User:MCG27/sandbox
Ryan Patrick Kevin McGurran (born 15 October 2007) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains both Premier League club Southampton and the Republic of Ireland national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, McGurran has won six Ballon d'Or awards, and a record eight European Golden Shoes. He has won 32 trophies in his career, including nine league titles, three UEFA Champions Leagues, and three FIFA Club World Cups. McGurran holds the records for most goals in the history of English football (538), most goals in a calendar year (97), and most international goals (105). McGurran has scored over 910 official senior career goals for club and country, making him the top goalscorer of all time.
McGurran began his senior career with Southampton, before signing with Celtic in 2027. He would go on to win three consecutive Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups, the UEFA Europa League and the FIFA Club World Cup; at age 21, he broke the record for most goals in a Scottish Premiership season with 56 goals. McGurran subsequently signed for Liverpool in 2030. He became a key contributor under manager Arne Slot and formed an attacking trio with Crysencio Summerville and Ben Doak which was integral to the team winning three trebles. During this period, he won 5 Ballon d'Or awards, and was runner up twice. He also became the club's all-time top goalscorer, the all-time top goalscorer in English top-flight football, and was the Premier League top scorer for six consecutive seasons between 2032 and 2038. With Liverpool, McGurran won three Champions Leagues, six Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two UEFA Super Cups and two Club World Cups. In 2039, he rejoined Southampton as a free agent.
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McGurran with Ireland at the 2038 World Cup | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ryan Patrick Kevin McGurran | ||
| Date of birth | 15 October 2007 (age 35) | ||
| Place of birth | Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, United States | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Southampton | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2023-2024 | Sligo Rovers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024–2027 | Southampton | 86 | (32) |
| 2025–2026 | → Gent (loan) | 36 | (20) |
| 2027–2030 | Celtic | 69 | (87) |
| 2030 | → Liverpool (loan) | 16 | (19) |
| 2030–2039 | Liverpool | 298 | (497) |
| 2039– | Southampton | 111 | (103) |
| International career | |||
| 2025– | Republic of Ireland | 150 | (105) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early Life
Club Career
Southampton
At age 16, McGurran was signed by Southampton from Sligo Rovers' academy. On 12 September 2024, McGurran, then 16, played his first official match for the senior team, in an EFL League One at St Mary's Stadium against Bristol Rovers. He came on in the 56th minute in place of Ryan Fraser. He helped the Saints reach promotion to the EFL Championship that season
Loan to Gent
After his remarkable debut season, he was sent on loan to Jupiler Pro League club Gent. There McGurran was a regular starter and helped Gent reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League as win Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year.
Return to Southampton
In McGurran's third season contracted to Southampton, he was EFL League One's top goalscorer and was their best player in their run to the league title. He began to gain attention from top clubs after he scored a brace in a 2-1 victory against heavy favourites Newcastle United in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
McGurran agreed to join Scottish Premiership club Celtic as a free agent at the end of the season.
Celtic
McGurran made his debut as a substitute in a 2-1 loss away at Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish Premiership on 31 July 2027 and received a standing ovation when he came on for Daizen Maeda. His performance earned praise from Dalglish, who hailed it as "undoubtedly the most exciting debut" he had ever seen. McGurran scored his first goal for Celtic in a 1-0 win in the Old Firm Derby on 29 August. He scored more goals that season before injury sidelined him.
In his next season for Celtic he helped them win the treble by winning the league, cup, and Europa League. In the league, he broke the record for most goals in a season by netting 58 goals. The record was held previously by Willie McFadyen, who set it 97 years earlier in 1932. In the Europa League, he scored once in a remarkable comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals, where Celtic scored three times in fifteen minutes to reach the final against Olympique Lyonnais.
In his final season in Glasgow, he helped them win the Super Cup by scoring a brace in a 2-1 against Liverpool. He then scored again in the Club World Cup final. Midway through the season, he was nominated for the Ballon d'Or. Over the course of the 2029–2030 season, his representatives suggested the player to Chelsea manager Roberto De Zerbi and Barcelona president Joan Laporta. Manager Xabi Alonso, who was interested in signing McGurran, met with him at Real Madrid's stadium in November to discuss a possible transfer.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot was determined to acquire McGurran on a permanent move urgently, after Celtic defeated Liverpool 2-1 in the 2029 UEFA Super Cup Final. Initially, Liverpool had planned to sign McGurran and loan him back to Celtic for a year. Having been impressed by him, the Liverpool players urged Slot to sign him. After the game, Slot agreed to sign McGurran on loan that January.
Liverpool
During the 2030 January transfer window, McGurran joined Liverpool for a world record transfer fee at the time of £240 million (€280 million). His contract, which ran until 2036, was worth €45 million per year.
2030–2033: First Quadruple
McGurran made his Premier League debut against Norwich City on 16 January, scoring once in a 5–2 home win. He scored in each of his first four league games, the first Liverpool player to do so since Mohamed Salah in 2017. His first Champions League goals for the club followed with a goal in each leg in the quarter–final against Atletico Madrid. He received his first red card in England in a match against Newcastle United. He finished the season with 34 goals in 28 games and became Liverpool's highest goalscorer that season, despite only being there for half a season.
His subsequent return to Ballon d'Or winning form continued into the following season. This was epitomized when he became one of the few players to score 5 goals in a Premier League match during a 6–2 rout against Watford on his 23rd birthday. Ronaldo scored further hattricks against Birmingham City, Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland and Crystal Palace. Despite his performances, he did not make the top three in the 2030 FIFA Ballon d'Or.
