Kieran Tierney

Kieran Tierney (born 5 June 1997) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays for Premier League side Arsenal and the Scotland national team as a left back.[5] Born on the Isle of Man, Tierney moved to Lanarkshire at a young age. He came through the Celtic youth system and made his first team debut in April 2015, and his full international debut in March 2016. He joined Arsenal in August 2019 for a fee reported at £25 million, a record amount both for a Scottish national and for a player from the Scottish league.

Kieran Tierney
Tierney celebrating Celtic's league title in 2016
Personal information
Full name Kieran Tierney[1]
Date of birth (1997-06-05) 5 June 1997[2]
Place of birth Douglas, Isle of Man[3]
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[4]
Playing position(s) Left back
Club information
Current team
 Arsenal
Number 3
Youth career
2005–2015 Celtic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2019 Celtic 102 (5)
2019– Arsenal 8 (0)
National team‡
2014–2015 Scotland U18 1 (1)
2015–2016 Scotland U19 4 (0)
2016– Scotland 12 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 25 June 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 October 2019

Club career

Early life and youth football

Born in Douglas on the Isle of Man,[3] Tierney moved to Wishaw in Scotland aged 10 months.[6] He supported Celtic as a child and signed for the club when he was 7 years old. He was educated at Motherwell schools St Brendan's RC Primary and Our Lady's High (one year group behind fellow footballers, twins Nicky and Chris Cadden)[7][8] then attended St Ninian's High School, Kirkintilloch, which has a development partnership with Celtic. He has spoken of his hope of emulating the late Tommy Gemmell, a member of the Lisbon Lions team who also grew up in Wishaw (specifically, Craigneuk) and played in the same position.[6]

He progressed through the various youth ranks and earned a reputation as a dependable wide player in the club's development squad, both in defence and attack.[9] He travelled with the first team squad on a pre-season trip to Finland in August 2014, and made his debut in a friendly against Tottenham Hotspur there. Although Celtic lost, Tierney described his first appearance for the first team as a "dream come true".[9] He continued to play in the development squad throughout 2014–15, and in October 2014 during a Development League match against Heart of Midlothian he scored a goal from the edge of his own penalty box.[10][11]

Celtic

Debut and breakthrough

Tierney made his competitive senior debut for Celtic on 22 April 2015, coming on as an 81st-minute substitute in a Scottish Premiership match against Dundee.[12] He made one further first team appearance that season, playing over an hour in a league match away at St Johnstone.[13]

Tierney enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2015–16, appearing in over 30 matches and displacing the more experienced Emilio Izaguirre as first-choice left back.[14] For his performances he was awarded with both the Players' and Writers' Young Player annual awards,[15][16] while Celtic also won the league title. Despite interest from Premier League clubs, Tierney signed a new five-year contract on 24 June 2016, keeping him at Parkhead until 2021.[17]

2016–17

After making his first appearances in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, Tierney suffered ankle ligament damage during training on 27 October 2016 and was initially ruled out of action for two months.[18] During the layoff, which caused him to miss the League Cup Final, he received treatment on a recurring shoulder injury and attended several Celtic matches as a typical supporter in the company of his childhood friends.[19]

On 22 January 2017, after missing three months, he made his long-awaited return to the Celtic team in a Scottish Cup tie against Albion Rovers.[20] Tierney was crowned PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year for the second consecutive season on 7 May, making him the first to achieve this since Craig Levein in 1986.[21] He suffered a jaw injury early in the 2017 Scottish Cup Final and had to be substituted for treatment.[22] Celtic won the match 2–1 to complete a domestic treble and perfect season. In spite of his lengthy injury absence, he featured in 40 matches during the campaign.

2017–18

On 8 August 2017, Tierney was named as captain while also moving to central defender to command a back line of teenagers in a Scottish League Cup fixture against Kilmarnock; Celtic won the game 5–0, with Tierney providing an assist and scoring with a "wonderful strike" from 40 yards.[23] On 30 October, a week after scoring in an important league victory away to closest challengers Aberdeen, he extended his contract with Celtic until 2023.[24]

By the end of the season, he had collected further personal accolades—winning both the Players' and Writers' Young Player awards for the third campaign in succession—and performed a major role in securing a historic 'double treble' for the club, making more than 50 appearances and playing the entirety of the domestic cup finals, both being 2–0 wins over Motherwell.[25][26]

