Charles Patrick Mulgrew (born 6 March 1986) is a Scottish professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
centre-back for
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottis ...
side
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
.
Mulgrew began his career at
Celtic, during which time he spent time on loan at
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
. He then played for
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
,
Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
on loan and
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
. He returned for a second spell with Celtic in 2010, spending six years at the club. In August 2016, Mulgrew left Celtic to join Blackburn Rovers. He played on loan for
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
during the 2019–20 season, returning to Blackburn in January 2020, then spending the following season on loan at
Fleetwood Town. He signed for Dundee United for a second time in June 2021. Mulgrew has made more than 40 international appearances for
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
.
Early life
Mulgrew grew up in
Kirkintilloch and attended Holy Family Trinity Primary School and
St Ninian's High School in the
East Dunbartonshire
East Dunbartonshire ( sco, Aest Dunbartanshire; gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Bhreatainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the north of Glasgow and contains many of the affluent areas to the north of the city, including Bea ...
town.
Club career
Celtic
Having progressed through
Celtic's
youth system
In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future if t ...
alongside
Aiden McGeady,
Mulgrew turned professional in July 2002. Originally playing at centre back, he was soon encouraged to switch to left back due to the shortage of players in that position at the club. He won the
Scottish Youth Cup The Scottish Youth Cup (also known as the SFA Youth Cup) is an annual Scottish football competition run by the Scottish Football Association for under-18 teams, with the club in 2004–05, beating
St Mirren 2–0 at
Hampden Park.
Dundee United
In order for him to gain competitive experience, in January 2006 Mulgrew was loaned out to fellow
SPL
SPL may refer to:
Association football
* Saudi Professional League
* Scottish Premier League
* SportPesa Premier League, Kenya
* Singapore Premier League
* RoboCup Standard Platform League, matches between autonomous robots
Computing Program ...
side
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
for the remainder of the
2005–06 season. A successful spell at
Tannadice saw him feature regularly, scoring twice (both free kicks) in 14 appearances
[Player Profile – Charlie Mulgrew]
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and being named SPL Young Player of the Month for February. He then returned to Celtic hoping to force his way into first team contention, but was transferred to
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
shortly thereafter without ever appearing for the Celtic first team.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Mulgrew joined
Wolves
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...
in part exchange for left back
Lee Naylor on 23 August 2006. He made his debut for the club on 10 September in a 1–0 win at
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
. However, injury kept him out of most of the campaign and he was unable to force his way back into first team contention afterwards.
[
]
Southend United
Mulgrew was loaned out to English League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
at the end of the January transfer window
A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer wi ...
for the remainder of the 2007–08 season, which saw the club lose in the play-offs to Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
. He scored his only goal for the club against Carlisle United.
Aberdeen
Mulgrew was due to join Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...
in July 2008 for a fee of approximately £150,000, but pulled out of the move. He eventually left for Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
on 15 July 2008, where he signed a two-year deal, moving for an undisclosed fee.
Mulgrew scored the only goal against Motherwell at Fir Park
Fir Park Stadium is a football stadium situated in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish Premiership club Motherwell and was the temporary home of Gretna for the 2007–08 SPL season. M ...
on 16 August 2008 with a left-footed free kick, in his second competitive match for Aberdeen. He scored two goals, a volley and a free kick, against Celtic in a 3–2 defeat on 27 September 2008.
On 16 May 2009, during the penultimate league match of the 2008–09 season at Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a Soccer-specific stadium, football stadium on the south side of the River Clyde in the Ibrox, Glasgow, Ibrox area of Glasgow, Scotland. The home of Rangers F.C., Rangers Football Club, Ibrox is the third largest List of foot ...
against Rangers, Mulgrew and Rangers' Kyle Lafferty
Kyle Joseph George Lafferty (born 16 September 1987) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who currently plays for NIFL Premiership club Linfield and the Northern Ireland national team.
Lafferty began his professional career with Engl ...
were at the centre of controversy. As Mulgrew made a clearance from his own half, Lafferty made a sliding tackle on him. Both players squared up to each other and Lafferty fell to the ground clutching his face as though he had been headbutt
A headbutt is a targeted strike with the head, typically (when intentional) involving the use of robust parts of the headbutter's cranium as the area of impact. The most effective headbutts strike the most sensitive areas of an opponent, such as ...
ed. Referee Stuart Dougal sent Mulgrew off for violent conduct, but television pictures clearly showed that Mulgrew had not made clear contact with Lafferty. Lafferty was seen to wink to a teammate after Mulgrew had left the field. Mulgrew later had his red card rescinded and Lafferty was given a two-month suspension.
In October 2009, Mulgrew was offered a new contract by Aberdeen, but he rejected the deal and left the club at the end of the 2009–10 season. In 83 games for the Dons, Mulgrew scored ten goals, including a string of free kicks.
