Callum McGregor’s shock Scotland retirement: Why Celtic captain had to make decision as Steve Clarke reacts

Celtic captain retires from international football

Celtic captain Callum McGregor has taken the surprise decision to retire from international football at the age of 31.

The midfielder, who has been capped 63 times for Scotland and started all three group matches at Euro 2024 this summer, insists he has taken the “difficult” decision at the “right time” in his career.

McGregor made his senior Scotland debut against Netherlands at Pittodrie in 2017 and became a central figure in midfield, featuring in two successful qualifying campaigns for Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 as Scotland ended a 23-year wait to return to a major tournament.

McGregor’s decision, while coming as a shock, is also an understandable one. He has played an enormous amount of football since making his senior breakthrough at a young age with nearly 60 appearances for club and country each season over his career.

His huge number of minutes on the park took a toll last season when he suffered an achilles injury and had to accelerate his comeback to make sure he was fit for both Celtic and Scotland.

Now entering the latter part of his career, he has taken the decision to focus purely on club football with the opportunity to become one of Celtic’s most decorated players in history in the coming years.

McGregor said: “I have made a decision which was very difficult, of course, but a decision which I feel is the right one at the right time.

“It was very important I spoke to Steve and I did that this week to make him aware of my intentions. As I said to Steve, I just felt the time is right for me to move on from international football.

“It has been a huge honour to achieve 63 caps for my country, as appearing just once would have been a dream come true, so to achieve 63 and be inducted into the Roll of Honour at 50 caps is something I could only have dreamed of as a young kid.

“Throughout my career I wanted to make myself available for Scotland at all times and whenever selected, give the absolute maximum possible to help the country and represent the supporters with passion and pride.

“International football has been a really important part of my career where I have learned so much and achieved some incredible highs, that famous night in Serbia being one of the very best, and I have been blessed to share these experiences with some great people.

“Playing for Scotland always meant so much to me and reaching two major tournaments will always be a source of real pride, and scoring at Hampden in the Euros in front of our fantastic supporters will always be a special highlight for me.

“Of course, like many others I wish we could have gone further in these competitions but, nonetheless, it has been a privilege to have played for my country on such a stage and to have represented my country for such a long period.

“I have worked with some excellent managers, team-mates and staff and I thank them all for their incredible efforts during the time we have had together.

“I would like to wish Steve, the current Scotland players and all the players who follow me nothing but success for the future.

“I also want to give special and sincere thanks to the Scotland fans who have supported me so brilliantly during my time. The level of passion and commitment which our fans bring is second to none and something which I will always remember.”

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke paid tribute to McGregor’s contribution in dark blue as he reacted to the announcement.

“Callum’s consistency of performance and leadership qualities have been a real catalyst in the team’s return to major tournaments,” Clarke said.