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Greg Taylor (Scottish footballer)

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For similarly named people, see Greg Taylor.

Greg Taylor
Taylor with Scotland in 2019
Personal information
Full name Greg John Taylor[1]
Date of birth (1997-11-05) 5 November 1997 (age 27)[2]
Place of birth Greenock, Scotland
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2]
Position(s) Left-back
Team information
Current team
 Celtic
Number 3
Youth career
2008–2014 Rangers
2014–2016 Kilmarnock
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2019 Kilmarnock 111 (1)
2019– Celtic 136 (6)
International career‡
2017 Scotland U20 5 (1)
2017–2018 Scotland U21 14 (0)
2019– Scotland 14 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:04, 10 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of June 2024 (UTC)

Greg John Taylor (born 5 November 1997) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Scottish Premiership club Celtic and the Scotland national team. He was in the Rangers youth system but was released and then signed for Kilmarnock, where he made his senior debut. After three seasons in the Kilmarnock first team, Taylor was sold to Celtic in September 2019. After playing regularly for the Scotland under-21 team, Taylor made his full international debut for Scotland in June 2019.

Club career

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Early years

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He started his career as a youth player at Rangers and was associated with the Ibrox club for six years until he was released, with the club saying he was "too small and too slight."[3] He then signed for Kilmarnock in July 2014,[4] and captained their under-17 and under-20 youth teams before making his progression into first team football in 2016.

Kilmarnock

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Taylor made his first team debut for Kilmarnock on 14 May 2016, starting at left back in a Scottish Premiership game against Dundee United.[5] He then made his second start in the second leg of the Scottish Premiership Play-off Final, which Kilmarnock won 4–0 against Falkirk to win the tie 4–1 on aggregate. After the 2015–16 season ended, Taylor signed a three-year contract with Kilmarnock.[6]

Having kept his place in the team under managers Lee Clark, Lee McCulloch and Steve Clarke (the latter of whom oversaw a dramatic improvement in the club's form during 2017–18), Taylor was rewarded with another new contract in April 2018, running until June 2021.[7] Taylor scored his first goal for the club, the first in a 5–0 win against Hamilton Accies on 30 March 2019.

During the summer 2019 transfer window, Kilmarnock rejected offers for Taylor from Nürnberg,[8] Sunderland[9] and Celtic.[10]

Celtic

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Taylor signed a four-year contract with Celtic on 2 September 2019.[11] He made his debut for the club against St Mirren at Celtic Park in a 2-0 home win in the Scottish Premiership on 30 October 2019.[12]

On 18 August 2020, Taylor scored his first goal for Celtic in a UEFA Champions League qualifying match against KR Reykjavík in a 6-0 victory.[13]

On 20 December 2020, Taylor started for Celtic in the delayed 2020 Scottish Cup final against Scottish Championship side Heart of Midlothian. In a dramatic match which seen both sides draw each other 3-3 after extra-time, Celtic won on penalties and lifted their 12th successive domestic honour as part of an unprecedented quadruple treble. This would also see Taylor collect his first Scottish Cup winners' medal and his second honour with Celtic.[14][15]

During the 2021–22 Scottish Premiership season, Taylor established himself as an integral part of Celtic's team under manager Ange Postecoglou. In November 2021 he signed a contract extension with Celtic, which is due to run until 2025.[16] On 19 December 2021, Taylor started for Celtic in the 2021–22 Scottish League Cup final against Hibernian and went on to collect another cup winners' medal, largely thanks to a brace from Kyogo Furuhashi which sealed a 2-1 victory and ultimately the Scottish League Cup for Celtic that season.[17]

On 6 September 2022, Taylor played in his first UEFA Champions League group stage match in a 3-0 home defeat against Real Madrid.[18] On 22 October 2022, Taylor scored the winning goal in a 4-3 victory against Heart of Midlothian at Tynecastle Park in the Scottish Premiership.[19]

International career

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In March 2017, Taylor played in his first match for the Scotland under-21 side in a friendly against Estonia.[20][21]

