Celtic was in a Champions League qualifying match. He helped Celtic score their first goal. His first goal for the club came in the next game against Spartak Moscow. He also scored a winning goal in the last minute against A.C. Milan in the Champions League.

He had an amazing first season at Celtic, scoring 25 goals in 36 league games. He was the top goal scorer in the 2007–08 season. He even scored two hat-tricks (three goals in one game) against Dundee United and his old club, Motherwell. In total, he scored 31 goals in his first season.

In November 2008, Scott scored a great goal against Manchester United in the Champions League. He also scored the only goal in a big game against Old Firm rivals Rangers in December 2008. In 2009, he helped Celtic win the League Cup final, which was his first major trophy with the club.

Scott scored his 50th league goal for Celtic against Aberdeen in December 2009. He scored a total of 64 goals during his time at Celtic.

Moving to Middlesbrough

In February 2010, Scott joined Middlesbrough for about £3.5 million. He reunited with his former coach, Gordon Strachan, and some old teammates. He scored his first goal for Middlesbrough in a derby game against Newcastle.

In the 2010–11 season, Scott started well, scoring two goals in his first two games. He continued to score important goals throughout the season. In April 2011, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–2 win against Hull.

He kept up his good form in the 2011–12 season, scoring the winning goal against Watford and two goals against Blackpool. In October 2012, he scored the winning goal in a derby match against Sunderland, helping Middlesbrough win 1–0.

Playing for Millwall

On July 23, 2013, Scott signed a two-year contract with Millwall. He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 win against Charlton. He left Millwall in January 2015.

Return to Motherwell

Scott returned to Motherwell for a second time in February 2015. He scored his first goal back with a free-kick in a 1–1 draw against Kilmarnock. He signed new contracts in 2015 and 2016 to stay at Motherwell. In May 2017, he decided to leave the club again.

Dundee United and Partick Thistle

After leaving Motherwell, Scott signed for Scottish Championship club Dundee United in July 2017. He played one season there before leaving.

In February 2019, Scott came out of retirement to play for Partick Thistle. He scored on his first game for the club. He played a big part in helping Partick Thistle avoid being relegated from the Scottish Championship, scoring 7 goals in 13 games. He then left the club to go back to Australia.

Back in Australia

In May 2019, Scott returned to Melbourne and joined the new A-League club Western United. He scored his first goal for them against Melbourne Victory, helping his team win 3–2.

In January 2020, Scott joined Brisbane Roar. He left the club in April 2021. Soon after, in April 2021, he signed with the Western Sydney Wanderers for the rest of the 2020–21 A-League season.

Scott McDonald's International Career

McDonald training for Australia in 2009

Scott McDonald played for Australia at different youth levels, including the under-17, under-20, and under-23 teams. He made his first appearance for the senior Australia team against Bahrain in February 2006.

He was part of the Australian squad that started their journey to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. In May 2010, he was named in a large squad for the World Cup, but he was not chosen for the final 23-man team.

Scott's last game for Australia was in August 2012 against Scotland. Australia lost that game 3–1. Scott never scored a goal for Australia during his international career.

Coaching Career

Coaching Gold Coast Knights

After turning 38, Scott McDonald started his coaching career. He was named the head coach for the National Premier Leagues club Gold Coast Knights on August 26, 2021. His son also played for this team at the time.

In December 2021, Scott even played as an emergency substitute for Gold Coast Knights in an FFA Cup match. This happened because one of his players got injured.

Career Statistics

Honours and Awards

Scott McDonald has won several awards and championships throughout his career:

With AFC Bournemouth

• Won the Football League Third Division play-offs: 2003

With Motherwell

• Was runner-up in the Scottish League Cup: 2004–05
• Played in the Scottish Premiership play-offs: 2015

With Celtic

• Won the Scottish Premier League: 2007–08
• Won the Scottish League Cup: 2008–09

With Australia (National Team)

• Was runner-up in the AFC Asian Cup: 2011

With Australia U20 (Youth Team)

• Won the OFC U-20 Championship: 2001, 2002

With Australia U17 (Youth Team)

• Was runner-up in the FIFA U-17 World Cup: 1999

Individual Awards

• Motherwell Player of the Year: 2004–05
• BBC Sportsound Player of the Year: 2006–07
• Named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year: 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
• Top Scorer in the OFC U-20 Championship: 2002
• SPL Top Scorer: 2007–08
• SPL Player of the Month: September 2004, September 2007, March 2009

Images for kids

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  McDonald with Australia in 2010

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  McDonald playing for Celtic

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  McDonald playing for Celtic in 2008.

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  McDonald training for Australia in 2009

See also

In Spanish: Scott McDonald para niños