Return to Celtic
On 1 July 2010, Mulgrew returned to Celtic on a three-year deal, becoming new manager Neil Lennon
Neil Francis Lennon (born 25 June 1971) is a Northern Irish football coach and former player.
During his playing career he represented English clubs Manchester City, Crewe Alexandra and Leicester City. Lennon moved to Celtic in 2000, where he ...
's first signing. On 2 January 2011, having played only a handful of games, he played against Rangers in a 2–0 win at Ibrox on the left wing. On 29 January, he deputised for Daniel Majstorović at centre back against former team Aberdeen in a 4–1 League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
semi-final win at Hampden Park. He scored his first goal for Celtic in that game, nodding home Kris Commons
Kristian Arran Commons (born 30 August 1983) is an English-born Scottish professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
Commons started his career at Stoke City and made his debut in 2000. After four years with the club, he rej ...
' corner from close range. Mulgrew became a regular in the centre of defence alongside Majstorović. In the Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,[the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...](_blank)
against Motherwell. He scored the final goal of Celtic's 3–0 win with a free kick into the top corner, and helped earn him his first medal in football.
On 25 August 2011, Mulgrew continued his set piece record by scoring a free kick in Celtic's 1–3 defeat to Sion
Sion may refer to
* an alternative transliteration of Zion
People
* Sion (name) or Siôn, a Welsh and other given name and surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Shion or Sion, a Japanese given name
Pl ...
in their second leg UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
qualifier. The following day, Mulgrew signed a contract extension at Celtic to keep him at the club until at least 2015.
On 17 September 2011 he was sent off
In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
against Rangers for a second bookable offence, a challenge on Steven Davis. Mulgrew scored his first SPL goal for Celtic on 15 October 2011, a headed equaliser at Rugby Park
Rugby Park, also known as The BBSP Stadium Rugby Park for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium situated in the Scottish town of Kilmarnock. It was first used in 1899 and is the home of Kilmarnock F.C. Rugby Park has also been used for co ...
as Celtic came back from 3–0 down to draw 3–3 with Kilmarnock. On 7 April 2012, Celtic beat Kilmarnock at Rugby Park to confirm them as Scottish Premier League champions. Mulgrew scored two and set up two in the 6–0 win. On 29 April 2012, he scored Celtic's first goal in a 3–0 victory over Rangers. His performances won him the SPL
SPL may refer to:
Association football
* Saudi Professional League
* Scottish Premier League
* SportPesa Premier League, Kenya
* Singapore Premier League
* RoboCup Standard Platform League, matches between autonomous robots
Computing Program ...
, Players' and writers' player of the year awards for 2011–12. He also picked up Celtic's Player of the Year and Player's Player of the Year awards.
On 21 July 2012 Mulgrew was sent off for a deliberate handball in a pre-season friendly
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
against Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...
at the Amsterdam ArenA
The Johan Cruyff Arena ( nl, Johan Cruijff Arena ; officially stylised as Johan Cruijff ArenA) is the main stadium of the Dutch capital city of Amsterdam and the home stadium of football club AFC Ajax since its opening. Built from 1993 to 1996 ...
. As a result, he missed Celtic's opening 2012–13 SPL game with his former club Aberdeen.
On 1 August 2012, Mulgrew scored the winning goal in Celtic's 2–1 victory against HJK Helsinki
Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi (), commonly known as HJK Helsinki, or simply as HJK, is a professional football club based in Helsinki, Finland. The club competes in the Finnish Veikkausliiga. Founded in 1907, the club has spent most of its history i ...
in the first leg of the Champions League Third Qualifying Round
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
.
His contract with Celtic expired at the end of the 2015–16 season. Mulgrew was offered the use of Celtic's training facilities during the early part of the 2016–17 season.
Blackburn Rovers
2016–17
On 31 August 2016, Mulgrew signed for Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
on a three-year contract. He scored his first goal for Blackburn in a 1–0 away win against Newcastle United on 26 November 2016 and later scored a free-kick against them in another 1–0 victory in the reverse fixture on 2 January 2017. He made 30 appearances and scored three times in his first season in the club, but they were relegated to League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
. Following this, the ''Lancashire Telegraph
The ''Lancashire Telegraph'', formerly the ''Lancashire Evening Telegraph'', is a local tabloid newspaper distributed in East Lancashire, England. It is edited by Karl Holbrook. There are around twenty towns in the area, including Blackburn, B ...
'' reported that Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
and Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
were interested in signing him.
2017–18
In July 2017, Blackburn rejected a bid of £200,000 by Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
. On 24 April 2018, Mulgrew scored the only goal of the game at Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
, which secured promotion back to the Championship. It was his 14th goal of the season, which set a new club record for a defender.
