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, rugb ...

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting ...

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 ...

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2005–06. English

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

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

bought him in 2007 for £9 million (then the British transfer record fee for a goalkeeper). Gordon suffered serious injuries during his time with Sunderland and was released from his contract in 2012. After two years out of the game, Gordon signed for

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...

in July 2014. He won five Scottish league titles, two Scottish Cups and four Scottish League Cups with Celtic, including domestic trebles in 2016–17, 2017–18 and 2018–19. He left Celtic and returned to Hearts in June 2020. Gordon was the regular goalkeeper for the

Scotland national football team The Scotland national football team gd, Sgioba Ball-coise Nàiseanta na h-Alba sco, Scotland National Fitbaa Team represents Scotland in men's international Association football, football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. ...

between 2004 and 2010, before injuries interrupted his career, and returned to the national set-up in 2014. He made the Scotland national football team roll of honour, having made his 50th full international appearance for Scotland in 2017. Gordon has been voted the SFWA Footballer of the Year three times, in 2006, 2015 and 2022, and was voted SPL and SFWA Young Player of the Year in 2004.

Club career

Early career

Born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, Gordon attended Balerno Community High School from 1994 until 1999. His father, David Gordon, played in goal for several East of Scotland clubs, and Gordon spent many Saturday afternoons as a child watching him play. Gordon started off his own career as a goalkeeper at local team Currie Boys Football Club, and then went on to join and graduate from the Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) youth development programme. He won the Scottish Youth Cup in 1999–2000, with Hearts beating Rangers 5–3 at

Hampden Park Hampden Park (Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden''), often referred to as Hampden, is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The -capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland. It is the no ...

and the SPL Under-18 League in 2000–01, both under the management of John McGlynn.

Cowdenbeath (loan)

Gordon was loaned to lower league club Cowdenbeath in 2001. In his time there he continued to train regularly with Hearts, but spent two nights a week training with Cowdenbeath. His first professional game was at Forthbank against Stirling Albion, and he went on to make a total of 13 appearances before being recalled by Hearts. Cowdenbeath went undefeated in their home games during Gordon's time there, and he won praise for an outstanding performance in an away league match in

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from t ...

versus Queen of the South which ended 3–1. Divisional champions that season, Queens dominated the game, but Gordon's saves thwarted them time and again, with opposition manager John Connolly describing Gordon's performance as "sensational".

Heart of Midlothian

Gordon made his debut for Hearts in a 1–1 draw with

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American customs ...

on 6 October 2002. His one other appearance that season was in a 4–0 defeat against

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had ...

on 25 January 2003 in the third round of the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2003–04 season, he edged out Tepi Moilanen as the regular Hearts goalkeeper, playing in 29 of Hearts' league fixtures. Gordon made his first appearance in European competition on 6 November 2003, playing in the first leg of Hearts'

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...

second round tie in France against

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectu ...

. He performed well and kept a clean sheet in an impressive 1–0 win for Hearts. Despite that result, Heart lost the return leg 2–0 in Edinburgh to go out on aggregate. His performances that year resulted in him being short-listed for the

Scottish PFA 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 ...

award, which was eventually won by then

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...

midfielder Stephen Pearson. Gordon did win SFWA Young Player of the Year and SPL Young Player of the Year accolades for 2003–04. He was selected as SPL Young Player of the Month too for December 2003. Manager Craig Levein praised Gordon for his performances, stating that he had a "brilliant" season and that whilst Levein initially only intended to play him in a handful of games, "he did so well that I couldn't take him out f the first team" Gordon signed a new three-year contract with the club in August 2004. In his first full season as first choice goalkeeper, Hearts qualified for the

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...

after they finished third behind champions

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...

and Rangers. The team qualified for the group stages of the UEFA Cup beating

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 ...

on aggregate 5–3. Hearts also reached the semi finals of both the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lana ...

after extra time) and

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 existe ...

(beaten by

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...

