James Forrest (born 7 July 1991) 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
winger 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 ...
club
Celtic and the
Scotland national team.
Forrest joined
Celtic's youth academy in 2003 and made his first team debut in the
2009–10 season. As a young player he was widely regarded as one of the brightest talents in the Scottish game. In November 2011, the
Scottish Football Association's performance director,
Mark Wotte
Mark Christian Wotte (born 16 December 1960) is a Dutch football manager and former player. Wotte has managed teams in the Netherlands, Egypt, Qatar, England and Romania, and has also worked for the Scottish Football Association.
Playing career ...
, described him as being "the light in the darkness" of Scottish football. He has progressed to become a key player in a successful era for Celtic, winning
nine consecutive league championships.
Forrest played at every youth level 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 ...
, winning 13 caps for the
under-19 team, scoring two goals, and four caps for the
under-21 team. He made his senior international debut on 29 May 2011 against the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
. He was part of the Scotland squad at
UEFA Euro 2020
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
.
Early life
Forrest was born in
Prestwick
Prestwick ( gd, Preastabhaig) is a town in South Ayrshire on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland about southwest of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr to the south on the Firth of Clyde coast, the centre of which is about south, an ...
,
South Ayrshire[ and attended ]Prestwick Academy
Prestwick Academy is a state secondary school serving the area of Prestwick, South Ayrshire in Scotland. The school is non-denominational and has a capacity of 1400. Its motto is ''Per Vias Rectas'', Latin for ''By Straight Paths''.
History
...
. He had the prospect of a professional tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
career when he was younger. He was consistently approached by Prestwick Tennis Club to play for them, but he refused as he wanted to pursue his career in football. He was described by coaches at the club as being a naturally talented player, who could just "pick up a racquet and play". His younger brother, Alan Forrest, plays football for Heart of Midlothian.
Club career
Early career
Forrest played for South Ayr Boys Club, and consistently shone at every level. He was scouted by Celtic's talent spotter for Ayrshire, Jim Began, at the age of 11. Several other clubs such as Kilmarnock, Ayr United
Ayr United Football Club are a football club in Ayr, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. Formed in 1910 by the merger of Ayr Parkhouse and Ayr F.C., their nickname is ...
and Rangers were also interested in him. He signed youth terms with Celtic at the age of 13 and then joined Celtic's coaching school in Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
, which his coach Martin Millar credits with helping his development.
Celtic
2009–10
On 30 August 2009, Forrest signed a four-year contract with Celtic. Their Head of Youth development, Chris McCart, hailed him as one of the best players in Celtic's U19 squad. Forrest had always excelled at Celtic, with a match program from 2004 singling him out for exceptional performances in the under-13 squad. He made his first team debut for Celtic on 1 May 2010, coming on as a late substitute against Motherwell. He scored the third of Celtic's goals in a 4–0 win.
He won 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 2009–10, beating Rangers 2–0 at Hampden Park.
2010–11
He made his first European appearance for Celtic in a Champions League qualifying game against Braga
Braga ( , ; cel-x-proto, Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality has a resident population of 193,333 inhabitants (in ...
in July 2010. A few days later he won the man of the match
In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
award for his performance in the Emirates Cup
The Emirates Cup is a pre-season association football invitational competition hosted by English club Arsenal at their home ground, Emirates Stadium, in Highbury, London. The two-day competition was inaugurated in 2007 and is named after Arsena ...
game with Olympique Lyonnais. He continued this fine form into the league campaign, scoring against St Mirren in a 4–0 victory. Forrest played in both legs of Celtic's Europa League qualifier against Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...
. Forrest was named the SPL Young Player of the Month for August 2010 In the following month Forrest opened the scoring against Hearts. He made his Old Firm
The Old Firm is the collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are by far the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply em ...
debut in a 2–0 win at Ibrox in January 2011. He received the first red card of his career in the following match against Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
. He would score against Hearts, before being rewarded for his form with a new five-year deal on 28 January 2011. Forrest collected his first winner's medal on 21 May 2011 when he came on a late second-half substitute for 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 ...
in Celtic's 3–0 Scottish Cup Final
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the Scottish Cup, is a knockout cup competition in Scottish football. Organised by the Scottish Football Association, it is the third oldest existing football competition in the w ...
win over Motherwell. He finished the season with 3 goals and 1 assist after 25 appearances.
