Former Celtic and Sunderland man Aiden McGeady has decided to retire from professional football, it has been announced.
The Irish international had been playing at Ayr United under former Hoops teammate Scott Brown last season and announced he had departed the club a few weeks ago. TalkSPORT’s Alex Crook confirmed the news of his retirement via social media.
A Lookback At His Career
McGeady spent his formative years with Celtic, ultimately making 252 appearances for The Bhoys across all competitions. He would then move to Spartak Moscow, where he spent four years before returning to the UK and joining Everton.
He would struggle for minutes at Goodison Park, having loan moves to Preston North End and Sheffield Wednesday. Sunderland would make their move in 2017, and the Irishman stuck with The Black Cats during their troubled years in League One, eventually winning the EFL Trophy with them.
Eventually, he was getting fewer and fewer minutes due to changes in managers and would be loaned out to Charlton Athletic for a spell before returning. He was released by Sunderland in 2022, and went back north of the border to play for Hibernian and Ayr United.
He would amass four league title wins with Celtic in addition to five other domestic trophies with the Paradise club. He appeared 93 times for Ireland and played for The Boys In Green at both EURO 2012 and EURO 2016.
Writer’s View
Aiden McGeady will always be remembered for his skill and is a part of a select club who have skill moves named after them. The McGeady Spin was a dangerous move to face, especially on FIFA 13, and combined with his speed and wing play made him one of Celtic’s standout players in the late noughties. His time at Sunderland may have been marked with the off-field woes that came with them, but he was a loyal servant to The Black Cats and brought them some joy after years of pain with an EFL Trophy lift. The Real EFL wishes him the best in his future endeavours away from football.