) in season 2004–05. Gordon had become a

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

regular by 2005 and his consistent displays during the 2005–06 season helped Hearts to a second-place finish in the

Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Football League (SFL). It was abolished in 2013, when t ...

and victory in the Scottish Cup. The trophy was won in a

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

against Gretna following a 1–1 draw, with Gordon saving opponent Derek Townsley's penalty. He kept a clean-sheet in a 4–0 win against

Edinburgh derby The Edinburgh derby is an informal title given to any football match played between Scottish clubs Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) and Hibernian (Hibs), the two oldest professional clubs based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The two clubs have a fierce ...

rivals Hibernian in the semi-final. Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov rejected an approach from

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...

side

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its ...

for Gordon earlier in the season. That season he was voted

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 outstan ...

Player of the Year, becoming the first Hearts player to win the award since Sandy Jardine in 1986 and also the first goalkeeper since Rangers'

Andy Goram Andrew Lewis Goram (13 April 1964 – 2 July 2022) was a Scottish footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in Bury, Lancashire, England, he started his career with Oldham Athletic and Hibernian, but he is best remembered for playing for Ran ...

in 1993. For much of the 2006–07 season rumours linked Gordon with a move away from Tynecastle, particularly following his involvement in the issuing of a statement against club owner Vladimir Romanov. Gordon and Paul Hartley flanked captain

Steven Pressley Steven John Pressley (born 11 October 1973) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who played as a centre back. He was most recently the manager of Carlisle United. Pressley had a long playing career, playing for Celtic a ...

as he read out a statement claiming there was "significant unrest" in the Hearts dressing room. The venue for this statement, Hearts' Riccarton training ground, led to the media dubbing the players the "Riccarton Three". Rangers,

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park, ...

,

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostl ...

and

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

were all credited with an interest in the player in late 2006. Arsenal manager

Arsène Wenger Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (; born 22 October 1949) is a French former association football, football Manager (association football), manager and football player, player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Developme ...

observed Gordon in action in Scotland's 1–0 victory against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in a

Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of Europea ...

qualifying match. He touted Gordon as having "presence and good handling and elooks a very good goalkeeper to me." Gordon confirmed his rising stock with a spectacular cross-goal save in the October 2006

Edinburgh derby The Edinburgh derby is an informal title given to any football match played between Scottish clubs Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) and Hibernian (Hibs), the two oldest professional clubs based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The two clubs have a fierce ...

and the following month he was named as Hearts' new

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, replacing the departed Pressley. Despite Hearts' claims that he was ill, he was "dropped" to the bench for the game against Dundee United in December 2006 for what many believed to be a disciplinary measure by the club following his involvement in the "Riccarton Three" statement. He was reinstated for the Edinburgh derby match against Hibernian three days later. He was not listed in the squad to face Rangers on 27 January 2007, four days before the closure of the

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 ...

, and it was confirmed by the club that they were negotiating his transfer. Gordon remained a Hearts player when the window closed. In March 2007, Gordon expressed his interest in playing for Arsenal, after reports had cited that he was linked as a candidate to succeed the veteran Jens Lehmann as Arsenal's first-choice goalkeeper, stating "Arsenal is one of the top teams in Britain, in Europe, if not the world, so it is something that would definitely interest any player". Hearts failure to qualify for European competition at the season's end further increased speculation that Gordon would be sold, with Sunderland and

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park, ...

rumoured suitors in July 2007. His appearance in Hearts 3–1 friendly defeat by

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 c ...

on 28 July proved to be his last for the club for 13 years. On 8 November 2007, Gordon was inducted into the Hearts Hall of Fame. Still only 24, he was the youngest player ever to have that honour bestowed upon him.

