Rangers rescued my career but I then became a Celtic legend

Irish Daily Mirror

16-06-2025

Craig Gordon, the Hearts icon, has candidly shared how he had to put himself first and make a 'selfish' choice regarding his career, ultimately leading him to an astonishing haul of 12 trophies with Celtic. The storied goalkeeper reflects on the crucial recovery of his knee at Rangers, crediting physio Steven Walker for helping him return to action in 2014 after a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to severe injuries.
With a staggering tally nearing 700 club appearances and 81 caps for Scotland, Gordon acknowledges the significant role Walker played in his remarkable return from multiple knee surgeries that threatened to finish his playing days prematurely. Despite the uncertainty that clouded his future, including a possible end to his career following injuries at Sunderland and treatments spread across Barcelona and London, Gordon's time with Walker at Ibrox proved pivotal.
Now, with the 2026 World Cup still in his sights, Gordon looks back on a journey where endurance paid off, as he approached his testimonial year with the Jambos, stating: "I probably thought that I wouldn't play again."
He praises the intuition and expertise of Walker, saying: "When I went into Rangers I worked with Steven and he was really good."
Reflecting on connections that made a difference, he adds: "He was the guy that worked out how to get me back.", reports the Daily Record.
His comeback trail connected him once more with Jim Stewart, who'd been important in his past roles as a goalkeeping coach at Hearts and Scotland, and was with Rangers when Gordon went there.
"Rangers had already rehabilitated a Norwegian guy, Thomas Kind Bendiksen, with a very similar injury.
"I had PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) injections over in Barcelona with the guy that Pep Guardiola sends his players to.
"I had high-volume injections in London. I had all the different treatments I could possibly do to chuck everything at it.
"But if it's one person who turned it round, I would say it would be Steven. He was able to devise a programme that enabled me to build up the muscle around my knee to take the load off the tendon.
"I just never know what would have happened without that. Once I realised there was a chance to get back, I poured everything into it to give myself that one last opportunity to get to the bottom of it."
He said: "At certain times as a footballer you've got to be a bit selfish and do the thing that's best for you.
"And that was the best thing for me, for my career, to play at the highest level.
"Rangers were in the lower leagues at the time and took a further three years to come to the Premiership. I managed to get those three years playing in the Premiership and playing for Scotland that perhaps maybe I wouldn't have had.
"It was a difficult thing to do but sometimes you've got to do what's best.
"Rangers already had two senior goalkeepers.
"To add another one at that stage probably wasn't financially the right thing for them to do.
"They wanted me to play in a couple of reserve games to prove that I was fit enough to stay there.
"If I had done that then my injury insurance would have been invalid. So I just couldn't do that.
"That was the reason why that never happened.
"I spoke to Raith Rovers. Hearts had Jamie MacDonald and didn't know if he was going to be leaving. I think Neil Alexander came in.
"Then Celtic came in. I knew I would have really good medical care there. I could give it the best possible chance to continue my rehab and try to get some games.
"There was obviously speculation about Fraser Forster so there was a little chink of light – him potentially moving on.
"It all fell into place at exactly the right time.
"I managed to play 50 games my first season back after not playing for two years.
"I didn't know it was possible until I managed to do it."