Scott Brown

At 39 years old, Scott Brown has this physical status:

Scott Brown (born 25 June 1985) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Celtic. Brown began his career with Hibernian, progressing to the team's first team in 2002.

The 2006–07 Scottish League Cup was Hibs' only trophy; in that season, he also received the SFWA Young Player of the Year award.

In May 2007, he was transfered to Celtic for £4.4 million, the highest transfer fee paid between two Scottish clubs. The club has won nine Scottish championships, five Scottish cups, and six Scottish League Cups during Brown's tenure at Celtic.

Since 2011, he has led the club to eight consecutive championships, as well as two trebles in 2016–17, 2017–19.

He has been Celtic's captain since February 2010, and has made more European appearances for Celtic than any other player.

In 2008–09 and 2017–18, he has been named as the PFA Scotland Player of the Year twice, as well as the Scottish Footballer of the Year award in 2017–18. Brown played for Scotland at under-19 and under-21 levels before making his international debut in November 2005 at the age of 20.

He did not play for Scotland again until March 2007, but later became a regular in the squad.

In a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification win over Macedonia, he scored his first goal for the senior team against Macedonia on September 5, 2009.

In March 2016, he earned his 50th cap and was inducted into Scotland's Scottish FA International Roll of Honour.

Early life

Brown was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, on June 25, 1985. He attended Dale Bay Primary School, Hill of Beath Primary School, and Beath High School. Jim Baxter, a former Rangers and Scotland player, was also born in the village, and a monument to him stands across the road from the house where Brown grew up in.

Personal life

Fiona Brown's younger sister died of skin cancer in May 2008, aged 21. Tommy Burns, the Celtic first team coach, died of the same illness just two weeks after. Brown has a tattoo on his right forearm corresponding with his sister's dates of birth and death; he later had words from a well-known funeral poem tattooed next to this.

Brown married Lisa Taylor in June 2009 in Cyprus for a small wedding. The couple have three sons as of May 2021, named Sonny, Kit, and Shay.

Brown bought a house in Edinburgh's Cramond neighborhood for £1.475 million shortly after signing for Celtic. In August 2012, he made the house available for purchase. Since 2014, Brown has been an ambassador for the Homeless World Cup.

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Club career

Brown lived with Falkirk in his youth. Rangers expressed excitement around this time, but told him that he was too small to make the grade. Hibernian John Park was recruited by the company's chief scout John Park at the age of 13. Heather is a regular visitor to Hibernian training sessions in Edinburgh and Motherwell, where he was coached by Gordon Rae and Keith Wright, among others.

Brown joined Hibernian as a professional in 2002 and made his debut as a replacement in a 3–1 victory over Aberdeen on May 3, 2003. "I was really worried when I started, but that soon faded when I became involved in the sport." Brown, 17 years old, said. In the match, he helped set up all three of Hibs' goals. In a 1–0 victory over Motherwell, Brown made his first appearance in his first start the following week. Brown then started scoring in both of Hibs' remaining two matches of the season, a double in a 2–1 victory over Livingston and a 3–2 loss to Partick Thistle. Brown was part of a "Golden Generation" for Hibs, which also included players such as Kevin Thomson, Garry O'Connor, Derek Riordan, Steven Whittaker, and Steven Fletcher, who all advanced through their youth team at the same time.

Brown was a regular in the Hibernian team in the 2003–04 season, appearing 41 times in all leagues and scoring four goals. Despite finishing eighth in the SPL, Hibs advanced to the 2004 League Cup final, defeating both Celtic and Rangers en route, but losing 2–0 to Livingston in the final. Brown appeared in all of the games in the Cup of Play and scored in the 9–0 victory over Montrose in the third round.

Hibs enjoyed greater success under new manager Tony Mowbray's guidance, finishing third in the 2004–05 Scottish Premier League. Brown missed four months of the season due to a back injury sustained against Celtic. He had only 23 games, scoring just twice, but it was his second goal in a 3–1 victory over Celtic Park on Friday.

The 2005-06 season was also marred by injury, as Brown missed the bulk of the second half of the season due to a broken leg sustained in a challenge by Hearts midfielder Julien Brellier. He therefore missed out on the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat over Hearts. Brown recovered from injury in the last Edinburgh derby of the season, when he was recalled as a replacement in a 2–1 win for Hibs. In March 2006, Brown signed a new Hibs deal.