Sunderland

In August 2007, Gordon agreed a five-year contract with

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

. The £9 million fee was the highest a British club had ever paid for a goalkeeper, until

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

paid around £17 million for David de Gea in 2011. Gordon made his debut for Sunderland in the opening game of the 2007–08 Premier League against

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

, keeping a clean sheet as his side won 1–0. During this match, the rival goalkeeper was Paul Robinson and the England first choice. It was the first time a Scotland first choice goalkeeper and an England first choice goalkeeper had faced each other in a club match since 2001, when Arsenal's

David Seaman David Andrew Seaman (born 19 September 1963) is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. In a career lasting from 1981 to 2004, he is best known for his time playing for Arsenal. He won 75 caps for England, and is the country' ...

faced Tottenham's Neil Sullivan. Following Sunderland's 7–1 loss to Everton in December, Sunderland manager

Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, coach and former professional player. He is the joint most successful Irish footballer of all time, having won 19 major trophies in his club career, 17 of which came durin ...

dropped Gordon to the bench and Welsh goalkeeper Darren Ward took his place. Gordon regained his place as first choice goalkeeper three games later. Midway through the 2008–09 season, Gordon was sidelined for several months with a knee injury and found himself as backup to Márton Fülöp. He regained his place in the starting eleven at the beginning of the 2009–10 season. On 7 November away at

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

, he broke his arm after colliding with Jermain Defoe and was sidelined for nearly three months. He returned on 23 January in a game against

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most d ...

. During the summer of 2010, Gordon had surgery on his broken arm to remove a metal plate. He returned to training days later, but he fractured his arm again during a training session. It was confirmed he would miss the start of the

2010–11 Premier League The 2010–11 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season ...

campaign, with Sunderland's new goalkeeper

Simon Mignolet Simon Luc Hildebert Mignolet (, ; born 6 March 1988) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Belgian Pro League club Club Brugge and the Belgium national team. Mignolet started his career with Belgian Second Division ...

deputising. When Gordon returned from injury, Mignolet remained the first choice goalkeeper. On 9 November 2010, Gordon made his first appearance of the season away at

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

. The game ended in a 1–1 draw. Gordon also starred in Sunderland's 3–0 win over Chelsea. On 18 December 2010, Gordon made a stunning reflex save to deny Zat Knight in a 1–0 win against

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pik ...

. In 2012, this effort was voted as the best save in the 20-year history of the Premier League. Injury struck again when he suffered a tendon injury in his knee, resulting in him being replaced by Mignolet. Luckily for Gordon, the knee tendon problem allowed him to be the substitute goalkeeper, despite not being fully fit. On 19 April 2011, it was revealed that Gordon had undergone knee surgery to repair his knee tendon and an

anterior cruciate ligament injury An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during inju ...

he had suffered. The recruitment of

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...

goalkeeper

Keiren Westwood Keiren Westwood (born 23 October 1984) is a professional footballer who last played as a goalkeeper for Queens Park Rangers. Born in England, he played international football for the Republic of Ireland. Club career Manchester City Westwood was ...

added further doubt about the Scotsman's future. Gordon was linked with Arsenal and Celtic amongst other clubs in August 2011. Gordon rejected a loan move to another club to continue his rehabilitation on Wearside. He made his return on 4 January 2012 for the Sunderland

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...

, keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 victory against Arsenal reserves. He returned to first team action on 28 April against Bolton Wanderers, but he was one of nine players released by Sunderland on 19 May 2012.

Free agent and coaching work

Gordon was linked with a move to

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...

in 2011 and 2012, but he did not sign with another club for two years as he continued to be troubled by knee injuries. He regularly did television work during his time out of football. After meeting Ian Murray while doing television work, Gordon did some coaching work for

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

on a casual basis. Gordon then admitted it was highly unlikely that he would play during 2012–13 and that he was considering becoming a coach. Gordon trained with Rangers during the 2013–14 season, but was not offered a contract. In March 2014, Gordon said that he had fully recovered from his injuries and was looking to resume his playing career. In June, Celtic confirmed that Gordon had been training with them and that they were in signing talks with him.

Celtic

2014–15

In July 2014, Gordon signed for

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...