During the following season, McGurran found further success and scored 39 goals. He helped get Liverpool back into the top four to achieve Champion's League qualification. He also became the fasted player to score 100 goals for Liverpool when he scored against Everton on 23 February 2032, a milestone reached in in just 105 games. He also became the first player to score against all 19 opposition teams in a Premier League season.
in the 2032–33 season, McGurran established himself as one of the world's best. He broke the premier league record for goals in a season in just 23 games when he scored against Fulham on 27 January 2032. He also led Liverpool to a historic quadruple, making them the first English team to accomplish the feat. He scored the winning goal in the 87th minute of the Champions League final against Real Madrid, at the San Siro
2033–2036: First Ballon d'Or wins
Following the 2033–34 winter break, he captained Liverpool for the first time in an official match, scoring twice to lift 10-man Liverpool to a 4–3 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on 6 January. He also made his 500th club game that January in a game against rivals Manchester United. He scored his 200th goal for Liverpool on 8 May in a 6–2 win against AFC Bournemouth, reaching the landmark in 197 games. Liverpool would win their first Premier League title since 2029 this season with 95 points. In the first knockout round of the Champions League, McGurran faced his former club Celtic for the first time. After scoring the equalizer in a 1–1 draw at home, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 win on his first return to Celtic Park. He did not celebrate scoring against his former club as a mark of respect.
At the start of the 2035–36 season, McGurran signed a new contract that extended his stay by three years to 2039, with a salary of €70 million net, making him briefly the highest-paid player in football.
International Career
Player Profile
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National
cup |
League
cup |
Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Southampton | 2024–25 | EFL League One | 47 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 53 | 21 | |
| 2026–27 | EFL League One | 45 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 2 | 50 | 16 | ||
| Total | 82 | 30 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | 9 | 2 | 103 | 37 | |||
| Gent (loan) | 2025–26 | Belgian Pro League | 38 | 20 | 2 | 1 | — | 12 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 56 | 31 | |
| Celtic | 2027–28 | Scottish Premiership | 9 | 17 | 3 | 2 | — | 6 | 3 | — | 18 | 22 | ||
| 2028–29 | Scottish Premiership | 36 | 71 | 3 | 6 | — | 15 | 14 | — | 56 | 91 | |||
| 2029–30 | Scottish Premiership | 8 | 3 | 4 | — | 6 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 25 | 19 | 25 | ||
| Total | 57 | 96 | 9 | 12 | — | 27 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 99 | 132 | |||
| Liverpool
(loan) |
2030 | Premier League | 16 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | — | 28 | 34 | |
| Liverpool | 2030–31 | Premier League | 35 | 35 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 40 | 38 | ||
| 2031–32 | Premier League | 38 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 9 | — | 52 | 39 | ||
| 2032–33 | Premier League | 32 | 65 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 12 | — | 52 | 87 | ||
| 2033–34 | Premier League | 37 | 70 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 57 | 84 | |
| 2034–35 | Premier League | 35 | 71 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 47 | 99 | |
| 2035–36 | Premier League | 23 | 33 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 50 | |
| 2036–37 | Premier League | 25 | 67 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 41 | 89 | |
| 2037–38 | Premier League | 36 | 77 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 61 | 107 | |
| 2038–39 | Premier League | 38 | 51 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 60 | 68 | |
| Total | 298 | 497 | 31 | 28 | 30 | 27 | 75 | 97 | 17 | 12 | 436 | 648 | ||
| Southampton | 2039–40 | Premier League | 37 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 44 | 37 | ||
| 2040–41 | Premier League | 38 | 32 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 43 | 38 | |||
| 2041–42 | Premier League | 36 | 37 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 8 | — | 53 | 53 | ||
| Total | 111 | 103 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 8 | — | 140 | 128 | |||
| Career total | 602 | 767 | 62 | 62 | 47 | 36 | 128 | 141 | 36 | 17 | 862 | 1010 | ||
Honours
For a comprehensive listing of McGurran's achievements, see List of career achievements by Ryan McGurran.
Southampton
Celtic
- Scottish Premiership: 2027–28, 2028–29, 2030–31
- Scottish Cup: 2027–28, 2028–29, 2030–31
- UEFA Europa League: 2028–29
- UEFA Super Cup: 2029
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2029
Liverpool
- Football League Cup: 2032–33, 2038–39
- FA Community Shield: 2035, 2036, 2038
- UEFA Champions League: 2032–33, 2035–36, 2037–38
- UEFA Super Cup: 2033, 2036
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2033, 2036
Individual
- Ballon d'Or: 2033, 2034, 2035, 2036, 2038, 2042
- The Best FIFA Men's Player: 2033, 2034, 2035, 2036, 2038
- The Best FIFA Special Award for Outstanding Career Achievement: 2040
- UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award: 2032–33, 2033–34, 2034–35, 2035–36, 2037–38, 2041–42
- European Golden Shoe: 2028–29, 2029–30, 2032–33, 2033–34, 2034–35, 2035–36, 2036–37, 2038–39
- Golden Foot: 2039
- FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2029
- UEFA European Championship Golden Boot: 2036
- UEFA Champions League Top Scorer: 2028–29, 2029–30, 2032–33, 2033–34, 2034–35, 2035–36, 2036–37, 2038–39
- UEFA Europa League Top Scorer: 2028–29, 2031–32
- Premier League Player of the Season: 2029–30, 2032–33, 2033–34, 2034–35, 2035–36, 2036–37, 2038–39, 2041–42
- Premier League Golden Boot: 2029–30, 2032–33, 2033–34, 2034–35, 2035–36, 2036–37, 2038–39, 2039–40, 2040–41, 2041–42