2018–19

Tierney played in Celtic's victory over Aberdeen in the 2018 Scottish League Cup Final on 2 December 2018.[27] Soon afterwards a hip injury meant that he was ruled out of action, returning on 24 February 2019.[28] He then suffered from a hernia, which subsequently required surgery.[29]

Arsenal

On 8 August 2019, Tierney signed for English Premier League team, Arsenal for a reported £25 million fee.[30][31] Tierney missed the early part of the 2019–20 season, having undergone a double hernia operation in May 2019.[32] He made his first-team debut for Arsenal in a 5–0 win against Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup on 24 September.[33] Tierney assisted the first goal in a 4–0 home win against Standard Liege scored by Gabriel Martinelli a week later.[34] He made his first appearance in the Premier League on 27 October, in a 2–2 draw with Crystal Palace. His season was further disrupted after suffering a dislocated shoulder in the game against West Ham United.[35]

International career

Tierney played for Scotland at Scotland U18 and Scotland U19 levels.[36] He had also considered playing for the Ellan Vannin team that represents the Isle of Man when the ConIFA World Cup competition was being held.[3]

Tierney received his first call-up to the senior Scotland squad on 10 March 2016 for a friendly against Denmark.[37] Tierney played for the first half of the match, which Scotland won 1–0 at Hampden Park; he was replaced at the break by his Celtic teammate Charlie Mulgrew.[38]

Due to Tierney's greater adaptability compared to fellow left-back Andrew Robertson,[39] Tierney was deployed at right-back in Scotland's matches against Slovenia,[40] Lithuania and Slovakia, and on the left of a three-man defence in the fixture at home to England during World Cup qualifiers in 2017.[41]

Tierney was selected as Scotland captain for a friendly match against the Netherlands in November 2017, where he played as a central defender in a 1–0 defeat.[42]

In October 2018, Tierney scored a decisive own goal in a 2–1 loss to Israel in a UEFA Nations League fixture.[43] Speaking after the game, Robertson said that both he and Tierney were being played out of position in the 3–5–2 system adopted by Alex McLeish to accommodate both players.[44]

In November 2019, Tierney withdrew from the Scotland squad ahead of their UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers against Cyprus and Kazakhstan due to an alleged ongoing hip injury, despite now playing regularly for his club, Arsenal.[45]

Career statistics

Club
As of 20 June 2020[5]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Celtic 2014–15 Scottish Premiership2000000020
2015–16 231402040331
2016–17 241512090402
2017–18 3235041140554
2018–19 2102030141401
2019–20 00––0000
Total 10251611114111708
Arsenal 2019–20 Premier League70002040130
Career total 10951611314511838

International
As of 18:13, 12 October 2018 (UTC)
Scotland
YearAppsGoals
201620
201770
201830
Total120