. He made his first appearance for Celtic on 19 July, playing in the first half of a pre-season friendly against Dynamo Dresden. Gordon made several saves in his 45-minute appearance, and said afterwards "It was good to get back playing. From a personal point of view, it's been a long time out. So it was good to get out there and to play for 45 minutes and get a clean sheet in the first half. I have to be happy with that."

Fraser Forster Fraser Gerard Forster (born 17 March 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. Forster started his career with Newcastle United and had brief loan spells with Stockport ...

was transferred to

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

for a reported £10 million transfer fee in August, clearing the way for Gordon to become first choice goalkeeper. Gordon made his first competitive appearance in over two years on 13 August 2014, a 3–0 win against St Johnstone. After only three games for Celtic, an impressive start to the season earned Gordon a recall to the

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

national team in August 2014. His good form for Celtic continued both domestically and in Europe especially, with strong displays against

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...

,

Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinam ...

Celtic fans react to Craig Gordon's performance on Twitter – 'Better than Forster'
Here is the City. Retrieved 31 December 2014. and Astra Giurgiu, helping Celtic qualify for the

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. ...

knockout stages. His performances drew praise from his teammates, club coaches, national coach, supporters and observers. Many believed he was finally over his long-term injury problems and back to his best. He was already being tagged as one of Celtic's greatest bargains. Gordon also shut out his former team Hearts twice in cup matches. Gordon kept eight successive clean sheets between December and February, which almost became nine until a 72nd minute St Johnstone goal ended the run on 14 February 2015. An outstanding double save near the end ensured a 2–1 win for Celtic. Gordon endured a torrid night in the Europa League against

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 i ...

on 19 February 2015, being culpable for Inter's opening goal and at fault for their third before half-time; Celtic rallied to square the match at 3–3 with an injury time goal, and Gordon went some way to redeeming his earlier errors by pulling off an outstanding save from

Xherdan Shaqiri Xherdan Shaqiri (; born 10 October 1991) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire and the Switzerland national team. Shaqiri began his career at FC Basel, winning honours including ...

's free kick in what proved to be the last action of the game. In the second leg at the

San Siro Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy, which is the home of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the largest stadiums ...

, Gordon kept 10-man Celtic in the tie with a number of excellent saves until the 87th minute when

Fredy Guarín Fredy Alejandro Guarín Vásquez (born 30 June 1986) is a Colombian former professional footballer. A versatile player, he was comfortable as a central, defensive or right midfielder. He started his career with Envigado, then had a short spell ...

scored with a powerful strike to give Inter a 1–0 win on the night and a 4–3 aggregate victory. One of Gordon's saves away against Inter was compared to Gordon Banks' save against Pele in 1970. Gordon won his first silverware with Celtic after they defeated Dundee United 2–0 in the Scottish League Cup Final on 15 March 2015. He kept a clean sheet in every round of the competition, which included playing in the first

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 ...

game for three years. According to ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its pare ...

'' in March 2015, Gordon was attracting the attention of Chelsea. He made his 50th Celtic appearance in a 2–1 league win at Dundee on 22 April 2015. A day after shutting out Dundee in a 5–0 home win, Celtic became league champions after Aberdeen lost at Dundee United on 2 May 2015. It was his first league title as a player. Gordon played 52 times and kept 28 clean sheets in his first season at Celtic. Gordon was voted Player of the Year by 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 outstan ...

, and was selected in the PFA Scotland Premiership Team of the Year. He was omitted from the PFA Players' shortlist, despite having been touted amongst the favourites to win it.

2015–16

For the 2015–16 season, Gordon was assigned the number 1 shirt to wear, replacing the number 26 shirt he wore when he was signed. In July 2015, Gordon signed a new contract with Celtic until 2018. His first match of season 2015–16 was the 2–0

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

second qualifying round first leg win at home to Stjarnan on 15 July 2015. Celtic progressed 6–1 on aggregate. The 1–0 win against Qarabağ, in the third qualifying round first leg at home, was his 30th clean sheet in 55 appearances for Celtic. Celtic advanced 1–0 on aggregate. Gordon also started the league campaign with consecutive clean sheets against Ross County and

Partick Thistle Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional football club from Glasgow, Scotland. Despite their name, the club are based at Firhill Stadium in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908. The club have been m ...

