Matthew George Craig (born 16 April 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for EFL League One club Barnsley, on loan from Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. Born in England, he is a youth international for Scotland.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew George Craig[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 16 April 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Barnet, England | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
Barnsley (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur) | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Watford | |||
| 2015–2023 | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023– | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 | (0) |
| 2024 | → Doncaster Rovers (loan) | 18 | (1) |
| 2024– | → Barnsley (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018–2019 | Scotland U16 | 6 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Scotland U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2022– | Scotland U21 | 1 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:29, 14 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:24, 28 May 2023 (UTC) | |||
Background
editCraig and his older identical twin brother Michael were born two minutes apart on 16 March 2003. Both of their grandfathers hail from Scotland including Aberdeen born Ron Still who top scored for Notts County one season and also played for Brentford, both in the mid-1960s.[2]
Career
editCraig is a youth product of Watford who moved to the academy of Tottenham Hotspur with his brother at the age of 12.[3] On 5 May 2021, he signed a professional contract with Spurs keeping him until 2023.[4] He made his senior and professional debut with Tottenham Hotspur as a late substitute in a 4–1 Premier League win over Leeds United on 28 May 2023.[5]
On 9 January 2024, Craig joined League Two club Doncaster Rovers on loan until the end of the season.[6]
On 22 July 2024, Craig joined League One club Barnsley F.C.on loan until the end of the season.[7]
International career
editBorn in England, Craig has represented Scotland at age group level. He said of he and his brother's international allegiance, "Both of my grandfathers are Scottish. Obviously, once Scotland came calling, it was a big honour to be selected here. There wasn't a debate".[8]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 8 November 2024
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur U21 | 2021–22[9] | — | — | — | — | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| 2022–23[10] | — | — | — | — | 2[a] | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| 2023–24[11] | — | — | — | — | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2022–23[10] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| Doncaster Rovers (loan) | 2023–24[11] | League Two | 18 | 1 | — | — | — | 2[b] | 0 | 20 | 1 | |||
| Barnsley (loan) | 2024–25[12] | League One | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Career total | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 40 | 1 | ||
- ^ a b c Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy
- ^ Appearance(s) in the League Two play-offs
References
edit- ^ "2022/23 Premier League squad lists". www.premierleague.com.
- ^ "Michael and Matthew Craig: Who are the Scottish twins in the Tottenham squad for Paços de Ferreira clash?". The Scotsman. 19 August 2021.
- ^ Freeman, Will (1 November 2022). "Lowdown on Matthew Craig, the 19-year-old midfielder seen in Tottenham training". Football.London.
- ^ Cahill, Sean (5 May 2021). "Tottenham Hotspur sign four academy players to professional contracts". Cartilage Free Captain.
- ^ "Leeds 1-4 Tottenham: Harry Kane nets twice to relegate Leeds from Premier League but Spurs miss out on Europe". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Rovers sign Tottenham midfielder Matthew Craig on loan". www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ "Craig loaned to Barnsley". Tottenham Hotspur. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ "Matthew Craig reveals his twin ambitions to make history for Scotland". heraldscotland.com. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ^ "Games played by Matthew Craig in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Games played by Matthew Craig in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Games played by Matthew Craig in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ "Games played by Matthew Craig in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
External links
edit- Matthew Craig at Soccerway
- Matthew Craig at the Scottish Football Association