Gary Mackay-Steven

Gary Mackay-Steven
Mackay-Steven playing for Celtic in 2017
Personal information
Full name Gary Sean Mackay-Steven[1]
Date of birth (1990-08-31) 31 August 1990 (age 34)[2]
Place of birth Thurso, Scotland
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Kilmarnock
Number 14
Youth career
Ross County
2007–2009 Liverpool
2009–2011 Fulham
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011 Airdrie United 19 (0)
2011–2015 Dundee United 110 (21)
2015–2017 Celtic 46 (8)
2017–2019 Aberdeen 51 (9)
2019–2020 New York City 35 (3)
2021–2023 Heart of Midlothian 53 (6)
2023– Kilmarnock 14 (1)
International career‡
2012 Scotland U21 3 (1)
2013–2018 Scotland 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 November 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 December 2021

Gary Sean Mackay-Steven (born 31 August 1990) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock.

Having not made the first team at English clubs Liverpool and Fulham, he began his professional career with Airdrie United in January 2011, spending half a season there before moving to top-flight team Dundee United. He remained with Dundee United until February 2015, when he was signed by Celtic for £250,000. He joined Aberdeen in 2017, and joined New York City FC when his contract expired in July 2019. Mackay-Steven returned to Scottish football in 2021 with Heart of Midlothian.

Mackay-Steven has made two full international appearances for Scotland.

Club career

Early career

Born in Thurso, Caithness, Mackay-Steven began his youth career with Ross County before moving to English Premier League side Liverpool in 2007.[3] After spending two years in the reserve and youth sides, Mackay-Steven was released after an injury-plagued season.[4] He trained with Fulham before eventually returning to Scotland.[4]

Airdrie United

On 11 January 2011, Mackay-Steven joined Scottish Second Division side Airdrie United.[4] He made his debut a week later in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup, starting against Greenock Morton at Cappielow Park and scoring the opening goal of a 2–2 draw from 25 yards out.[5] A week later, in the replay at the Excelsior Stadium, Mackay-Steven scored again, albeit in a 5–2 defeat.[6] He played 19 league matches in the remainder of the season, but did not score.

Dundee United

On 13 July 2011, Mackay-Steven signed a two-year deal with Scottish Premier League club Dundee United.[7] He made his debut eight days later as an 80th-minute substitute for Johnny Russell in a UEFA Europa League match against Śląsk Wrocław, which his club won 3–2 but were nonetheless eliminated on the away goals rule.[8] On 24 July, he made his league debut for the club on the opening day of the season, coming on for Barry Douglas for the last 30 minutes of a 1–1 draw against Kilmarnock at Tannadice Park.[9] On 29 August, Mackay-Steven scored his first goal for the club (and his first career league goal), netting in the 3–3 draw at St Johnstone.[10] By the end of the 2011–12 season, Mackay-Steven had established a regular starting place in the first team and become a huge fans' favourite thanks to his large role in helping turn around United's poor start to the season. Mackay-Steven signed an extended contract with the club in January 2012.[11]

Blackburn Rovers scouts were reported to have been watching Mackay-Steven on 24 August 2013, in Dundee United's 4–0 victory over St Johnstone, a game in which he scored.[12] On 12 April 2014, he scored Dundee United's second goal in a 3–1 win against Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi–final at Ibrox.[13] In the final on 17 May, he started in a 2–0 defeat to St Johnstone at Celtic Park, being substituted for Ryan Gauld after 64 minutes.[14]

He scored twice as Dundee United won the Dundee derby 6–2 against Dundee on 1 January 2015.[15]

Celtic

Mackay-Steven in action in a friendly against Rapid Vienna in July 2017

On 16 January 2015, Mackay-Steven signed a pre-contract agreement to join Celtic at the end of the season on the expiry of his Dundee United contract.[16] In the January transfer window, he had been pursued by Nigel Clough, manager of English League One club Sheffield United, who made three bids up to £100,000 while Dundee United wanted a minimum of £250,000.[16] On the transfer deadline day, 2 February, Celtic made an offer of £250,000 and the move was completed immediately, with his Dundee United teammate Stuart Armstrong joining in a separate deal at the same time.[17] Five days later, the pair watched from the stands as Celtic won 2–0 at Dundee in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.[18]

Mackay-Steven made his debut on 11 February away to Partick Thistle, scoring after 37 seconds in a 3–0 victory.[19] His first goal at Celtic Park came on 1 March as the third in a 4–0 win over Aberdeen, with a shot from 20 yards.[20] On 15 March Celtic won the Scottish League Cup final against Dundee United, but Mackay-Steven was cup-tied, having already represented Dundee United in the tournament that season.[21]

Aberdeen

On 12 July 2017, Mackay-Steven signed a two-year contract with Aberdeen for an undisclosed fee.[22] He made his debut the following day in a UEFA Europa League second qualifying round first leg at home to NK Široki Brijeg, starting in a 1–1 draw. In the second leg in Bosnia a week after, he scored to wrap up a 2–0 win and advancement.[23]