2011–12
In August 2011, Scott Brown said that Forrest was the best player to come out of the Celtic youth academy since Aiden McGeady. Forrest scored his first goal of the season in a 5–1 victory against Dundee United and his performances in the month of September, including two goals in a 4–0 victory against Motherwell and another goal against Inverness Caledonian Thistle, saw him win SPL Young Player of the Month. In Celtic's Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...
quarter-final tie with Hibernian on 26 October, Forrest was credited with a match-winning performance. Celtic went in at the break 1–0 down but Forrest was instrumental in reigniting the tie after half-time, with two early goals.
On 31 October 2011, Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
club Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...
's chief scout Ian Broomfield was reported to have watched Forrest in action. Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp later confirmed this was true and that he believed Forrest to be a good player. However, he also said that at that stage he had not considered making a bid for Forrest. In November 2011, the Scottish Football Association's Dutch performance director Mark Wotte
Mark Christian Wotte (born 16 December 1960) is a Dutch football manager and former player. Wotte has managed teams in the Netherlands, Egypt, Qatar, England and Romania, and has also worked for the Scottish Football Association.
Playing career ...
, who helped start the careers of players like Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie (; born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former professional footballer who played as a striker. Regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, Van Persie was known for his excellent technique and ball c ...
, Arjen Robben
Arjen Robben (; born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger. He was known for his dribbling skills, speed, ball control and long-range shots. Robben is regarded as one of the best players of his gener ...
and Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder (; born 9 June 1984) is a Dutch retired professional footballer. Due to his elite playmaking ability, Sneijder was considered one of the best midfielders in the world during his prime.
A product of the Ajax Youth Academy, he st ...
, said that he sees Forrest as being "the light in the darkness" of Scottish football. He said that if more players like Forrest are produced then the Scotland team will be able to match the performance of countries like Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, who got to the 2010 World Cup semi-final and at the time were fourth in the FIFA World Rankings
The FIFA Men's World Ranking is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, led by Brazil . The teams of the men's member nations of FIFA, football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the ...
despite having a population smaller than Scotland's.
Forrest played in all of Celtic's matches in the Europa League qualifiers and group stage. He scored against Dunfermline and won the SPL Young Player of the Month award for November, his second of the season. In January 2012, Forrest was named one of the 13 players to watch in 2012 by world football governing body FIFA. He scored against St Mirren and Dunfermline before his season ended after suffering an injury during Celtic's defeat to Kilmarnock in the 2012 Scottish League Cup Final. He finished the season having scored 9 goals and made 7 assists in 43 appearances and won his second major honour at the end of the season when Celtic finished as SPL Champions. His form over the season also saw him win two personal awards as both the Scottish Football Writers' Association
The Scottish Football Writers' Association (SFWA) is an association of Scottish football journalists and correspondents writing for newspapers and agencies. It was founded in 1965.
Awards
__NOTOC__
Every year the SFWA presents awards to outsta ...
and Professional Footballers' Association Scotland
The Professional Footballers' Association Scotland (PFA Scotland) is the association for professional footballers in Scotland. It was known as the Scottish Professional Footballers' Association (SPFA), but that organisation was dissolved and repl ...
voted him their respective Young Player of the Year as well as being named in the PFA Scotland SPL Team of the Year.
2012–13
Forrest played in all four Champions League qualifiers in August 2012, as Celtic reached the group stage for the first time since 2008. He played in three out of six group stage matches and made an impact as a substitute in a 3–2 victory away to Spartak Moscow Spartak Moscow may refer to the following teams based or formerly based in Moscow, Russia:
* FC Spartak Moscow, an association football club
* HC Spartak Moscow, a professional ice hockey team
* Spartak GM Moscow, a semi-professional rugby club
* WB ...