Taylor was selected for the Scotland under-20 squad for the 2017 Toulon Tournament.[22] In the second match, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Brazil U20,[23] which was Scotland's first-ever win against Brazil at any level.[24] The team went on to claim the bronze medal,[25] their first podium finish in the competition.[26] Taylor was also the only Scottish player named in the 'team of the tournament',[27] as well as being named fourth-best player.[28]

The under-21 squad took part in the 2018 Toulon Tournament and Taylor was again part of the squad;[29] Scotland lost to Turkey under-21s in a penalty-out and finished fourth.[30]

Taylor was named in the full Scotland squad for UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying fixtures in June 2019;[31] he remained on the bench in the home game against Cyprus at Hampden Park. After captain Andy Robertson picked up an injury, Taylor debuted at left-back against the world's top-ranked team, Belgium on 11 June, and played the full match in Brussels as Scotland lost 3–0. Manager Steve Clarke hailed Taylor's debut as "excellent".[32][33]

He then played in the next two games, on 16 and 19 November, wins against Kazakhstan and Cyprus. His performances were praised, especially for his link-up play with Celtic teammate, James Forrest, on the left flank.[34]

Personal life

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Taylor was born in Greenock and raised in nearby Gourock, attending Clydeview Academy.[35] His younger brother Ally Taylor is also a footballer,[3] and made his first team debut for Kilmarnock in February 2020 while Greg was playing for their opponents Celtic.[36]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of 10 November 2024[37][2]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Scottish Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Kilmarnock 2015–16[38] Scottish Premiership 1 0 0 0 0 0 1[a] 0 2 0
2016–17[39] Scottish Premiership 34 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 38 0
2017–18[40] Scottish Premiership 38 0 3 0 4 0 0 0 45 0
2018–19[41] Scottish Premiership 36 1 2 0 3 0 0 0 41 1
2019–20[42] Scottish Premiership 2 0 0 0 1 0 2[b] 0 5 0
Total 111 1 6 0 11 0 3 0 131 1
Celtic 2019–20[42] Scottish Premiership 12 0 3 0 0 0 2[b] 0 17 0
2020–21[42] Scottish Premiership 26 0 1 0 0 0 5 1 32 1
2021–22[42] Scottish Premiership 24 0 2 1 2 0 7 0 35 1
2022–23[42] Scottish Premiership 31 3 4 0 2 0 6 0 43 3
2023-24[42] Scottish Premiership 35 3 4 0 1 0 6 0 46 3
2024-25[42] Scottish Premiership 8 0 0 0 3 0 3 0 14 0
Total 136 6 14 1 8 0 29 1 187 8
Career total 247 7 20 1 19 0 32 1 318 9
  1. ^ Appearance in the Premiership play-offs
  2. ^ a b Appearances in the UEFA Europa League

International

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As of match played 7 June 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Scotland 2019 3 0
2020 1 0
2021 1 0
2022 5 0
2023 3 0
2024 1 0
Total 14 0