Mackay-Steven scored his first league goal for Aberdeen on 14 October, the only one of a victory at Hibernian.[24] On 16 December, against the same opponents, he scored his first senior hat-trick in a 4–1 win.[25] Mackay-Steven won the Scottish Cup Goal of the Fourth round award for his strike in the 4–1 win against St Mirren.[26]

In the 2018 Scottish League Cup final against former club Celtic on 2 December 2018, Mackay-Steven was stretchered from the field after being knocked unconscious by a clash of heads with Dedryck Boyata shortly before the end of the first half (Aberdeen lost 1–0).[27] He was released from hospital after a few days[28] and returned to playing towards the end of January 2019.[29]

New York City FC

On 24 June 2019, Mackay-Steven joined Major League Soccer side New York City on a free transfer, effective from the start of the league's transfer window on 9 July.[30] He made his debut on 14 July during the Hudson River Derby away to the New York Red Bulls as an 84th-minute substitute for Valentín Castellanos in a 2–1 loss.[31] He scored his first goal on his 29th birthday on 31 August in a 3–1 win at Vancouver Whitecaps FC, after replacing the injured Héber.[32]

Following their 2020 season, Mackay-Steven departed the club after New York City opted to decline their contract option for Mackay-Steven.[33]

Heart of Midlothian

On 8 January 2021, Mackay-Steven returned to Scotland to sign with Heart of Midlothian on a deal to run until the summer of 2023.[34]

Mackay-Steven only made six appearances for Hearts during the 2022–23 season, as he suffered a foot injury in December.[35] Hearts announced in May that Mackay-Steven would leave the club at the end of the season,[36] although he was allowed the use of their facilities as he recovered from the foot injury.[35]

Kilmarnock

Mackay-Steven started training with Kilmarnock during October 2023,[35] and he signed a short-term contract with the club in December.[37]

International career

Mackay-Steven made his first international appearance for Scotland on 15 November 2013, replacing Craig Conway for the last six minutes of a goalless friendly draw against the United States at Hampden Park.[38]

He was recalled to the Scotland squad in October 2018, for a friendly against Portugal.[39] He came on as a substitute in the 67th minute, and assisted Steven Naismith in scoring Scotland's only goal of the game.[40]

Personal life

On 27 August 2017, Mackay-Steven was rescued from the River Kelvin in Glasgow after falling in. He was taken to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where he was treated for hypothermia.[41][42]

Career statistics

As of match played 5 October 2024[43]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Airdrie United 2010–11[44] Scottish Second Division 19 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 21 2
Dundee United 2011–12[45] Scottish Premier League 31 4 3 1 1 0 1[a] 0 36 5
2012–13[46] Scottish Premier League 23 5 3 2 1 0 2[a] 0 29 7
2013–14[47] Scottish Premiership 35 7 5 3 1 0 – 41 10
2014–15[48] Scottish Premiership 21 5 1 0 3 0 – 25 5
Total 110 21 12 6 6 0 3 0 131 27
Celtic 2014–15[48] Scottish Premiership 13 4 0 0 0 0 2[a] 0 15 4
2015–16[49] Scottish Premiership 25 4 3 1 2 1 7[b] 0 37 6
2016–17[50] Scottish Premiership 8 0 1 0 0 0 1[c] 0 10 0
Total 46 8 4 1 2 1 10 0 62 10
Aberdeen 2017–18[51] Scottish Premiership 31 5 5 3 2 0 4[a] 1 42 9
2018–19[52] Scottish Premiership 20 4 4 0 4 2 2[a] 1 30 7
Total 51 9 9 3 6 2 6 2 72 16
New York City 2019[43] Major League Soccer 12 1 0 0 — — 12 1
2020[53] 23 2 0 0 0 0 2[d] 0 25 2
Total 35 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 37 3
Heart of Midlothian 2020–21[54] Scottish Championship 17 4 1 0 0 0 — 18 4
2021–22[55] Scottish Premiership 32 2 3 0 5 2 — 40 4
2022–23[56] Scottish Premiership 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 6 0
Total 53 6 4 0 6 2 1 0 64 8
Kilmarnock 2023–24 Scottish Premiership 9 1 1 0 — — 10 1
2024–25 Scottish Premiership 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 6 0
Total 12 1 1 0 1 0 2 0 16 1
Career Total 326 48 31 12 21 5 24 2 402 67
  1. ^ a b c d e Appearances in the Europa League
  2. ^ Five appearances in the Champions League and two in the Europa League
  3. ^ Appearance in the Champions League
  4. ^ Appearances in the 2020 MLS is Back Tournament