. However, Gordon's form at this time was generally poorer than the previous season, in part due to Celtic struggling to find a settled defensive line-up following the departures of centre-halves

Virgil van Dijk Virgil van Dijk (born 8 July 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Liverpool and the Netherlands national team. Considered one of the best defenders in the world, Van Dijk is known for his strength, lea ...

and Jason Denayer.

2016–17

Gordon saved a penalty in a 2–0 second leg defeat at Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the UEFA Champions League play-off round, with Celtic progressing to the group stage after a three-year absence 5–4 on aggregate. He made his first ever appearance in the UEFA Champions League group stage in a 3–3 home draw with

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

on 28 September 2016. Gordon won his second

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 ...

with the club without conceding a goal in the competition (just like in 2014–15), after Celtic beat

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), a ...

3–0 in 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 con ...

, as the club won its 100 major trophy on 28 November 2016. He kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 home win against St Johnstone on 25 January 2017, a result which meant that Celtic equalled a 50-years-old club record 26 match unbeaten start to a domestic season (a record set by the

Lisbon Lions The Lisbon Lions is the nickname given to the Celtic team that won the European Cup at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal on 25 May 1967, defeating Inter Milan 2–1. The name is likely due to the fact that the Lisbon-based Sporting foo ...

in 1966–67). Gordon shut out his former club Hearts four days later, in a 4–0 home win, as Celtic broke the Lisbon Lions' unbeaten record.

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 Chelsea made an approach for Gordon during the January 2017 transfer window, which Celtic rejected. In March 2017, Gordon signed a contract with Celtic that ran until 2020. Gordon again shut out Hearts, in a 5–0 victory at Tynecastle on 2 April 2017, with the club clinching the

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 ...

title for the sixth successive season in record time with eight matches remaining. The team also broke a 100-years-old club record for an unbeaten start to a domestic season (36 matches in-a-row in 1916–17), with this win being their 37th domestic match unbeaten. Gordon was also in goal for Celtic in the 5–1 league win at Rangers on 29 April 2017, which was the club's biggest victory at Ibrox since 1897 (4–0 in 1897). On 21 May 2017, he kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 home win over Hearts in the final league match of the season, a result which meant Celtic completed a 38-match league season without losing a match, the first team to go an entire Scottish league season without a defeat since season 1898–99. He also won the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,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 con ...

win 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), a ...

on 27 May 2017, which saw the club complete the domestic treble and finish a full 47-match domestic season without losing. Celtic topped the list for the most shut-outs in the

SPFL The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) is the national men's association football league in Scotland. The league was formed in June 2013 following a merger between the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League. As w ...

with 19 clean sheets and held the joint best record with Hibernian for goals conceded in the SPFL with 25.

Later years

Celtic again won domestic trebles in 2017–18 and in 2018–19. This meant they had won all three competitions for three consecutive years, a feat known as the "treble treble". Gordon played regularly during that time but occasional high profile mistakes, such as in the UEFA Europa League against Fenerbahçe in 2015 and Red Bull Salzburg in 2018, posed doubts as to his reliability; he lost his place to Fraser Forster (returning from Southampton on loan) in 2019–20, and made only six first team appearances during that season. He decided to leave Celtic in June 2020, despite having been offered a new contract, as he wanted to play more regularly.

