Craig Gordon retires after 25-year career and 84 Scotland caps

Craig Gordon has retired from football at 43, closing a 25-year career that began with his professional debut in 2001 and stretched to more than 760 appearances for Hearts, Celtic, Sunderland, Cowdenbeath and Scotland.

Gordon won 84 caps for Scotland after making his international debut in 2004, and his career trophy haul reached 15 major honours. The first came with Hearts in the 2005/06 season, when he helped deliver the Scottish Cup, the title that marked the start of a long spell at the top of the Scottish game.

Hearts framed both ends of Gordon’s career. He began there as a young goalkeeper and finished there as a veteran presence at Tynecastle Park, after spells with Sunderland, Celtic and a loan move to Cowdenbeath. His move back into the Hearts first-team picture came after a serious injury layoff, and his persistence kept him in contention long after many goalkeepers have stepped away.

That late-career durability had already become part of the story before the retirement announcement. In May 2025, Gordon agreed a one-year Hearts contract extension that ran until the summer of 2026. The following month, he said the 2025/26 season could be his last, while preparing for a testimonial against Sunderland that had been scheduled for 26 July 2025.

His importance to Scotland also lingered into his 40s. Steve Clarke named Gordon in Scotland’s 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup in May, despite the goalkeeper missing most of Hearts’ season through injury. Clarke said Gordon “deserves” his place, a reminder that Scotland still valued his experience, composure and standards in a position where judgement and recovery matter as much as reflexes.

Gordon’s last Scotland appearance before that recall came in March 2025 against Greece. By then, he had already done what few goalkeepers manage: return from a long injury setback, reclaim a place at the highest level and remain nationally relevant deep into his 40s.