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.jpg) McGregor training withCeltic in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Callum William McGregor[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1993-06-14)14 June 1993 (age 31)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Celtic | ||
| Number | 42 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2013 | Celtic | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013– | Celtic | 339 | (50) |
| 2013–2014 | →Notts County (loan) | 37 | (12) |
| International career | |||
| 2008 | Scotland U15 | 2 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Scotland U16 | 3 | (1) |
| 2009–2011 | Scotland U17 | 8 | (8) |
| 2011–2013 | Scotland U19 | 8 | (2) |
| 2012 | Scotland U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | Scotland U21 | 5 | (1) |
| 2017–2024 | Scotland | 63 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:45, 1 March 2025 (UTC) | |||
Callum William McGregor (born 14 June 1993) is a Scottish professionalfootballer who plays as amidfielder forScottish Premiership clubCeltic, whom he captains.
A Celtic academy graduate, McGregor has spent his entire professional career at the club, except for a single season on loan atNotts County in2013–14. Internationally, he represented Scotland at every youth level before making his debut for thesenior side in 2017 and represented Scotland atUEFA Euro 2020 andUEFA Euro 2024. He went on to earn 63 caps and retired from national team duty in 2024.
McGregor began his career with Scottish clubCeltic, coming through the club'syouth system alongsideDylan McGeouch,[3] who was a teammate in youthVictory Shield internationals atUnder-16 level.[4] He scored a hat-trick for Celtic in the 8–02012 Scottish Youth Cup Final victory overQueen of the South atHampden Park.[5]McGregor appeared in four successiveScottish Youth Cup finals between 2010 and 2013, with the club winning all of them.[6]
McGregor has spoken of the influence that the lateTommy Burns had on him as a young footballer, stating that Burns had always indicated his belief that McGregor would be the next successful product of Celtic's youth academy. McGregor particularly cites a conversation with Burns as a 13-year old as staying with him throughout his whole career, where he urged him to match his ability with the correct attitude and a desire to prove himself.[7]
McGregor joined EnglishLeague One clubNotts County on a five-month loan in August 2013.[8] Among his teammates that season was fellow loanee midfielderJack Grealish, a futureEngland international.[9] He scored on his debut for the "Magpies" on 7 August, in a 3–2 win overFleetwood Town atMeadow Lane in the first round of theLeague Cup.[10] Following a man of the match appearance againstCrewe Alexandra where McGregor netted two goals, Notts County bossChris Kiwomya challenged McGregor to reach 10 goals for the season in his loan spell.[11]
McGregor played the full match in a memorable League Cup encounter for the club, facing off against aLiverpool side which featured future Rangers managerSteven Gerrard,Raheem Sterling, andDaniel Sturridge, as well as being managed by his future Celtic manager,Brendan Rodgers.[12][13] County fought back from two goals down to bring the game to extra time, going on to lose the game 4-2.[12]
McGregor's loan expired at the start of January 2014, with his 12 goals in all competitions making him the current top scorer for Notts County at that stage.[14] Kiwomya's successor,Shaun Derry, described his departure as causing a sense of disappointment in the squad.[14]
Following the expiry of his loan in January, clubs such asWolverhampton Wanderers were credited with an interest in McGregor.[15] After missing three games while waiting for negotiations to conclude, it was confirmed on 24 January 2014 that McGregor's loan had been extended until the end of the season.[16] McGregor was put straight to the Notts County squad for their game againstWalsall and marked his return with a goal, a 25-yard free kick into the top left corner.[17]
McGregor ended the season with 14 goals in all competitions[18] and as the club's top goalscorer. Shaun Derry has since praised McGregor's attitude,[18] describing him as "brilliant to work with", and felt that the club would not have avoided relegation that season had it not been for the efforts of McGregor and Grealish.[19] McGregor credits the loan spell for allowing him to develop as a player and learn the game, and felt that being involved in a relegation battle where his teammate's livelihoods were on the line caused him to "grow up a bit".[20]