Return to Heart of Midlothian

After leaving Celtic, Gordon signed a two-year contract with Heart of Midlothian in June 2020. He made a good start to his second spell with Hearts, helping them reach the 2020 Scottish Cup Final by making key saves in a semi-final win against Hibs. Against Ayr United, Gordon captained the team on his 200th appearance for the club. He became the 75th Hearts player to reach that milestone. A 3–0 win marked his 66th Hearts shut out. He finished the season with eight consecutive clean sheets. Gordon lost out to team mate Liam Boyce for Championship Player of the Year, but did make

Team of the Year Team of the Year may refer to: *BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award *Canadian Press Team of the Year Award *GPA Gaelic Team of the Year *IRB International Sevens Team of the Year *IRB International Team of the Year * J.League Team of the ...

for the division. Ahead of the 2021–22 season Gordon became the Hearts club captain, following the retirement of previous captain

Steven Naismith Steven John Naismith (born 14 September 1986) is a Scottish former professional footballer. He is football development manager at Scottish club Heart of Midlothian. Naismith began his career with Kilmarnock in 2004. He spent four years with ...

. He signed a new contract in December 2021, which is due to keep him at the club until 2024. In November 2021 he broke the record, previously held by

Steven Pressley Steven John Pressley (born 11 October 1973) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who played as a centre back. He was most recently the manager of Carlisle United. Pressley had a long playing career, playing for Celtic a ...

, for most international appearances made while with Hearts. Gordon was shortlisted for PFA Scotland Player of the Year for the first time in 2021–22 and made the divisional

Team of the Year Team of the Year may refer to: *BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award *Canadian Press Team of the Year Award *GPA Gaelic Team of the Year *IRB International Sevens Team of the Year *IRB International Team of the Year * J.League Team of the ...

category again. Despite missing out on the PFA award (to Callum McGregor), the SFWA voted him their Footballer of the Year for a record third time. On 24 December 2022, Gordon suffered a serious leg injury following a collision with Steven Fletcher during a Scottish Premiership match against Dundee United. A statement from Hearts on 26th December confirmed that he had suffered a double leg break and would miss the remainder of the 2022/23 season.

International career

Gordon made his debut for the Scotland under-21 team on 4 September 2002 at

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 Hamilto ...

in a 2–1 win versus

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 ...

. Over the next year he played a further four times for the under-21 team. Gordon made his full international

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

debut in a 4–1 victory versus

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

at Easter Road on 30 May 2004. Scotland started their qualifying campaign for the 2006 World Cup on 8 September 2004 versus

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, and ...

at

Hampden Park Hampden Park (Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden''), often referred to as Hampden, is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The -capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland. It is the no ...

. Gordon played in goal and kept a clean sheet, although Scotland performed poorly in a goalless draw. Having been given his debut by

Berti Vogts Hans-Hubert "Berti" Vogts (; born 30 December 1946) is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender. He played for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga his whole professional club career and won the FIFA World Cup w ...

, Gordon established himself as the Scotland first-choice goalkeeper throughout the campaign and under Vogts' successor Walter Smith, playing in all ten of Scotland's qualifying matches. BBC pundit and former player

Allan Preston Allan Preston (born 16 August 1969) is a retired Scottish professional footballer and manager. He is currently a radio sports pundit for BBC Scotland. Playing career Preston, who predominantly played at left-back, began his career as a 15-ye ...

saw him as a potential Scottish great, describing him as "one of the best goalkeepers in Europe". After a 1–1 draw versus

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, Gordon obtained praise from the opposition goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who said he could be one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Gordon kept clean sheets as Scotland won 1–0 twice versus

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in UEFA Euro 2008 qualification. He also registered an assist in the

Parc de Princes Parc des Princes () is an all-seater football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin and Stade Roland Garros. The stadium, with a seating capacity of 47,9 ...

, after McFadden controlled Gordon's punt, turned his marker and smashed home from 35 yards. Gordon had attained a total of 40 caps by November 2010 but his injury problems prevented him from adding to this total for the next four years. Following his comeback with Celtic, Gordon was recalled to the Scotland squad in September 2014 for a Euro 2016 qualification match against

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. Gordon eventually obtained his 41st cap, ending a four-year absence from international football, when he came on as a half-time substitute in a friendly defeat to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

on 18 November 2014. Gordon started his first

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

match in almost five years in a friendly win versus

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

in March 2015 Gordon made his first start for Scotland in a competitive match in seven years in a 2018 World Cup qualifier against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

in November 2016, and retained his place in the team for the 1–0 home win versus

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, and ...

in March 2017. On 5 October 2017, Gordon obtained his 50th cap versus

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

at Hampden Park to enter Scotland's Roll of Honour. Gordon was not selected by Scotland manager Steve Clarke during his first year in charge as he had lost his first team place at Celtic. After a good start to his second stint with Hearts, Gordon was recalled to the national squad in November 2020. The call up included the defeat of

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...

