49 Facts About Allan McGregor

1.

Allan James McGregor was born on 31 January 1982 and is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Scottish Premiership club Rangers.

2.

Allan McGregor made over 200 appearances for Rangers, winning 11 major honours in the process, including a hat-trick of league titles in 2009,2010 and 2011, three Scottish Cups and five Scottish League Cups.

3.

In May 2018, Allan McGregor signed a two-year contract with Rangers.

4.

Allan McGregor made his full international debut for Scotland in May 2007.

5.

Allan McGregor made 42 appearances for Scotland in total, and announced his retirement from international play in March 2019.

6.

Allan McGregor made his first team debut in February 2002 in a Scottish Cup match against Forfar Athletic and his Scottish Premier League debut against Aberdeen aged 20.

7.

Allan McGregor featured consistently for St Johnstone and kept six consecutive clean sheets for the club.

8.

Allan McGregor made 24 appearances in total for the club and kept 11 clean sheets.

9.

Allan McGregor played consistently for Rangers, but manager Alex McLeish signed Dutch keeper Ronald Waterreus on deadline day in January 2005, a move which angered McGregor.

10.

Allan McGregor played for Dunfermline in the 2006 Scottish League Cup final, losing to Celtic, and made 31 appearances in all competitions, keeping seven clean sheets.

11.

Allan McGregor was then awarded the man of the match award for his performance in Rangers Uefa Cup qualifying match against Molde.

12.

When Letizi was injured again, Allan McGregor returned in goal and was confirmed as first choice by Le Guen even after Letizi returned from injury.

13.

The incident was not caught on television cameras and Allan McGregor denied headbutting De Bruno.

14.

In September 2007 Allan McGregor signed a new four-year contract with Rangers.

15.

Allan McGregor continued to be Rangers' number one the following season, despite the arrival and subsequent departure of former Manchester United goalkeeper Roy Carroll.

16.

Allan McGregor made his 100th appearance for Rangers in a league match against Hibernian in March 2008.

17.

Allan McGregor saved two penalties and Rangers went on to win the shoot-out and the League Cup.

18.

Allan McGregor had to be substituted shortly after and didn't play again that season through injury, missing out on both the 2008 Scottish Cup Final and Rangers European run to the 2008 UEFA Cup Final.

19.

Allan McGregor was a regular in the side, up until the Boozegate scandal which saw himself and Ferguson dropped by both club and country and was replaced as the Rangers number one by Neil Alexander.

20.

In October 2010 Allan McGregor was given a one match retrospective ban by the SFA for kicking out at Aberdeen player Chris Maguire even though no contact was made.

21.

On 4 July 2011, it was announced by Rangers that Allan McGregor had signed a new six-year contract with the club.

22.

Allan McGregor made a legal objection to his contract being transferred to the new company, and became a free agent.

23.

On 26 July 2012, Allan McGregor joined Turkish club Besiktas on a two-year contract, after undergoing a medical in Istanbul.

24.

Five minutes into his debut, Allan McGregor conceded a penalty, mistiming a punch and subsequently hitting Fernando Torres in the head.

25.

Allan McGregor made up for it however, as he saved the resulting penalty from Frank Lampard.

26.

Allan McGregor was loaned to Cardiff City in January 2017 to bolster his fitness before he could play for Hull again.

27.

Allan McGregor left Hull in the summer of 2018, having rejected the offer of a new contract.

28.

In May 2018, Allan McGregor accepted the offer of a two-year contract with Rangers.

29.

In December 2019, Rangers and Allan McGregor agreed to extend his contract by a year.

30.

At the start of December 2020, Allan McGregor set a club record for appearances in UEFA competitions.

31.

Allan McGregor helped Rangers reach the 2022 UEFA Europa League Final, which they lost on penalties to Eintracht Frankfurt.

32.

Allan McGregor then appeared as a substitute in their 2022 Scottish Cup Final victory against Hearts.

33.

On 20 June 2022, Allan McGregor signed a new one-year contract with Rangers.

34.

Allan McGregor made his 500th competitive appearance for Rangers in a league match with Dundee United on 1 April 2023.

35.

Allan McGregor was capped six times at under-21 level before representing the senior national side.

36.

Allan McGregor made his international debut against Austria on 30 May 2007, playing the first half in goal before being substituted.

37.

Allan McGregor received his second cap for Scotland after coming on as a second-half substitute for Craig Gordon in a friendly against Northern Ireland at Hampden in August 2008.

38.

Allan McGregor made his first competitive start for Scotland when he was selected ahead of Craig Gordon for Scotland's 2010 World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands.

39.

On 3 April 2009, Allan McGregor was banned from representing Scotland again after multiple breaches of squad discipline.

40.

Allan McGregor later apologised and was docked two weeks' wages by Rangers.

41.

Allan McGregor was on the verge of being recalled to the national team by manager Craig Levein, but was omitted from the squad after he was attacked on the way home from a night out in Glasgow city centre.

42.

Allan McGregor made a number of important saves in the match to prevent a heavier defeat.

43.

Allan McGregor was named as first choice goalkeeper for Scotland's Euro 2012 qualifying matches in 2010, starting the first two matches against Lithuania and Liechtenstein.

44.

Spain internationalist Pablo Hernandez believed Allan McGregor to be a world class goalkeeper and said, "He made some amazing saves, it was a fantastic performance,".

45.

Allan McGregor remained first choice goalkeeper for Scotland when he was selected for the friendly against Brazil at the Emirates Stadium London in March 2011.

46.

Allan McGregor was then selected for Scotland's first match in the Nations Cup against Northern Ireland in Dublin.

47.

Allan McGregor then received his 12th and 13th caps in the tournaments matches against Wales, and Ireland.

48.

Allan McGregor started both international matches against Denmark and Czech Republic in August and September 2011 but was criticised for making a mistake in the friendly game against Denmark which cost Scotland a goal.

49.

Allan McGregor announced his retirement from international football in March 2019, having made 42 appearances for Scotland.