Brown emerged as one of Scotland's top players during the 2006-07 season. Brown defeated Kilmarnock 5–1 in the League Cup final, helping Hibs win their first trophy in 16 years. After Brown's home game against Dundee United on December 2, 2006, he turned over a transfer request to Tommy Craig, the Hibernian assistant manager. Willie McKay, Brown's newest employee, was reported to have taken the action on Brown's suggestion. Scotland boss Walter Smith chastised Brown and colleague Kevin Thomson for not taking enough responsibility in their Hibs dealings, considering that they had both signed the team's new terms.

Brown denied reworking his transfer request on January 31, 2007 and was now content to work with Hibernian through the remainder of his term, which was set to end in mid-2009. Despite this, media rumors continued to predict that he will change. Kevin Thomson, who had signed for Rangers in January 2007, said he had spoken to Brown about joining him at Rangers. Reading said they had reached an agreement with Hibernian to sign Brown, but the player refused to move, citing:

At the end of the 2007–08 season, reading had been relegated. Brown has decided to move to Rangers amid raging rumors that he will move to Rangers, with Rangers followers yelling him that Brown will sign for them. Brown was excited about being a part of such a strong team and the opportunity to compete in the UEFA Champions League, according to Willie McKay. Brown was sold for £4.4 million, the most significant transfer fee exchange between two Scottish clubs. Duncan Ferguson's £4 million transfer from Dundee United to Rangers was the previous record. Brown scored in his last game for Hibs, against Celtic, for whom he had promised to sign the previous week. Both groups of supporters applauded him during the game.

On August 5, Brown scored a goalless draw against Kilmarnock on his first appearance at Celtic. In a 1–1 draw at Spartak Moscow ten days later, he made his UEFA Champions League debut. To keep the scores level, Brown took a header off the Celtic goal line. Celtic defeated Hearts 5–0 on August 25th, his first goal for the Celtic team. He appeared in Spartak's return leg four days later. Brown earned a penalty in extra time, but Hesselink's Jan Vennegoor had it missed it. Celtic went on to win the resulting penalty shootout to qualify for the Champions League group stage. Brown beat St Mirren 5-1 on September 2nd, just one week after scoring against Hearts. He was involved in Celtic's 2–1 victory over Milan, the reigning European champions.

During Celtic's 1–0 victory over Benfica on Friday, Brown was the subject of a tough tackle by Gilles Binya, but he was unhurt. Following the difficult challenge, Binya was then banned for six matches in Europe. Celtic placed second in their Champions League group with nine points. In the first leg, they were paired with Barcelona in the last 16, but Brown lost by a 3–2 defeat, but they were forced to miss the 3–2 loss in the first leg due to suspension. He returned for the second leg of the Camp Nou, where Celtic lost 1–0. In April 2008, Brown was suspended for three league games, two Old Firm games. Manager Gordon Strachan selected Barry Robson and Paul Hartley for the final weeks of the season due to his suspension. Brown made 48 appearances for Celtic in his first season with the club, scoring three goals.

Strachan lauded Brown for re-inventing himself as a more defensive-minded player early in the 2009–09 season. Despite being deployed on defensive service, Brown achieved some goals, such as against his former club Hibernian on October 25. In October 2008, Brown was named SPL Player of the Month for the month. He was linked to a £9 million transfer to Portsmouth in January, with Tottenham Hotspur also showing an interest in him. Brown said he did not want to leave Celtic and that he was happy with the team. He was named by FIFA as one of their top players to watch in 2009 later this month. In a 7–0 victory over St Mirren on February 28, he scored his first brace for Celtic. In the 2009 League Cup Final, Brown was named Man of the match, with Celtic defeated Rangers 2–0 at Hampden Park. For the 2008–2009 season, he was named SPFA Player of the Year. He missed the last Old Firm game of the season, which Celtic lost 11-0. Rangers regained the championship from Celtic thanks to this loss. He suffered an ankle injury early in the season and had to have injections in order to play matches. Brown appeared 48 times for Celtic during the 2008–09 season, scoring seven goals.

