Callum McGregor, born in Glasgow on 14 June 1993 (age 33), is now so closely tied to Celtic that the early steps can feel like preface. They mattered, though. His spell at Notts County gave him senior football, a debut goal and a 2013-14 league season of 12 goals in 37 appearances – useful proof that he was ready for more than promising noises.
He returned to Celtic in July 2014 and scored on his first-team debut, with European qualifying ties part of that early breakthrough. An early hat-trick had already hinted at his timing and calmness around the box, and Celtic soon backed him with a long-term contract. That judgement has aged rather better than most.
McGregor has become one of the main Celtic players of the modern era: captain, constant presence, and the man trusted to set the team’s rhythm from deep midfield. Wearing number 42, he has made 397 league appearances for Celtic across 13 seasons, scoring 52 league goals – a striking return for a player whose main job is usually to organise, cover and keep the ball moving.
The medals are not incidental to his story. With Celtic he has won 13 Premiership titles, seven League Cups and five Scottish Cups, as well as finishing runner-up in a Premiership, a League Cup and two Scottish Cups. He has been around for a lot of winning, but more importantly he has usually been central to it.
He remains part of the current Celtic side and, in 2026-27, has made 24 appearances in all competitions, including 12 in the league, with a goal in Champions League qualifying. His current market value is around £1.5m, according to Transfermarkt.
McGregor’s career is essentially a Celtic career: Glasgow-born, developed through a useful spell away, then established, trusted and eventually handed the captaincy. Few players of his generation have carried that much responsibility at the club for that long.
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