- Celtic's first away victory in the Champions League. He missed Celtic's famous 2–1 victory against Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
due to injury. Forrest suffered with injury throughout the season scoring four and assisting eight goals in 29 appearances. He scored his first goal of the season in a 4–0 victory against Ross County in December. He scored his first goal in the Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,[Raith Rovers
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife. The club was founded in 1883 and currently competes in the Scottish Championship as a member of the Scottish Professional Football Leagu ...](_blank)
. He played in both legs of Celtic's 5–0 aggregate defeat to Juventus in the last 16 of the Champions League. He scored a penalty against Dundee and scored on the final league game of the season against St Johnstone. Forrest finished the season with a second consecutive league title and his second Scottish Cup winners medal after starting Celtic's 3–0 win against Hibernian in the final.
2013–14
In July 2013, Forrest scored his first European goal for Celtic in a second round Champions League Qualifier against Cliftonville
Cliftonville is a coastal area of the town of Margate, situated to the east of the main town, in the Thanet district of Kent, South East England, United Kingdom. It also contains the area known as Palm Bay.
The original Palm Bay estate was ...
. In the following month he scored against 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 ...
in the league and scored a memorable third and decisive goal in the final moments of the second leg of the Champions League play-off against Shakhter Karagandy - which Celtic won 3–2 and qualified for the group stage for the second year in a row. Having played in every qualifying match Forrest missed all of Celtic's games in September after suffering from a virus. His return to action in October saw Forrest score an impressive goal against Hibernian and he played in four Champions League group stage matches - scoring a penalty in Celtic's 2–1 victory 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 ...
. Forrest was arrested by police in November 2013 over allegations of indecent exposure and sexual assault at a nightclub in Prestwick
Prestwick ( gd, Preastabhaig) is a town in South Ayrshire on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland about southwest of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr to the south on the Firth of Clyde coast, the centre of which is about south, an ...
. He would score two further goals in the league against Hearts and Aberdeen before injury ended his season in March. He scored 7 goals and assisted 5 in only 27 appearances in another injury dominated season as Celtic won three league titles in a row.
2014–15
Forrest's injury issues continued after suffering a hamstring injury against 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 ...
in the first home game of the season. He only returned from injury in November and despite scoring his first goal of the season against St Mirren in December, Forrest was in and out of the team throughout the winter as both the player and coaching staff did not feel confident that Forrest's injury problems were over. Two of Forrest's three European appearances came in the 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. It ...
including coming on as a substitute in the second leg of Celtic's 4-3 aggregate defeat to Inter Milan
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...
in the last 32 of the competition. He featured more often in the Spring and came on as a substitute in Celtic's 2–0 victory against Dundee United in the Scottish League Cup Final, scoring the second goal before earning his side a penalty which he would fail to convert. He would score two further goals in the league against St Mirren and Dundee. Forrest made 29 appearances and scored and assisted 4 goals as Celtic won the league for the fourth consecutive season.
2015–16
Despite playing more games in a season free of injury Forrest only scored and assisted 2 goals in 33 appearances - scoring his two goals against Aberdeen and Hamilton in the league. He featured in much of the first half of the season, including five appearances in both the Champions League qualifiers and the 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. It ...
group stage, before being dropped by manager Ronny Deila
Ronny Deila (born 21 September 1975) is a Norwegian football manager and former player, who is the manager of Standard Liège.
He spent most of his playing career at Odd before becoming head coach at Strømsgodset, winning the Norwegian Cup in ...
after rejecting a new contract. He only made nine more appearances after the new year as Celtic won the league for the fifth year in a row.
2016–17
Forrest signed a three-year contract with Celtic in August 2016. He started the season strongly scoring Celtic's first goal of the season away to Hearts and scored in the following two league games against St Johnstone and Aberdeen. In September he scored on his 200th appearance for Celtic against Alloa Athletic
Alloa Athletic Football Club is a Scottish association football semi-professional club based in the town of Alloa, Clackmannanshire.