Tony Mowbray, Brown's former Hibs boss, following Strachan's departure at the end of the 2008–09 season, became Celtic boss. Brown underwent surgery during pre-season to fix his ankle injury, but this didn't work and he played games despite not being 100% fit. Celtic got off to a promising start in their league season, going into their first Old Firm match four points ahead of Rangers, but they lost 2–1. Celtic won Champions League qualifying over Dynamo Moscow, but Arsenal lost the play-off to Arsenal, effectively taking them out of the Europa League group stage. Brown's last action of the year came on October 22nd, 2009, when Celtic initially decided to suspend him in another attempt to repair the ankle injury. This was unsuccessful, and he underwent a second operation in Rotterdam to try and resolve his ankle injury.

Brown came back as a replacement in a 1–0 loss to Kilmarnock in February 2010, during which he took over the team's captaincy. Brown will take over Celtic captaincy later this week, according to Mowbray. Brown was kicked out in his third Old Firm game of the season after a spat with Rangers player Kyle Lafferty. Brown's dismissal of the offer was described as "harsh," according to BBC Sport. Celtic fired Mowbray in March 2010 and replaced by Neil Lennon, who worked initially on a caretaker basis. Celtic defeated their remaining eight league games of the season after this. Brown played in all of them and was able to score in Celtic's 3–1 victory over Kilmarnock on March 27th, Lennon's first match under Lennon's first match in charge. Brown was involved in Celtic's 2–0 Scottish Cup semi-final loss to First Division side Ross County on April 10th. Celtic will finish the season without a trophy for the first time in seven years if they were knocked out of the tournament. Brown apologised to the Celtic fans for the team's appearance after the match and said that it was the players', not the manager's fault.

Neil Lennon retained Brown as captain after being brought on a permanent basis during the summer because he had contributed a lot to Lennon's survival. Brown appeared in several of Celtic's games from the start of the 2010–11 season. He scored his first goal for the club since March when he scored a "superb volley" against Hibernian on September 25. Brown fought in Celtic's 3–1 victory over Hamilton on October 2nd before going to international service. During the game that was declared to be a metatarsal injury, he sustained an injury that could force him to miss six weeks. Celtic later announced that he had in fact suffered a stress reaction in a metatarsal on his right foot and that he would be out for about ten weeks. Lennon expressed concern about the injury while Brown had been one of Celtic's key players. Despite initial concerns that Brown would be out before the new year, he returned to Celtic on Boxing Day as they defeated St Johnstone 2–0 at home. Celtic beat Motherwell 1–0 in their second match in three days, but Brown was suspended after receiving a second yellow card in the 89th minute. He would have to miss the upcoming Old Firm match on January 2nd, which would have been postponed.

Brown beat Rangers in a Scottish Cup tie at Ibrox on February 6, 2011, gaining Celtic a replay. Throughout much of the game, Brown and El Hadji Diouf, who had played on Celtic's right wing, had exchanged terms. Brown turned to Diouf and raised his arms in a rousing celebration after scoring his goal. They remained feud in the media the next day after the match. Brown later said that his altercations were "just a bit of banter" who he often encountered on the pitch, and that the yellow card he received for his celebration was the best of his life two days after the match. Several days later, Lennon announced in public that he wanted to commit a new deal with Brown. Kyle Bartley, a Scottish Cup replay, said that not many Rangers players liked Brown and that they would be targeting him in the next game.

Brown was booked in Celtic's penultimate league match against Kilmarnock, which led him to go over the disciplinary points threshold and be suspended for the first two matches of the 2011-12 season. Celtic defeated Motherwell 3–0 in the 2011 Scottish Cup Final, which Brown helped Celtic reach the Scottish Cup Final. He was able to win his first trophy as the Celtic captain, thanks to his hard work. During the 2010–11 season, Brown played 39 times for Celtic, scoring four goals. He was often used on the right of midfield, partly due to the fact that other central midfielders, such as Beram Kayal, Joe Ledley, and Ki Sung-Yueng, were able to play in diverse locations rather than others.