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 ...

play-off final to qualify for

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 Europ ...

, the Scotland men's team's first major tournament in 23 years. He also gained his 55th cap, a 1–0 away defeat by Slovakia in the

2020–21 UEFA Nations League The 2020–21 UEFA Nations League was the second season of the UEFA Nations League, an international association football competition involving the men's national teams of the 55 member associations of UEFA. The competition was held from Septemb ...

, set a new record for the longest-spanning international career for a Scottish player (16 years 5 months and 17 days). This beat a mark set by his rival for the position David Marshall just three days earlier, which itself had overtaken a record dating back to 1903 by fellow goalkeeper Ned Doig. Gordon was picked in the Scotland squad for

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 Europ ...

, but was an unused substitute during the tournament as Marshall played in all of Scotland's three matches. Gordon became the first choice goalkeeper again in September 2021, as Marshall was no longer playing for his club. In November 2021 he saved a

penalty Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) * Penal ...

during a 2–0 win in

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistri ...

that clinched a place in the World Cup qualifying playoffs. Teammate Callum McGregor said Gordon was "like

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

" after that game, a reference to the longevity of his performances. Gordon was shortlisted for SFWA International Player of the Year in 2021–22, an award he had already won in 2009–10. On 14 June 2022, he gained his 70th Scotland cap in a 4–1 Nations League victory over Armenia, becoming only the seventh player in history to hit 70 caps for the Scottish men's team. In his 73rd cap against

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

(0–0), Gordon recorded his 30th cleansheet, which ensured promotion to Group A of 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 ...

for the first time and a play-off spot for

UEFA Euro 2024 The 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2024 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2024) or simply Euro 2024, will be the 17th edition of the UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football cham ...

.

Personal life

Gordon has four children: daughters Freya and Emma with former wife Jennifer and sons Ace Harlow (born 2021) and Axel (born 2022), from a relationship with his partner Summer Harl. Axel was born on the morning of a Scotland international match that his father played in.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Hearts Academy * Scottish U-18 Premier League: 2000–01 * Scottish Youth Cup: 1999–2000 Heart of Midlothian *

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2005–06 *

Scottish Championship The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish Champio ...

:

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

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 ...

: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 * Scottish Cup: 2016–17, 2017–18 *

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 existe ...

: 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20 Scotland * UEFA Nations League B: Promotion

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

Individual * SFWA Footballer of the Year: 2005–06, 2014–15, 2021–22 * SPFL Premiership Player of the Year: 2021–22 * SFWA Young Player of the Year: 2003–04 * SPL Young Player of the Year: 2003–04 * SFWA International Player of the Year: 2009–10 * Heart of Midlothian Hall of Fame: 2007 * Hearts Supporters Player of the Year: 2021–22 * Hearts Players' Player of the Year: 2021–22 * PFA Scotland Premiership Team of the Year: 2014–15, 2021–22 * Scotland national football team roll of honour inductee: 2017 * SPL Young Player of the Month: December 2003

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Craig 1982 births Living people Footballers from Edinburgh Scottish footballers Association football goalkeepers Tynecastle F.C. players Heart of Midlothian F.C. players Cowdenbeath F.C. players Sunderland A.F.C. players Celtic F.C. players Scottish Premier League players Premier League players Scottish Professional Football League players Scotland under-21 international footballers Scotland B international footballers Scotland international footballers UEFA Euro 2020 players People educated at Balerno Community High School Association football coaches