Callum McGregor, born in Glasgow on 14 June 1993 (age 33), is the current Celtic captain and still wears the number 42 with a familiarity that now feels fixed. Primarily a central defensive midfielder, he has become one of the major Celtic players of the modern era through consistency, intelligence and a fair amount of hard mileage.
His senior career took shape during a loan spell at Notts County. He scored on his debut there and made the season count, finishing 2013–14 with 12 goals in 37 league appearances. For a player later associated with control and discipline in midfield, that return was an early sign there was more to him than neat circulation.
McGregor 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 promise before he was fully established, and Celtic moved quickly enough to secure him on a long-term contract.
From there, his career has been overwhelmingly Celtic’s story. Across 13 seasons he has made 394 league appearances and scored 52 league goals, an unusually strong return from a deeper midfield role. He has also won 12 Premiership titles, seven League Cups and five Scottish Cups with the club, which is not a bad body of work by any sensible measure.
He remains part of the current Celtic side in 2026–27, with 20 appearances in all competitions and one goal, scored in Champions League qualifying. His current market value is around £1.5m, according to Transfermarkt.
The shape of McGregor’s career is clear enough: Glasgow-born, sharpened by a useful loan, then made at Celtic. Captaincy, trophies and hundreds of appearances have given him a standing few modern Celtic players can match.
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