Craig Sinclair Gordon was born on 31 December 1982 and is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian, where he is club captain, and the Scottish national team.
56 Facts About Craig Gordon
2.
Craig Gordon left Celtic and returned to Hearts in June 2020.
3.
Craig Gordon was the regular goalkeeper for the Scotland national football team between 2004 and 2010, before injuries interrupted his career, and returned to the national set-up in 2014.
4.
Craig Gordon made the Scotland national football team roll of honour, having made his 50th full international appearance for Scotland in 2017.
5.
Craig 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.
6.
Craig 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 youth development programme.
7.
Craig Gordon was loaned to lower league club Cowdenbeath in 2001.
8.
Divisional champions that season, Queens, dominated the game, but Craig Gordon's saves thwarted them time and again, with opposition manager John Connolly describing Craig Gordon's performance as "sensational".
9.
Craig Gordon made his first appearance in European competition on 6 November 2003, playing in the first leg of Hearts' UEFA Cup second round tie in France against Bordeaux.
10.
Craig Gordon was selected as SPL Young Player of the Month too for December 2003.
11.
Craig Gordon was reinstated for the Edinburgh derby match against Hibernian three days later.
12.
Craig Gordon was not listed in the squad to face Rangers on 27 January 2007, four days before the closure of the transfer window, and it was confirmed by the club that they were negotiating his transfer.
13.
In March 2007, Craig 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".
14.
Hearts failure to qualify for European competition at the season's end further increased speculation that Craig Gordon would be sold, with Sunderland and Aston Villa rumoured suitors in July 2007.
15.
On 8 November 2007, Craig Gordon was inducted into the Hearts Hall of Fame.
16.
Craig Gordon regained his place as first choice goalkeeper three games later.
17.
Craig Gordon returned to training days later, but he fractured his arm again during a training session.
18.
When Craig Gordon returned from injury, Mignolet remained the first choice goalkeeper.
19.
On 9 November 2010, Craig Gordon made his first appearance of the season away at Tottenham Hotspur.
20.
On 19 April 2011, it was revealed that Craig Gordon had undergone knee surgery to repair his knee tendon and an anterior cruciate ligament injury he had suffered.
21.
Craig Gordon was linked with Arsenal and Celtic amongst other clubs in August 2011.
22.
Craig Gordon rejected a loan move to another club to continue his rehabilitation on Wearside.
23.
Craig Gordon 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.
24.
Craig Gordon was linked with a move to Celtic in 2011 and 2012, but he did not sign with another club for two years as he continued to be troubled by knee injuries.
25.
Craig Gordon regularly did television work during his time out of football.
26.
In March 2014, Craig Gordon said that he had fully recovered from his injuries and was looking to resume his playing career.
27.
Craig Gordon's performances drew praise from his teammates, club coaches, national coach, supporters and observers.
28.
Craig Gordon was already being tagged as one of Celtic's greatest bargains.
29.
Craig Gordon shut out his former team Hearts twice in cup matches.
30.
Craig 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.
31.
One of Craig Gordon's saves away against Inter was compared to Craig Gordon Banks' save against Pele in 1970.
32.
Craig Gordon kept a clean sheet in every round of the competition, which included playing in the first Old Firm game for three years.
33.
Craig Gordon played 52 times and kept 28 clean sheets in his first season at Celtic.
34.
Craig Gordon was voted Player of the Year by the Scottish Football Writers' Association, and was selected in the PFA Scotland Premiership Team of the Year.
35.
Craig Gordon was omitted from the PFA Players' shortlist, despite having been touted amongst the favourites to win it.
36.
In July 2015, Craig Gordon signed a new contract with Celtic until 2018.
37.
Craig Gordon started the league campaign with consecutive clean sheets against Ross County and Partick Thistle.
38.
In March 2017, Craig Gordon signed a contract with Celtic that ran until 2020.
39.
Craig Gordon decided to leave Celtic in June 2020, despite having been offered a new contract, as he wanted to play more regularly.
40.
Craig Gordon 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.
41.
Against Ayr United, Craig Gordon captained the team on his 200th appearance for the club.
42.
Craig Gordon became the 75th Hearts player to reach that milestone.
43.
Craig Gordon finished the season with eight consecutive clean sheets.
44.
Craig Gordon lost out to team mate Liam Boyce for Championship Player of the Year, but did make Team of the Year for the division.
45.
Craig Gordon signed a new contract in December 2021, which is due to keep him at the club until 2024.
46.
On 24 December 2022, Craig Gordon suffered a serious leg injury following a collision with Steven Fletcher during a Scottish Premiership match against Dundee United.
47.
Craig Gordon played in goal and kept a clean sheet, although Scotland performed poorly in a goalless draw.
48.
Craig Gordon registered an assist in the Parc de Princes, after McFadden controlled Gordon's punt, turned his marker and smashed home from 35 yards.
49.
Craig 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.
50.
Craig 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 on 18 November 2014.
51.
Craig Gordon started his first Scotland match in almost five years in a friendly win versus Northern Ireland in March 2015.
52.
On 5 October 2017, Craig Gordon obtained his 50th cap versus Slovakia at Hampden Park to enter Scotland's Roll of Honour.
53.
Craig 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.
54.
Craig Gordon was picked in the Scotland squad for Euro 2020, but was an unused substitute during the tournament as Marshall played in all of Scotland's three matches.
55.
Craig Gordon became the first choice goalkeeper again in September 2021, as Marshall was no longer playing for his club.
56.
Teammate Callum McGregor said Craig Gordon was "like Peter Pan" after that game, a reference to the longevity of his performances.