Honours

Celtic

Individual

See also

References
  1. "2019/20 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  2. "Kieran Tierney: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  3. Fisher, Stewart (27 October 2015). "Kieran Tierney taking his Manx connections seriously as he embarks on Celtic career". The Herald. Newsquest. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  4. "Kieran Tierney Player Profile - ESPN FC". www.espnfc.com.
  5. "Scotland – K. Tierney – Profile with news, career statistics and history". Soccerway. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  6. Temlett, Michael (18 March 2017). "Wishaw's Kieran Tierney pays tribute to Celtic legend Tommy Gemmell". Daily Record. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  7. "Chris Cadden hopes to beat old school pal Kieran Tierney". The Scotsman. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  8. "Cadden clan descend on Hampden Park as Chris aims to upset Celtic". The Daily Telegraph. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  9. McKay, Kenny (6 August 2014). "Kieran Tierney determined to make further progress at the club". Celtic FC. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  10. McKay, Kenny (28 October 2014). "Kieran Tierney wonder goal secures Celtic win". Celtic FC. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  11. Kyle, Gregor (30 October 2014). "Video: Celtic kid Kieran Tierney scores from edge of his own penalty box". Daily Record. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  12. "Dundee vs. Celtic". Soccerway. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  13. "Games Involving Tierney, Kieran in Season 2014/2015". FitbaStats. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  14. Macpherson, Graeme (2 March 2016). "Kieran Tierney: I took Emilio Izaguirre's Celtic place but he still helps me every day". The Herald. Newsquest. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  15. "Leigh Griffiths: Celtic forward named PFA Scotland Player of the Year". BBC Sport. 1 May 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  16. "Young Player of the Year". SFWA. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  17. Barnes, John (24 June 2016). "Celtic: Kieran Tierney signs five-year contract extension". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  18. "Kieran Tierney: Celtic and Scotland defender ruled out for two months". BBC Sport. 29 October 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  19. "Injured Tierney savoured roaring on Celts in stands". The Belfast Telegraph. 4 February 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  20. Wilson, Richard (22 January 2017). "Albion Rovers 0–3 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  21. Brannan, Laura (7 May 2017). "Celtic seal a treble of awards at PFA Scotland ceremony". stv.tv. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  22. "Celtic 2 Aberdeen 1: Tom Rogic shatters Dons to secure historic clean sweep with Scottish Cup final win". The Daily Telegraph. 27 May 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  23. "Celtic 5–0 Kilmarnock". BBC Sport. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  24. "Kieran Tierney: Celtic left-back signs new six-year contract". BBC Sport. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  25. "Motherwell 0 – 2 Celtic". BBC Sport. 26 November 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  26. "Celtic 2 – 0 Motherwell". BBC Sport. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  27. "Scottish League Cup final: Celtic 1–0 Aberdeen – Rodgers leads Celtic to seventh straight domestic trophy". BBC Sport. 2 December 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  28. "Celtic star Kieran Tierney blasts Motherwell over lack of respect after sneaky throw-in goal". Daily Record. 24 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  29. Ornstein, David (22 June 2019). "Kieran Tierney: Arsenal 'optimistic' over Celtic defender deal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  30. "Kieran Tierney joins on long-term deal". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  31. "Kieran Tierney: Celtic defender completes £25m Arsenal move". BBC Sport. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  32. "Kieran Tierney: Scotland defender makes injury comeback for Arsenal U23". BBC Sport. 21 September 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  33. "Kieran Tierney: Scotland full-back enjoys impressive Arsenal debut". BBC Sport. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  34. "Arsenal 4–0 Standard Liege". BBC Sport. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  35. "Arsenal 2–2 Crystal Palace: Gunners surrender two-goal advantage as Granit Xhaka booed off". 27 October 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  36. "Kieran Tierney". scottishfa.co.uk. Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  37. "Scotland: Six new call-ups for Czech Republic and Denmark friendlies". BBC Sport. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  38. Lamont, Alasdair (30 March 2016). "Scotland 1–0 Denmark: McGinn and Tierney shine on debuts". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  39. "Andy Robertson & Kieran Tierney both must play – Gordon Strachan". BBC Sport. 8 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  40. "Scotland 1–0 Slovenia". BBC Sport. 26 March 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  41. "Scotland 2–2 England". The Guardian. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  42. "Scotland 0–1 Netherlands". BBC Sport. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  43. Matthew Lindsay (11 October 2018). "Israel 2 Scotland 1: Kieran Tierney own goal caps a miserable night for Alex McLeish's men in Haifa". Evening Times. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  44. "Andy Robertson: Kieran Tierney and I are 'both out of position'". BBC Sport. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  45. "Scotland: Andy Robertson, Ryan Fraser and Scott McTominay 'genuinely injured' - Alex Dyer". BBC Sport. 12 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  46. "Celtic celebrate fifth straight Scottish title with thumping win over Motherwell". Eurosport. 15 May 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  47. Walker, Michael (2 April 2017). "Celtic secure sixth-successive Scottish Premiership title with emphatic victory over Hearts". The Independent. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  48. "Aberdeen 0–3 Celtic: Neil Lennon's side secure eighth consecutive Scottish title". BBC Sport. 4 May 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  49. "Kieran Tierney: Celtic defender may require surgery after cup final knock". BBC Sport. 27 May 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  50. "PFA Scotland awards for Scott Brown and Kieran Tierney". Celtic FC. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  51. "Celtic's Kieran Tierney wins writers' young player of the year award". BBC Sport. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  52. "Another hat-trick of awards for Bhoy wonder Kieran Tierney". The Herald. 1 May 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  53. Manx Radio (2 May 2017). "Tierney is Celtic's best young player again". Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  54. "Captain is a treble winner at Celtic Player of the Year event". Celtic FC. 26 May 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  55. "Fan's Awards 2018 Announced". SFSA. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
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  57. "PFA SCOTLAND TEAMS OF THE YEAR 2017". PFA Scotland. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  58. "Kieran Tierney: Celtic defender is October player of the month". BBC Sport. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
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