2019–20
On 8 August 2019, Mulgrew signed for Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
on a season-long loan deal; The transfer deadline day
A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer w ...
move almost failed to happen after Mulgrew struggled to find Wigan's Euxton
Euxton ( ) is a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley, in Lancashire, England. The population of the civil parish as taken at the 2011 census was 9,993, however, the population is now estimated to be around 14,000 due to the incre ...
training ground to complete the paperwork in time. During January 2020 Mulgrew opted to end the loan.
2020–21
On 16 October 2020, Mulgrew signed for Fleetwood Town on a season-long loan deal. He scored his first goal for Fleetwood in a 5-1 win against Plymouth Argyle on 21 November 2020. Mulgrew's departure from Rovers was announced at the end of the 2020–21 season.
Dundee United
On 16 June 2021, Mulgrew agreed a two-year deal to return to former loan club Dundee United.
International career
Mulgrew has represented Scotland at all levels up to and including senior international level.
In June 2011, Mulgrew stated that he would consider playing for the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, whom he was qualified to play for due to an American-born grandmother, if he was continually overlooked for Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. In February 2012, Scotland manager Craig Levein
Craig William Levein (born 22 October 1964) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He is currently a full-time advisor to the board of directors at Highland Football League club Brechin City.
During his playing care ...
handed Mulgrew his first call-up to the senior squad,[ and he made his international debut on 29 February, starting at left back in a 1–1 draw with ]Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
. He also played in a 5–1 defeat to the USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in Florida in May 2012.
On 7 September 2014, as Scotland began their Euro 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...
qualification with a 2–1 defeat away to Germany, Mulgrew was sent off in stoppage time.
Following the retirement of former club teammate Scott Brown from international football in 2018, Mulgrew was chosen as the new captain of Scotland.
Personal life
Mulgrew's cousin is Canadian lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...
player Sean Greenhalgh, who plays for the Buffalo Bandits
The Buffalo Bandits are a professional box lacrosse
Box lacrosse, also known as boxla, box, or indoor lacrosse, is an indoor version of lacrosse played mostly in North America. The game originated in Canada in the 1930s, where it is more po ...
in the National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a men's professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The NLL currently has fifteen teams: ten in the United States and five in Canada. The N ...
.[ Mulgrew married Alana in 2013, and they have two sons and a daughter.
In December 2010, Mulgrew and girlfriend Alana were questioned by ]Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police was the territorial police force responsible for the Scottish council areas of Argyll and Bute, City of Glasgow, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfre ...
after businesswoman Michelle Mone alerted them when she saw Mulgrew's child left alone in a car in freezing temperatures. The couple were originally charged with child neglect, although charges were later dropped due to a lack of evidence.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mulgrew goal.''
Honours
Celtic
* Scottish Premier League/Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottis ...
: 2011–12, 2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16
*Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,[2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...](_blank)
, 2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
Blackburn Rovers
* EFL League One runner-up: 2017–18
Individual
* Scottish Premier League Player of the Month: April 2012
* PFA Scotland Team of the Year: 2011–12 Scottish Premier League
The 2011–12 Scottish Premier League was the fourteenth season of the Scottish Premier League, the highest division of Scottish football, since its inception in 1998. The season started on 23 July 2011 and ended on 13 May 2012.
A total of tw ...
, 2012–13 Scottish Premier League
The 2012–13 Scottish Premier League was the fifteenth and final season of the Scottish Premier League, the highest division of Scottish football, since its inception in 1998. The season began on 4 August 2012 and ended on 19 May 2013.
Twelve ...
*PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year
The PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year (often called the Players' Player of the Year, or simply the Scottish Player of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in Scottish footbal ...
: 2011–12
*SFWA Footballer of the Year
The Scottish Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year (often called the SFWA Footballer of the Year, or simply the Scottish Footballer of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the se ...
: 2011–12
* Celtic Players' Player of the Year: 2011–12
* Scottish Premier League Player of the Year: 2011–12
* EFL Team of the Season: 2017–18
* PFA Team of the Year: 2017–18 League One
See also
*List of Scotland national football team captains
This article lists all the captains of the Scotland national football team. As of 16 November 2022, Scotland have played 816 officially recognised international matches and have had 155 different team captains. George Young captained Scotland m ...
References
External links
*
*
Charlie Mulgrew
Guardian Stats Centre
Profile
at ''AFC Heritage Trust''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mulgrew, Charlie
1986 births
Aberdeen F.C. players
Association football defenders
Celtic F.C. players
Dundee United F.C. players
English Football League players
Living people
People educated at St Ninian's High School, Kirkintilloch
Footballers from Glasgow
Sportspeople from Kirkintilloch
Scotland international footballers
Scottish footballers
Scottish Premier League players
Scottish Professional Football League players
Scotland under-21 international footballers
Southend United F.C. players
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players
Blackburn Rovers F.C. players
Wigan Athletic F.C. players
Fleetwood Town F.C. players