McGregor made his first team debut for Celtic againstKR Reykjavík on 15 July 2014 in aChampions League qualifier and he scored the only goal of the game.[21][22] He also scored againstLegia Warsaw andNK Maribor in subsequent qualifying rounds. He made hisScottish Premiership debut againstSt Johnstone on 13 August 2014 and scored a goal in a 3–0 victory for Celtic. On 29 August 2014, McGregor signed a new five-year contract with Celtic.[23]
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McGregor made his 100th appearance for the club in a 2–1 win atDundee on 19 March 2017.[24][3] He scored in two successiveOld Firm victories againstRangers in the space of a week in April 2017.[25][26] In the2017 Scottish Cup Final, he started in his usual midfield position but played the majority of the match atleft back after an injury toKieran Tierney. His replacement in midfield,Tom Rogic, scored the winning goal for Celtic.[27]
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Having previously been on target in qualifying matches, on 31 October 2017 McGregor scored his first goal in thegroup stages of theChampions League, striking the equaliser at home toBayern Munich (James Forrest providing the assist), although the German team responded to claim a 2–1 win.[28] Celtic then dropped into the2017–18 UEFA Europa League, in which McGregor scored the only goal in the first leg of the last-32 tie withZenit St Petersburg.[29] On 19 May 2018, McGregor scored the opening goal in theScottish Cup final.[30] This secured a second consecutive domestic treble for Celtic, the first time this had been done in Scottish football history.[30]
McGregor signed a new contract with Celtic in December 2018, due to run until the end of the 2022–23 season.[31] He made his 200th Celtic appearance againstHibernian atEaster Road in the same month.[32] In May 2019, he was nominated for the season'sPFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year; the award was won by teammate James Forrest.[33] However, McGregor beat Forrest toCeltic's club awards, winning both the official and the players' category accolades.[34] He played more minutes than any other player in world football for club and country during2018–19,[35] as Celtic won a third consecutive treble.[36]
His contribution during2019–20 was equally important, starting all 30 matches of the curtailed Premiership campaign (being off the field for just 26 minutes in total), all four of theLeague Cup fixtures and four of the fiveScottish Cup matches – including two that were delayed until the end of the calendar year – as a fourth treble was secured.[37] Along with continental (14) and international appearances (6), he was again among Europe's most active footballers.
In2020–21 the club lost control of all three trophies and did not win any of their matches against Rangers, with McGregor scoring an own goal in one visit toIbrox Stadium[38] and being sent off in the first half of another.[39] His contribution in terms of minutes played remained very high, with 49 appearances for Celtic (4256 minutes, not including the aforementioned Scottish Cup matches although completed within the span of that season) and 14 for the national team (954 minutes) up to the delayedUEFA Euro 2020 finals.[37]
On 19 July 2021, following former club captainScott Brown's move toAberdeen, McGregor was awarded the Celtic captaincy after making 326 appearances for the club, scoring 53 goals and winning 14 trophies – six league titles, four Scottish Cups and four League Cups. He became the 22nd captain of the club[40] and described it as a "very proud day for myself, my family, everyone connected with myself".[41] Celtic managerAnge Postecoglou described McGregor's appointment as "an easy decision but also the best decision",[42] further stating "I think he's a natural leader. He's the kind of guy people gravitate towards. He drives things."[43]
On 20 July 2021, in his first competitive appearance as club captain, McGregor was awarded Man of the Match in a 1–1 draw againstFC Midtjylland in theUEFA Champions League Second qualifying round.[44] McGregor opened the scoring in the return leg with a 25 yard volley, however Celtic lost 2-1 and were knocked out of the competition.[45]
On 24 September 2021, McGregor signed a new five-year contract with Celtic, due to expire in the summer of 2026.[46]
