Goalkeeping great Gordon announces retirementFigure caption, Watch some of Gordon’s best savesByBrian McLauchlinBBC Sport Scotland Senior ReporterPublished16 July 2026, 10:19 BSTUpdated 10 minutes agoGoalkeeper Craig Gordon has declared his retirement from football after “living my dreams”, bringing an end to a 25-year playing career.Gordon, 43, ended his second spell at first club Heart of Midlothian this summer and was part of Scotland’s World Cup squad.”I’ve never wanted it to end, but end it must,” Gordon stated in an emotional video via his boyhood club, external. “I have lived my dreams and for that, I’m so thankful.”
He first left Tynecastle for Sunderland in 2007, with the Black Cats paying a then £9m British record fee for a goalkeeper. Gordon made one of the most famous saves in Premier League history when he denied Bolton Wanderers’ Zat Knight from close range in 2010.
However, a serious knee injury affected his time at the Stadium of Light and, at the end of his five-year spell, he entered a two-year spell out of the game rehabilitating and coaching.
Gordon joined Celtic in 2014 and won his first league title, adding four more during a medal-laden six-year spell before returning to Hearts. A double leg break in 2022 resulted in another lay-off but the veteran keeper again recovered to return to playing.