Newcastle United were linked with a £6 million bid for Brown as a replacement for their outgoing captain Kevin Nolan at the 2011-12 season. Brown said he did not want to leave Celtic and that he felt honored to be the captain. He also said that he wanted to sign a new deal as his current one was to end at the end of the season. Internazionale and Juventus were also reportedly trying to sign him on a free transfer if he did not sign a new one. Brown revealed on August that he would sign a new deal in the next few weeks after lengthy talks. Brown's first match of the new season was Scotland's 2–1 victory over Denmark on August 10th, owing to his SPL suspension suffered at the end of the 2010-2011 season. In this match, he suffered an ankle injury, but he continued to play in Celtic and the next international match. On September 10, he missed Celtic's 4–0 victory over Motherwell due to the injury and then the 2–0 loss to Atlético Madrid five days later.

On September 18, 2011, he returned for his first Old Firm match of the season, but he was forced to leave early in the game after suffering a new outbreak of the disease. Brown had been one of Celtic's finest players, according to Neil Lennon, who had been involved in both of the team's goals after the 4–2 loss. Celtic said after the game that Brown Brown will need to go and see a consultant and will be out of action for several months. Brown returned from the bench on October 30th, against Atlético Madrid as a second-half substitute. He was able to talk to other clubs about the signing of a pre-contract agreement the next day. Brown, on the other hand, signed a new three-year contract on December 3rd, with Celtic also having the option of extending his contract for a further season. Celtic were unable to pay the fee requested by Brown's consultants because the transaction had been postponed for so long. Brown won a 2–0 away victory over St Mirren on January 21, 2012, marking his comeback. In a 3–1 League Cup semi-final victory over Falkirk, he then scored a penalty against Falkirk on January 30. In Celtic's 2–0 win over Inverness five days later, he responded with another penalty. Brown was then named Player of the Month for January 2012. Brown scored a penalty in Celtic's 3–2 loss to Rangers on March 25, 2012.

Brown kicked out at Neymar in the second UEFA Champions League match of the group stage against Barcelona on October 1, 2013 and was dismissed in the 59th minute. The sending off happened with 0–0, and Cesc Fàbregas would score the only goal of the game to give Barcelona a 1–0 win.

Brown sustained a hamstring strain in a pre-season friendly match against Rapid Vienna in July 2014. In a Europa League group match against FC Red Bull Salzburg, he scored a goal in his first full game after injury, a 2–2 draw. Brown signed a four-year contract extension in November 2014, keeping him at the Parkhead club until 2018. In a 2–1 loss at Dundee United on December 21, 2014, he made his 300th appearance for Celtic. In the 2014–15 season, he made 48 appearances in all competitions, five times.

In a 6–0 home win over Dundee on September 20, 2015, his only goal of the 2015-16 season came.

Brown defeated Hapoel Be'er Sheva 5–2 in a Champions League play-off match on Saturday, marking his first goal of the 2016–17 season. On October 1, 2016, he scored his 25th league goal of his career in a 1–0 away victory over Dundee, and his 400th appearance for Celtic in a 1–0 victory over St Johnstone on Jan. 25.

Brown was named PFA Scotland Player of the Year for the 2017–18 season in April 2018, becoming the second player (after Henrik Larsson) to win the award twice. Brown was also named the SFWA Footballer of the Year for 2017–18, a season in which Celtic won their second straight treble (double treble) in a row. In May 2018, he was given a testimonial match by Celtic, against a Republic of Ireland XI at Celtic Park.

Brown was seated on the bench when Celtic defeated Aberdeen in the 2018 Scottish League Cup Final on Sunday, winning seven trophies in a row. He made his 500th appearance for the club in the same month. He had already set a personal record at the start of the season by playing in his 100th UEFA club fixture, becoming the first Scottish player to do so.

Brown turned down an invitation to join new Australian team Western Melbourne FC and other international opportunities, instead extending his deal with Celtic until summer 2021, indicating that if it comes to an end, he will probably withdraw from playing.

Brown was involved in many incidents during a crucial Old Firm match against Rangers at Celtic Park, including a red card issued to Brown for elbowing Brown to the head, Ryan Kent shoving Brown to his head with a closed fist after the final whistle, when Brown celebrated ecstatically in front of the small group of visiting supporters. Brown was seen smiling and joking about the Rangers players involved, having successfully antagoned them. His behavior varied, but Police Scotland decided that it was a matter for the football authorities. Brown was charged by the SFA with "failing to act in the best interest of Scottish football" as a result of his conduct at the final hearing, but the verdict was not delivered at the hearing on April 26th.

