Craig Gordon Retires At 43 After 25-Year Career
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- Craig Gordon retired from professional football at 43 after a 25-year career comprising 760+ appearances for Hearts, Celtic, Sunderland, Cowdenbeath, and Scotland.
- Gordon earned 84 caps for Scotland — his first in 2004 — and was named in Scotland's World Cup squad this summer at 43.
- Gordon won 15 major honours, including six Premiership titles, five League Cups, and three Scottish Cups at Celtic, plus a 2005/06 Scottish Cup with Hearts.
- Sunderland paid a then-British-record £9m fee for a goalkeeper to sign Gordon in 2007, and in 2010 his save against Bolton was named the best in Premier League history.
- Gordon battled career-threatening injuries including ankle problems, broken arms, knee surgery, and a double leg break on Christmas Eve 2022, spending roughly two years out from 2012 during which he took up coaching.
- Hearts inducted Gordon into their hall of fame in 2007 at age 24 — the youngest player ever to receive the honour.
Why it matters: At 43, Gordon was still competing at the top level — named in Scotland's World Cup squad this summer — making him one of the oldest active international goalkeepers in recent memory. His retirement closes a 25-year arc defined by two career-threatening injury comebacks (2012 and 2022), 760+ appearances, and a then-record £9m transfer to Sunderland.
