James Forrest, born in Prestwick on 7 July 1991 (age 35), is a Scottish right winger who remains part of the Celtic squad, wearing number 49. His senior career has been spent in Celtic colours, which is unusual enough in the modern game without needing dressed up.
Forrest made an immediate mark by scoring on his first-team debut, an early sign of the timing and directness that would become familiar. Across 18 seasons with Celtic, he has made 371 league appearances and scored 74 league goals, with his most productive league campaign coming in 2018-19, when he scored 11 times in 33 appearances.
His Celtic career has come with the kind of medal haul that places him firmly among the major modern figures at the club: 14 Premiership titles, six League Cups and six Scottish Cups. He has also been part of sides finishing runners-up in three Premiership campaigns, two Scottish Cups and one League Cup, but the balance of his time has not exactly been spent watching others lift things.
In 2026-27, Forrest has still been involved, making nine league appearances, along with two in the League Cup, five in the Scottish Cup and three in the Europa League, taking him to 19 Celtic appearances in all competitions for the season. His current market value is around £255,000, according to Transfermarkt.
Forrest’s career is a rare one: a long-serving Celtic winger who broke through early, stayed, contributed across different sides, and accumulated a serious body of work rather than a passing spell of form.
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