McGregor became the first player to win five domestic trebles for a club, after winning both the Scottish Cup (againstInverness Caledonian Thistle) and the Scottish League Cup final (against rivals Rangers) and rounded of the season by winning an 8th league title for himself and a 53rd for Celtic.[47]
On 10 July 2023, McGregor signed a new five-year contract with Celtic, keeping him at the club until 2028.[48]
McGregor scored several long-range goals in the first few months of the 2024–25 season, putting him top of the goalscoring charts in the Scottish Premiership.[49]
Making his debut in October 2013, McGregor made five appearances and scored one goal for theScotland national under-21 football team.[50] He was added to the fullScotland squad for the first time in August 2014, soon after he broke into the Celtic first team.[50]
.jpg)
In October 2017, McGregor was once again included in the full squad for two2018 World Cup qualifiers againstSlovakia andSlovenia, but remained on the bench duringboth games. He made his debut a month later, starting in a friendly againstthe Netherlands.[51] In late 2020 he scored in penalty shootouts against bothIsrael andSerbia as Scotland won the2018–19 UEFA Nations League C playoffs and qualified for theUEFA Euro 2020 finals tournament (played in 2021; delayed by theCOVID-19 pandemic in Europe), their first such achievement in 23 years.[37][52] He scored his first international goal during the final group fixture of the tournament againstCroatia.[53]
McGregor was selected in the Scotland squad forUEFA Euro 2024. He played in the opening game of the tournament against hostsGermany on 14 June 2024; his 31st birthday, in a 5–1 defeat in Munich.[54] In Scotland's second fixture on 19 June, McGregor assistedScott McTominay's opening goal as the team drew 1–1 withSwitzerland.[55] He went on to start againstHungary in the third match on 23 June, which Scotland lost 1–0 to finish bottom ofGroup A with one point from three matches.[56]
On 9 August 2024, after winning 63 caps, McGregor announced his retirement from international football.[57]
McGregor was a pupil atLochend Community High School inEasterhouse.[58]
In February 2016, McGregor was stopped by the police and charged withdriving under the influence of alcohol, having already been convicted and banned forspeeding the previous year; he was later disqualified for 12 months.[59][60]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Celtic | 2013–14[62] | Scottish Premiership | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014–15[63] | Scottish Premiership | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11[c] | 3 | — | 30 | 5 | ||
| 2015–16[64] | Scottish Premiership | 27 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2[d] | 1 | — | 34 | 6 | ||
| 2016–17[65] | Scottish Premiership | 31 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9[e] | 0 | — | 46 | 7 | ||
| 2017–18[66] | Scottish Premiership | 36 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 10[f] | 2 | — | 55 | 12 | ||
| 2018–19[67] | Scottish Premiership | 35 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 16[g] | 3 | — | 59 | 6 | ||
| 2019–20[68] | Scottish Premiership | 30 | 9 | 4[h] | 1 | 4 | 1 | 14[i] | 2 | — | 52 | 13 | ||
| 2020–21[69] | Scottish Premiership | 37 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10[j] | 1 | — | 49 | 4 | ||
| 2021–22[70] | Scottish Premiership | 33 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 13[k] | 1 | — | 52 | 4 | ||
| 2022–23[71] | Scottish Premiership | 31 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3[e] | 0 | — | 42 | 5 | ||
| 2023–24[72] | Scottish Premiership | 35 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[e] | 0 | — | 45 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25[73] | Scottish Premiership | 27 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 10[e] | 0 | — | 44 | 9 | ||
| Total | 339 | 50 | 35 | 7 | 30 | 3 | 104 | 13 | — | 508 | 73 | |||
| Notts County (loan) | 2013–14[62] | League One | 37 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 1[l] | 1 | 41 | 14 | |
| Career total | 376 | 62 | 36 | 7 | 32 | 4 | 104 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 549 | 87 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 15 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 63 | 3 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 June 2021 | Hampden Park,Glasgow, Scotland |  Croatia | 1–1 | 1–3 | UEFA Euro 2020 |
| 2 | 1 June 2022 |  Ukraine | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 3 | 20 June 2023 |  Georgia | 1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
Celtic Youth
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