Let's talk about Barrie McKay, a forward who plies his trade as a left winger for Hearts, currently sporting the number 10 jersey. Born on the last day of 1994, so you'd imagine he gets to save on birthday presents. He's Scottish, standing at 5ft 8in tall (or around 1.75m for those living in the 21st century), and tips the scales at around 11st 6lb (73kg for those of us who believe in a single decimal system). According to Transfermarkt, His current market value hovers around £341k, not exactly a king's ransom, but who are we to judge?
If you recall, McKay started his career off at the Glasgow Rangers as a trainee, and used to play in the Premiership in Scotland. And what a ride that was, him constantly bouncing between the first team, bench and loanees like a truculent teen. From Greenock Morton in season 2013-14 to Raith Rovers in season 2014-15 and back to Rangers, it made one feel dizzy. An interesting tidbit, though, he scored three goals in league matches for Morton and one for Raith, even if he just saw the pitch 18 and 23 times, respectively. It is a pity we can't jest about his adventures with the Rangers before 2013, we do have some juicy stories.
In 2017, our dear McKay decided he wanted a new challenge and, apparently drawing a target on a map and throwing a dart, found himself at Nottingham Forest in England. He then did a stint at Swansea City, where he clearly didn't please the gaffer enough with only four first team appearances in league matches during the 2019 - 2020 season. That earned him a pass to Fleetwood Town on loan. League Two must have been an eye-opener.
September 2021 saw him resurface in Hearts back in Scotland, and why not? They do say home is where the heart is. Since then, the lad has made a decent showing, bagging a total of six goals in league matches across three seasons. Oh, and just to add a sprinkle of variety to life, he participated in League Cup 2024 - 2025 and Conference League 2024 - 2025 for Hearts. So all in all, a typical footballer's career - bouncing around like a ball himself! The end is near as his contract is set to expire on 31 May 2025. Best of luck McKay, not that you'd need it!
