Craig Gordon, born on December 31, 1982 in Edinburgh, is a Scottish football goalkeeper. He was educated at the Balerno Community High School, and later, he graduated from the Heart of Midlothian Football Club’s youth development programme.
On May 30, 2004, Craig Gordon made his international debut for the Scotland national football team in a match against Trinidad and Tobago. The match was held at Easter Road Stadium, Scotland, which ended in a 4-1 victory for the home team. Craig Gordon caught the attention of Arséne Wenger, manager of Arsenal FC, who praised his good handling at the nets in Scotland’s 1-0 win against France at the Euro 2008 qualifying match. His sharp reflexes, tall stature and safe handling of the ball have earned him the credit of being one of the best goalkeepers in Scotland. As of September 2008, Craig Gordon has earned 34 international caps while playing with his country’s national team.
After progressing through the youth ranking system with the Hearts, he made his debut for the club on October 6, 2002 in a 1-1 draw match played against Livingston Football Club. Owing to his remarkable performances with the Hearts during the 2003-04 season, Craig Gordon was short-listed for the Scottish Professional Football Association (PFA) Young Player of the Award in the same season. In the 2005-06 season, he saved a penalty shoot from Derek Townsley, the Gretna F.C. player, and helped his team to bag the Scottish Cup. His good form and best performances contributed the Hearts of Midlothian F.C. to secure the second place in the Scottish Premier League of 2005-06. For his commendable display of unmatched goalkeeping skills, Craig Gordon was voted the Scottish Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year (2005-06), making him the first player of his club to win the award since 1986. For his outstanding contribution to the Heart of Midlothian F.C., Craig Gordon become the youngest player to be included in the Hearts Hall of Fame on November 8, 2007. After 176 appearances with the Hearts from 2000 to 2007, he moved to the Sunderland Association Football Club (AFC) in August 2007. He signed a 5-year contract with the Black Cats for an approximate £9 million as transfer fee.
Craig Gordon played well in his debut match and kept a clean sheet against Tottenham Hotspur to help Sunderland team win by 1-0. As of the year 2008, he has made 36 appearances for the Black Cats’ team.