Honours

Celtic

References

  1. ^ "Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup: Game Report – Game ID #6504903". U.S. Open Cup. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Gary Mackay-Steven: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Liverpool sign up Ross County kid". BBC Sport. 16 March 2007. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  4. ^ a b c "Airdrie bring in former Liverpool youth". Scottish Football League. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 14 August 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  5. ^ "Morton 2-2 Airdrie". BBC Sport. 18 January 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  6. ^ "Airdrie 2-5 Morton". BBC Sport. 25 January 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  7. ^ "Winger Gary MacKay-Steven joins Dundee United". BBC Sport. 13 July 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  8. ^ "Dundee Utd 3-2 Slask Wroclaw". BBC Sport. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  9. ^ "Dundee United 1-1 Kilmarnock". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  10. ^ "St Johnstone 3 Dundee United 3: Perth men count cost of late madness". The Courier. 29 August 2011. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  11. ^ "Dundee United's Gary Mackay-Steven extends contract until 2015". BBC Sport. 13 January 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  12. ^ "Dundee United star Gary Mackay-Steven aims to show Scotland boss Gordon Strachan what he's missing". Daily Record. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  13. ^ Wilson, Richard (12 April 2014). "Rangers 1-3 Dundee United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  14. ^ Wilson, Richard (17 May 2014). "St Johnstone 2-0 Dundee Utd". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  15. ^ Campbell, Andy (1 January 2015). "Dundee Utd 6-2 Dundee". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  16. ^ a b "Celtic: Gary Mackay-Steven agrees summer switch". BBC Sport. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  17. ^ Spence, Jim (2 February 2015). "Stuart Armstrong & Gary Mackay-Steven join Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  18. ^ McVake, Roddie (7 February 2015). "Dundee 0-2 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  19. ^ "Partick Thistle 0-3 Celtic". BBC Sport. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  20. ^ Wilson, Richard (1 March 2015). "Celtic 4-0 Aberdeen". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  21. ^ Wilson, Richard (14 March 2015). "Dundee Utd 0-2 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  22. ^ "Gary Mackay-Steven joins Aberdeen from Celtic on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee". BBC Sport. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  23. ^ Parks, Gordon (20 July 2017). "Aberdeen ignore Siroki warnings of hell as Stewart and Mackay-Steven goals leave Dons in heaven – big match verdict". Daily Record. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  24. ^ "Derek McInnes salutes Aberdeen star Gary Mackay-Steven after bagging winner against Hibs". Daily Record. 14 October 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  25. ^ "Aberdeen 4 – 1 Hibs: Mackay-Steven nets treble in thumping win". The Scotsman. 16 December 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  26. ^ "Gary Mackay-Steven wins William Hill Scottish Cup Goal of the Fourth Round award". Scottish FA. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  27. ^ Forsyth, Roddy (2 December 2018). "Ryan Christie fires Celtic to victory over Aberdeen in Scottish League Cup final". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  28. ^ Mackay-Steven breaks silence to thank medical staff for treatment after horror Betfred Cup final injury, Evening Express, 7 December 2018
  29. ^ Rd 22: Gary Mackay-Steven: Hamilton Accies Preview Archived 22 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine, Aberdeen FC, 22 January 2019
  30. ^ New York City FC Signs Gary Mackay-Steven, New York City FC, 24 June 2019
  31. ^ Boehm, Charles (14 July 2019). "New York Red Bulls 2, New York City FC 1 – 2019 MLS Match Recap". MLSsoccer.com.
  32. ^ "NYCFC dispose of Whitecaps for 4th straight win". ESPN FC. Reuters. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  33. ^ "New York City FC Announces Roster Moves For 2021 | New York City FC".
  34. ^ "GMS joins Jambos | Heart of Midlothian Football Club". heartsfc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  35. ^ a b c Paton, Ewan (19 October 2023). "Gary Mackay-Steven Kilmarnock contract chances addressed". The Herald. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  36. ^ "Trio to leave". heartsfc.co.uk. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  37. ^ "Mackay-Steven joins Kilmarnock on short-term deal". BBC Sport. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  38. ^ Lamont, Alasdair (15 November 2013). "Scotland 0-0 USA". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  39. ^ Lewis, Jane (13 October 2018). "Scotland: Charlie Mulgrew, John Souttar, Kieran Tierney and Robert Snodgrass withdraw from squad". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  40. ^ English, Tom (14 October 2018). "Scotland 1–3 Portugal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  41. ^ "Footballer Gary Mackay-Steven is pulled from River Kelvin". BBC News. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  42. ^ "Gary Mackay-Steven opens up over River Kelvin incident". The Scotsman. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  43. ^ a b Gary Mackay-Steven at Soccerway. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  44. ^ "Games played by Gary Mackay-Steven in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  45. ^ "Games played by Gary Mackay-Steven in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  46. ^ "Games played by Gary Mackay-Steven in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  47. ^ "Games played by Gary Mackay-Steven in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  48. ^ a b "Games played by Gary Mackay-Steven in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  49. ^ "Games played by Gary Mackay-Steven in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  50. ^ "Games played by Gary Mackay-Steven in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  51. ^ "Games played by Gary Mackay-Steven in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  52. ^ "Games played by Gary Mackay-Steven in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  53. ^ "Games played by Gary Mackay-Steven in 2020/21". Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  54. ^ "Games played by Gary Mackay-Steven in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  55. ^ "Games played by Gary Mackay-Steven in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  56. ^ "Games played by Gary Mackay-Steven in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  57. ^ Watch Celtic Invincibles lift the Premiership trophy, Scottish Professional Football League via YouTube, 21 May 2017
  58. ^ English, Tom (27 November 2016). "Aberdeen 0–3 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
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