CRAIG GORDON RETIRES AFTER 25-YEAR FOOTBALL CAREER

Craig Gordon announced his retirement from professional football on Wednesday, concluding a 25-year playing career. The goalkeeper, aged 43, ended his second spell at Heart of Midlothian this summer and featured in Scotland's World Cup squad. Gordon made 766 first-team appearances across his career, including 84 senior caps for Scotland, and accrued 30 international clean sheets.

Gordon first departed Hearts for Sunderland in 2007 in a then-British record transfer fee of £9 million for a goalkeeper. During his five-year tenure at the Stadium of Light, he made a noted save against Bolton Wanderers' Zat Knight in the Premier League in 2010, though a serious knee injury curtailed his time there. He subsequently spent two years rehabilitating and coaching before joining Celtic in 2014, where he won five Scottish Premiership titles across a six-year spell. A double leg break in 2022 interrupted his career once more, yet he returned to playing thereafter.

Gordon collected silverware throughout his career, including five League Cup medals, three Scottish Cup medals and a Scottish Championship title with Hearts in 2021. His final appearance came in Scotland's pre-World Cup friendly against Curacao in May, with his last Hearts match a 2-2 draw against former club Celtic in January. The Edinburgh native is scheduled to bid farewell to Hearts supporters at Friday's friendly against Rayo Vallecano at Tynecastle.