Craig Gordon Children: Meet Ace and Axel

Craig Gordon Children: Meet Ace and Axel – Craig Gordon began his career as a goalkeeper for the local team Currie Boys Football Club before joining and graduating from the Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) youth development program.

Under John McGlynn’s management, he won the Scottish Youth Cup in 1999-2000, with Hearts defeating Rangers 5-3 at Hampden Park[10], and the SPL Under-18 League in 2000-01.

In 2001, he was loaned to Cowdenbeath, a lower league club. During his time there, he continued to train with Hearts on a regular basis but also trained with Cowdenbeath twice a week.

His first professional game was against Stirl ing Albion at Forthbank, and he went on to make 13 appearances before being recalled by Hearts.

Gordon made his Hearts debut on October 6, 2002, in a 1-1 draw with Livingston. His only other appearance that season came on January 25, 2003, in a 4-0 loss to Falkirk in the third round of the Scottish Cup.

During the following season, 2003-04, he surpassed Tepi Moilanen as the regular Hearts goalkeeper, appearing in 29 league games.

Gordon made his European debut on November 6, 2003, in the first leg of Hearts’ UEFA Cup second round tie against Bordeaux in France. In Hearts’ 1-0 victory, he played well and kept a clean sheet.

Gordon signed a five-year contract with Sunderland in August 2007. The £9 million fee was the highest paid for a goalkeeper by a British club until Manchester United paid around £17 million for David de Gea in 2011. Gordon made his Sunderland debut against Tottenham Hotspur in the first game of the 2007-08 Premier League season, keeping a clean sheet as his side won 1-0.

Gordon was linked with a move to Celtic in 2011 and 2012, but he did not sign with another club for another two years due to knee injuries. During his time away from football, he was a regular on television. Gordon began coaching for Dumbarton after meeting Ian Murray while working on television.

Gordon joined Celtic in July 2014. On July 19, he made his Celtic debut, appearing in the first half of a pre-season friendly against Dynamo Dresden.

Gordon was given the number 1 jersey for the 2015-16 season, replacing the number 26 shirt he wore when he was signed. Gordon extended his contract with Celtic until 2018 in July 2015.

Gordon saved a penalty in Celtic’s 5-4 aggregate victory over Hapoel Be’er Sheva in the UEFA Champions League play-off round.

On September 28, 2016, he made his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League group stage, drawing 3-3 at home with Manchester City.

Gordon left Celtic and signed a two-year contract with Heart of Midlothian in June 2020. In his second stint with Hearts, he helped them reach the 2020 Scottish Cup Final with key saves in a semi-final win over Hibs.

Gordon captained the team against Ayr United in his 200th appearance for the club. He became the 75th player in Hearts history to accomplish this feat. His 66th shutout came in a 3-0 win for the Hearts.

He finished the season with eight consecutive clean sheets. Gordon was defeated by teammate Liam Boyce for Championship Player of the Year, but he did make the division’s Team of the Year.

Gordon made his debut for Scotland’s under-21 team in a 2-1 win over Israel in September 2002 at Hamilton. Over the next year, he appeared four more times for the under-21 team.

Gordon made his full international debut for Scotland on May 30, 2004, in a 4-1 victory over Trinidad and Tobago at Easter Road. Scotland began their World Cup qualifying campaign against Slovenia on September 8, 2004 at Hampden Park. Gordon played goal and kept a clean sheet, despite Scotland’s poor performance in a goalless draw.

Gordon established himself as Scotland’s first-choice goalkeeper throughout the campaign and under Vogts’ successor Walter Smith, playing in all ten of Scotland’s qualifying matches.