Brown made his 600th appearance for Celtic on December 6, 2020, when the two teams met in a 1–1 draw with St Johnstone. In a 2–2 draw on 20 January 2021, Jaze Kabia, a striking Livingston player, received a straight red card after coming off from the bench for a striking Livingston player Jaze Kabia. Brown's 14-year contract with the club came to an end on March 25th, as he had signed a pre-contract agreement with Aberdeen.

Brown will join Aberdeen on July 1 in a player-coach role on a two-year deal as assistant manager to manager Stephen Glass, who was announced on March 25th. Brown scored for Aberdeen against rival Rangers at Ibrox on October 27th, resulting in a 2–2 draw. Brown left Aberdeen in March 2022, just after Jim Goodwin was fired as the manager. He left Aberdeen because a coaching role would not be open under Goodwin, and that he would look for a teaching role elsewhere.

Brown officially announced his retirement from professional football on May 6th, 2022; he earned himself 55 Scotland caps during two seasons; Brown earned his second major awards during his 19-year career.

International career

Brown was a regular in the Scotland national under-21 football team coached by Rainer Bonhof, who referred Brown to contacts in his native Germany. Brown made his Scotland debut as a 74th-minute replacement for Garry O'Connor in a 1–1 friendly home draw against the United States on November 12, 2005. Brown, according to Scotland boss Walter Smith, who had selected eight players under the age of 23 years old, did well and dubbed him a "chirpy lad." Brown was recalled to the under-21 squad for the match against Lithuania in September 2006, but he was later moved to the full squad. In October 2006, Brown was selected for the full squad for the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against France and Ukraine, but he was not used in either game.

Brown made his competitive debut for Scotland in March 2007, replacing Gary Teale as a replacement for Gary Teale in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Georgia. Brown made his first appearance for Scotland in the following match, a 2–0 loss to 2006 World Cup champions Italy, after he did well in that appearance. Brown began as a regular pick for Scotland's national team in September 2007, defeating 2006 World Cup runners-up France at the Parc des Princes. Brown was dubbed a player to watch on 2009 by FIFA.com as a player to watch in 2009. In a 2–0 win over Macedonia in a 2010 World Cup qualifying match, he scored his first goal for Scotland on September 5, 2009.

Brown scored his first goal of the Craig Levein period in a 1–0 victory over the Czech Republic on March 3rd 2010. He then started the first two matches of Scotland's Euro 2012 qualifying tournament, starting with a 0–0 draw against Lithuania and a 2–1 win over Liechtenstein. Due to injury, he postponed the next two matches, losses against the Czech Republic, and 2010 World Cup champion Spain. Brown was one of Scotland's most popular players under Levein, with both boss and assistant Peter Houston expressing admiration for Brown's energy and appearance. In the absence of Darren Fletcher, Brown was considered a potential captain for the 2011 Nations Cup match against Northern Ireland, but Levein decided to hand over the armband to Kenny Miller. Brown was forced to miss the game due to injury.

Brown had been accepted to the 2012 Olympics on December 22, 2011, but it was not necessarily chosen for the squad that competed at the Games.

He appeared in four 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying games, and was appointed captain by new Scotland manager Gordon Strachan in February 2013 following incumbent Darren Fletcher's bouts with illness. In consecutive 1–0 away friendly victories over Norway and Poland, Brown scored his third and fourth international goals.

Brown won by 1–0 home over Denmark on March 29, earning him a spot on the roll of honour. In August 2016, he declared his intention to withdraw from international football in order to dedicate all of his energies to his club team. In October 2016, he reversed his decision and appeared in some 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification matches. Brown announced his retirement from international football in February 2018 for the second time.

Managerial career

Brown joined Aberdeen as a player-coach in 2021 after he was released from Celtic as a player-coach, working as an assistant manager to Stephen Glass in addition to his duties on the track. Brown's job as assistant manager was immediately given to Lee Sharp after Glass' dismissal in February 2022. Brown will leave Aberdeen in May 2022 and immediately shift to full-time coaching; he cited a desire to teach elsewhere.

Brown was appointed head coach of Fleetwood Town's EFL League One side on May 12th.

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