Formed as Alloa in 1880, the football club shortly changed its name to Alloa Association, and then to Alloa Ath ...
in the league cup and scored his fifth goal of the season against Kilmarnock. Forrest played in every match Champions League qualifier and five group stage matches including draws home and away to Manchester City. On 27 November 2016 Forrest scored the second goal and won a penalty in a man of the match performance in the League Cup final as Celtic defeated Aberdeen 3–0 to win the club's 100th trophy. After the winter break Forrest only scored two more goals against Motherwell and Kilmarnock. Forrest was an unused substitute as Celtic defeated Aberdeen 2–1 in the Scottish Cup Final
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the Scottish Cup, is a knockout cup competition in Scottish football. Organised by the Scottish Football Association, it is the third oldest existing football competition in the w ...
to win the treble for the fourth time in their history and for the first time in 16 years. Forrest made 46 appearances and scored 8 goals and assisted 13 as Celtic finished the domestic season without defeat after 47 matches to be nicknamed the "Invincibles".
2017–18
The beginning of the 2017–18 season saw Forrest play in every Champions League qualifier as he helped Celtic qualify for the group stage by scoring the decisive goal away to Rosenborg in a 1–0 aggregate victory in the third round and he scored another goal in an 8–4 aggregate win against Astana
Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan.
The city lies on the banks of the Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Region, tho ...
in the play-off round. Forrest scored against Kilmarnock as he played as a striker in the absence of Moussa Dembélé and Leigh Griffiths
Leigh Griffiths (born 20 August 1990) is a Scottish professional footballer who most recently played as a striker for Australian club Mandurah City.
Griffiths started his career at Livingston where he made his debut as a sixteen-year-old. He ...
. His strong start to the season continued into September as he scored twice against Ross County in the league and scored another two goals in the following match against Dundee in the League Cup.
Forrest played in all of Celtic's group stage matches in the Champions League including an impressive performance against Bayern Munich as he provided the assist for Callum McGregor
Callum William McGregor (born 14 June 1993) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Celtic, which he captains, and the Scotland national team. He has previously played for Notts County on ...
to equalise in a 2–1 defeat at Celtic Park. On 26 November 2017, Forrest scored his third goal in a League Cup final – becoming the first Celtic player since Bobby Lennox
Robert Lennox, MBE (born 30 August 1943, in Saltcoats, Ayrshire) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played for Celtic and was a member of their 1967 European Cup-winning team, known as the Lisbon Lions. He earned ten internation ...
to score in three winning League Cup finals – after opening the scoring in a 2–0 win against Motherwell.
In December, Forrest's goal tally for the season reached double figures for the first time after scoring twice against Motherwell in the league and he scored two more goals against Hamilton and Dundee before the winter break. After returning to action in January Forrest opened the scoring against Brechin City
Brechin City Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the townDespite the name of the football club, Brechin is not an official city. Brechin was historically known as a city because it has a cathedral. of Brechin in Angus. The club ...
in the Scottish Cup. In the following month Forrest scored the first hat-trick of his career against Partick Thistle in a 3–2 win in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup. He played in both legs of Celtic's 3–1 aggregate defeat to Zenit
Zenit, meaning "zenith", may refer to:
Spaceflight and rocketry
* Zenit (rocket family), a Soviet family of space launch vehicles
* Zenit (satellite), a type of Soviet spy satellite
* Zenit sounding rocket, a Swiss rocket
Sports
* Zenit (sports ...
in the round of 32 of the Europa League. His performances throughout the season saw him nominated for 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 ...
.
On 29 April 2018, Forrest scored his first goal in an Old Firm derby as Celtic won the league for the seventh season in a row after a 5–0 win against Rangers at Celtic Park – the club's biggest winning margin in an Old Firm league fixture. Forrest played in Celtic's 2–0 victory against Motherwell in the Scottish Cup Final as Celtic became the first Scottish club to win back-to-back trebles. Forrest ended his most successful season to date having made 58 appearances – among the highest number of games played in professional football that season – and scored 17 goals and assisted 10.