Honours

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Celtic

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Player Details: Taylor, Greg John". FitbaStats. Bobby Sinnett and Thomas Jamieson. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Greg Taylor at Soccerway. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  3. ^ a b Mitchell, Jonathan (26 May 2016). "Gourock player's pride at helping Kilmarnock keep top flight status". Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  4. ^ "Greg Taylor's Contract Extended". Kilmarnock F.C. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  5. ^ "Kilmarnock 2-4 Dundee United: Clark changed players with play-off in mind". BBC Sport. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  6. ^ McLaughlin, Chris (7 June 2016). "Kilmarnock eye 11 new signings as Greg Taylor extends contract". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  7. ^ "Greg Taylor: Kilmarnock left-back agrees new contract until 2021". BBC Sport. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  8. ^ Winton, Richard (3 July 2019). "Greg Taylor: Kilmarnock reject £500,000 Nurnberg bid". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  9. ^ Winton, Richard (28 August 2019). "Greg Taylor: Kilmarnock reject Sunderland bid for left-back". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  10. ^ Lewis, Jane (30 August 2019). "Greg Taylor: Celtic fail in bid for Kilmarnock left-back". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Greg Taylor: Celtic clinch signing of Kilmarnock & Scotland left-back". BBC Sport. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  12. ^ "2019-10-30: Celtic 2-0 St Mirren, SP – The Celtic Wiki". Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  13. ^ "Video: Greg Taylor scores his first Celtic goal to put them 4-0 up over Reykjavik". thecelticstar.com. 18 August 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  14. ^ "Scottish Cup (Sky Sports)". Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  15. ^ "Celtic 3-3 Hearts (4-3 on penalties): Celtic win Scottish Cup to complete historic quadruple treble". Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  16. ^ "Greg Taylor: Celtic left-back signs new contract running until 2025". Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  17. ^ "Premier Sports Cup (Sky Sports)". Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  18. ^ UEFA.com. "Celtic-Real Madrid | Line-ups | UEFA Champions League 2022/23". UEFA.com. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  19. ^ "Celtic 'find way' to edge Hearts in VAR-laden epic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  20. ^ "Scotland U21 profile". Fitbastats.com. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  21. ^ "Scotland Under-21 0-0 Estonia Under-21". BBC Sport. 28 March 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  22. ^ "Scotland squad for Toulon announced". Scottish Football Association. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  23. ^ "Scotland U20s 1-0 Brazil U20s". BBC Sport. BBC. 3 June 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  24. ^ "Scotland U20 1-0 Brazil U20: Young Scots make history". The Scotsman. 3 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  25. ^ "Scotland finish third at Toulon Tournament with 3-0 win". Scottish Football Association. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  26. ^ "JULES AND HOLSGROVE TAKE BRONZE WITH SCOTLAND IN TOULON". Reading FC. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  27. ^ "Toulon Tournament 2017 best XI". 12 June 2017.
  28. ^ "The Toulon Tournament 2017 awards". Toulon Tournament. 11 June 2017.
  29. ^ "Scotland Under-21 squad announced for Toulon tournament". Scottish Football Association. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  30. ^ "Scotland finish fourth at the Toulon tournament after shoot-out defeat to Turkey". Scottish Football Association. 10 June 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  31. ^ "Scotland squad: Steve Clarke selects five uncapped players". BBC. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  32. ^ "Romelu Lukaku puts two past improving Scotland as Belgium hand Steve Clarke his first defeat". Daily Telegraph. 11 June 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  33. ^ "Steve Clarke hails Greg Taylor's 'excellent' Scotland debut in Belgium defeat". Daily Telegraph. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  34. ^ McGarry, Graeme (23 November 2019). "Greg Taylor hoping link-up with Celtic teammates for Scotland can lead to more opportunities at club level". Glasgow Times.
  35. ^ Scotland players' old schools send good luck messages, Henry Hepburn, TES (magazine), 11 June 2021
  36. ^ Gannon, Michael (23 February 2020). "Celtic 3 Kilmarnock 1 as Leigh Griffiths returns in style to fire Hoops 12 points clear - 3 talking points". Daily Record. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  37. ^ Greg Taylor at Soccerbase
  38. ^ "Games played by Greg Taylor in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  39. ^ "Games played by Greg Taylor in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  40. ^ "Games played by Greg Taylor in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  41. ^ "Games played by Greg Taylor in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  42. ^ a b c d e f g "Games played by Greg Taylor in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  43. ^ "Celtic champions & Hearts relegated after SPFL ends season". BBC Sport. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  44. ^ "Dundee United 1–1 Celtic: Ange Postecoglou's side reclaim league title". BBC Sport. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  45. ^ Watt, Martin (7 May 2023). "Heart of Midlothian 0–2 Celtic: Ange Postecoglou's side seal back-to-back titles". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  46. ^ Celtic win fourth straight Scottish Cup as Hazard's shootout saves break Hearts, Ewan Murray, The Guardian, 20 December 2020
  47. ^ Duncan, Thomas (3 June 2023). "Celtic 3–1 Inverness CT: Ange Postecoglou's side win Scottish Cup to claim treble". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  48. ^ "Hibernian 1–2 Celtic". BBC Sport.
  49. ^ Moffat, Colin (26 February 2023). "Kyogo strikes twice as Celtic beat Rangers in final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  50. ^ "Hirst named in Team of the Tournament". www.swfc.co.uk. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  51. ^ Cassidy, Peter (9 May 2023). "Seven Celtic players in PFA team of the year but star duo miss out". STV Sport. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
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