James Forrest, born in Prestwick on 7 July 1991 (age 35), has spent his senior career almost entirely in Celtic colours. A right winger wearing squad number 49, he came through to the first team and made the sort of entrance that tends to stick: he scored on his debut.
His Celtic career has had length as well as substance. Across 18 seasons he has made 369 league appearances and scored 74 league goals, with his sharpest league return coming in 2018-2019, when he scored 11 times in 33 appearances. That was Forrest at his best: direct, reliable, and more productive than some outside Celtic Park cared to notice.
The medals tell their own story without needing much decoration. Forrest has won 13 Premiership titles, six League Cups and six Scottish Cups with Celtic, while also being part of squads that finished runners-up in three Premiership campaigns and two Scottish Cups. Few modern Celtic players have been so closely tied to such a sustained period of domestic success.
He remains part of the current Celtic squad. In 2026-2027 he has made seven league appearances, along with two in the League Cup, five in the Scottish Cup and one in the Europa League. His current market value is around £255,000, according to Transfermarkt.
Forrest’s career is, in plain terms, a Celtic career. From the early debut goal to well over a decade of medals and appearances, he has been a durable, important figure in the modern side rather than just a survivor of it.
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