2018–19
Forrest began the 2018–19 season as first choice right-winger and he scored in both legs in the first round of Champions League qualifiers against Alashkert. He conceded a penalty and was sent off as last defender in a 3–1 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. It ...
group stage defeat away to FC Red Bull Salzburg on 4 October 2018, at which time he was yet to score in the domestic campaign. However he kept his place for the next league fixture against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park
McDiarmid Park is a stadium in Perth, Scotland, used mainly for association football. It has been the home ground of Scottish Premiership side St Johnstone since its opening in 1989. The stadium has an all-seated capacity of .
As well as St J ...
and responded positively, scoring four goals (the first Celtic player in six years to do so) in the first half of an eventual 6–0 win. Further goals against Hearts in the semi final of the league cup and Dundee in the league saw him win Scottish Premiership Player of the Month.
In November he helped Celtic progress to the knock out stage of the Europe league by providing assists in wins against RB Leipzig
RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. (), commonly known as RB Leipzig, and colloquially referred to as Red Bull Leipzig, is a German professional football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club was founded in 2009 by the initiative of the company Red Bul ...
and Rosenborg. He started Celtic's 1–0 victory against Aberdeen in the league cup final against Hearts in the league. In December Forrest scored twice against Kilmarnock in a 5–1 win.
Following the winter break Forrest opened the scoring against St Johnstone in the league and would score against the Perth side again in the Scottish Cup. He opened the scoring in a 2–1 win against Hearts in the first match of Neil Lennon's second tenure as Celtic manager. He played in both legs of the Europa League defeat against Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
in the Europa League round of 32.
In March Forrest opened the scoring with a long range strike against Hibernian in the Scottish Cup quarter-final. On 31 March 2019 he scored a late winning goal against Rangers in a 2–1 win in the league. On 14 April 2019 Forrest opened the scoring against Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup semi-final with a long range strike. After the match manager Neil Lennon described Forrest as “One of the best players in Britain right now”. He started Celtic's 2–1 victory against Hearts in the Scottish Cup final to complete a historic third consecutive treble.
Forrest equalled his goal tally from the previous season with 17 goals as Celtic won an eighth consecutive Scottish league championship, and Forrest won the PFA Scotland
The Professional Footballers' Association Scotland (PFA Scotland) is the association for professional footballers in Scotland. It was known as the Scottish Professional Footballers' Association (SPFA), but that organisation was dissolved and repl ...
, Scottish Football Writers' and SPFL Player of the Year awards.
2019–20
Forrest started the 2019–20 season in excellent goal scoring form with 6 goals in the month of August. He scored in both legs of Celtic's defeat to Cluj
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in the third round of qualifying in the Champions League. He also scored in both legs of the Europa League play-off against AIK
AIK Fotboll (), more commonly known simply as AIK (), an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben (meaning ''the public'' or ''general sports club''), is a Swedish football club competing in Allsvenskan, the top flight of Swedish football. The ...
as Celtic progressed to the group stage. In the league he scored against Motherwell. In the league cup Forrest scored the winning goal against Dunfermline with a deflected strike in extra time. In September Forrest scored the winning goal against Hamilton in the league. In the Europa League he won a penalty to help Celtic earn a 1–1 draw in their opening match against Stade Rennais.
In October 2019 he spoke of his hope of a new contract with Celtic. On 30 October 2019, he signed a new contract with Celtic, keeping him at the club until 2023. He would score three goals in the league in October with strikes against Ross County, Aberdeen and St Mirren. On 7 Nov 2019 Forrest scored in the equalising goal in the Stadio Olimpico against Lazio
it, Laziale
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in the Europa league. Celtic would go on to win the game to earn their first ever away victory in Italy. Forrest played in 5 group stage matches in the Europa league and provided assists in wins against Cluj and Stade Rennais as Celtic for the first time in their history finished top of their group. Later in November he scored two goals in a league win against Livingston. In December he scored against St Mirren and he started Celtic's 1–0 win against Rangers in the League Cup Final. Following the winter break he scored two further goals in the league against St Johnstone and Hamilton. He played in both legs of Celtic's defeat to Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
in the Europa league round of 32. The Coronavirus pandemic saw the season end early as Celtic won the league for a ninth consecutive season. Forrest finished the season with 16 goals.
2020-21
In August Forrest scored his first goal of the 2020-21 campaign by opening the scoring against Motherwell in the league - making him only the ninth player in the previous 45 years to score in the 12 consecutive seasons in the top flight of Scottish football. In September he scored the winning goal against St Mirren with a header in a 2-1 league victory. On 24 September 2020 Forrest was forced off with an ankle injury against Riga in the third round of Europa league qualification. The injury would rule Forrest out until March 2021. He missed all of Celtic's Europa league group matches as well as the delayed 2020 Scottish Cup final which saw Celtic win a fourth consecutive treble against Hearts. By the time Forrest returned to action John Kennedy had been appointed caretaker manager after Celtic's faltering league campaign saw Neil Lennon resign as manager. Forrest made his return as a substitute in a 0–0 draw with Dundee United which saw Rangers confirmed as league champions. In April Forrest scored his third and fourth goals of an injury plagued season against Falkirk in the cup and Livingston in the league as Celtic finished the 2020–21 season without a trophy.
2021–22
Forrest's pre-season was disrupted as he went into self-isolation due to being a close contact to a positive Coronavirus case. He scored his first goals for Ange Postecoglou in both legs against Jablonec in the third round of Europa league qualifying. Forrest sustained an injury in the first league of the Europa league play-off against AZ Alkmaar
Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known as AZ Alkmaar or simply AZ (), is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan district. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands, and host ...
which ruled him out until late October. On 20 November 2021 Forrest came on as a substitute and scored the only goal of the game as Celtic defeated League Cup holders St Johnstone in the semi-final of the competition. He would miss Celtic's 2–1 victory against Hibernian in the League Cup final due to injury.
2022–23
Forrest reached the mark of 100 club goals for Celtic with a hat-trick against Hibernian on 15 October 2022, becoming the 30th player in the club’s history to do so.
International career
Forrest has been capped 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 ...
at under-16 and under-19 level. He made his Scotland under 19 debut on 20 October 2008 in a European Championship qualifier against Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...
.
Following his fine club form at the start of the 2010–11 season, Forrest was called into the Scotland U21 side. On 7 September, he came off the bench for Scotland U21s and assisted in the 89th minute for Chris Maguire
Christopher Patrick Joseph Maguire (born 16 January 1989) is a Scottish professional footballer. He has previously played for Aberdeen, Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United, Oxford United, Bury, Sunderland and Lincoln City, and ...
to score the winning goal against Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
.
On 17 May 2011, Forrest was selected in Craig Levein's Scotland senior team to face Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
and the Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
in the Nations Cup. He made his full international debut on 29 May 2011 in the match against the Republic of Ireland. Forrest then came on as a substitute in Scotland's 2–1 win over Denmark
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, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
on 10 August.
On 22 December 2011, it was revealed that Forrest had been invited to the Great Britain team for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but did not make the final cut for the Games.
On 17 November 2018, Forrest scored his first two goals for Scotland in their 4–0 away victory over Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
in the UEFA Nations League
The UEFA Nations League is a biennial international football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body.
The first tournament began in September 2018. The ...
. Three days later, he netted a treble as Scotland beat Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
3–2 to qualify for the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs
The play-offs of the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying tournament decided the last four teams that qualified for the UEFA Euro 2020 final tournament, to be staged across Europe in June and July 2021. Unlike previous editions, the participants of the play ...
. He became the first Celtic player to score a hat-trick for Scotland since Jimmy Quinn did so in 1908, and the first Scotland player to score at least two goals in consecutive matches since Denis Law in 1963. He was awarded as the 2018–19 ''International Player of the Year'' by the SFWA.
Forrest was part of the Scotland squad at UEFA Euro 2020
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
. On 14 June 2021, he made his only appearance in the tournament as a substitute in Scotland's opening game 2–0 defeat to the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
at Hampden Park.
Style of play
Although Forrest's favoured position is on the right wing
Right-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this pos ...
, he can also play on the left or as a striker.
Forrest is very quick and also has very good ball control and dribbling skills. His then 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 ...
, has said how over his first few seasons at Celtic he has been able to extend the distance of his "explosive runs" from 15 or 20 yards up to 30 or 40 yards. Forrest is also a very good finisher and, although predominantly right footed, also capable with his left. Forrest has great fitness levels and is generally able to keep playing at a very high intensity throughout the whole of a match. He has been described as a very enthusiastic player who has an incredible hunger and desire for the game and shows great bravery and vision in his play. Former Rangers winger, and Scotland under-21 teammate, Gregg Wylde
Gregg Wylde (born 23 March 1991) is a Scottish footballer who plays for Dumbarton in Scottish League Two.
He started his career with Rangers, but voluntarily left the club in March 2012, soon after it entered administration. He has since playe ...
described him as being the kind of player who never hides from his responsibility during a match.
Former Celtic player Bertie Auld
Robert Auld (23 March 1938 – 14 November 2021) was a Scottish football player and manager. He was a member of Celtic's Lisbon Lions, who won the 1967 European Cup Final.
As a player, he made more than 200 appearances in the Scottish League f ...
compared him to Jimmy Johnstone
James Connolly Johnstone (30 September 1944 – 13 March 2006) was a Scottish footballer who played as an outside right. Known as "Jinky" for his elusive dribbling style, Johnstone played for Celtic for 13 years, and was part of the 'Lisbon ...
, and described him as being the kind of player who "puts bums on seats" and then has the technical ability to "lift bums off the seats once the game starts".
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Forrest goal''.
Honours
Celtic[
*]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, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22
*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 ...
, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19
*Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...
: 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18 2018–19, 2019–20
Individual
*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 ...
: 2018–19[A special season for James](_blank)
Scottish Football Writers' Association
The Scottish Football Writers' Association (SFWA) is an association of Scottish football journalists and correspondents writing for newspapers and agencies. It was founded in 1965.
Awards
__NOTOC__
Every year the SFWA presents awards to outsta ...
, 18 May 2019
*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 ...
: 2018–19[
*]SFWA Young Player of the Year
The Scottish Football Writers' Association Young Player of the Year (often called the SFWA Young Player of the Year, or simply the Scottish Young Player of the Year) award is given to the footballer in the Scottish football league system, who is se ...
: 2011–12
*PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year
The PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year, formerly known as the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year, is named at the end of every Scottish football season. The members of the Professional Footballers' Association Scotland vote on which of its ...
: 2011–12
* PFA Scotland Team of the Year: 2011–12, 2017–18, 2018–19[
* Scottish Premiership Player of the Year: 2018–19][
* Scottish Premiership Player of the Month: October 2018
*]SFWA International Player of the Year
The Scottish Football Writers' Association International Player of the Year (often called the SFWA International Player of the Year) award is given to the player in the Scotland national football team who is seen to have made the best contributio ...
: 2018–19[
* Celtic Young Player of the Year: 2010–11, 2011–12
]
See also
* List of Scotland national football team hat-tricks
alt=A head and upper shoulders shot of a statue of a footballer, Denis Law, who scored three hat tricks for Scotland, pictured here in a statue outside Old Trafford.
Since Scotland national football team, Scotland's first international associat ...
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forrest, James
1991 births
Living people
People from Prestwick
People educated at Prestwick Academy
Footballers from South Ayrshire
Scottish footballers
Association football wingers
Celtic F.C. players
Scottish Premier League players
Scottish Professional Football League players
Scotland youth international footballers
Scotland under-21 international footballers
Scotland international footballers
UEFA Euro 2020 players