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Ryan Patrick Kevin McGurran (born 15 October 2007) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a striker. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, McGurran won six Ballon d'Or awards, and a record eight European Golden Shoes. He has won 35 trophies in his career, including eleven league titles, three UEFA Champions Leagues, and three FIFA Club World Cups. McGurran holds the records for most goals in the history of English football (538), most goals in a calendar year (97), and most international goals (105). McGurran has scored over 910 official senior career goals for club and country, making him the top goalscorer of all time.

McGurran began his senior career with Southampton, before signing with Celtic in 2027. He would go on to win three consecutive Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups, the UEFA Europa League and the FIFA Club World Cup; at age 21, he broke the record for most goals in a Scottish Premiership season with 56 goals. McGurran subsequently signed for Liverpool in 2030. He became a key contributor under manager Arne Slot and formed an attacking trio with Crysencio Summerville and Ben Doak which was integral to the team winning three trebles. During this period, he won 5 Ballon d'Or awards, and was runner up twice. He also became the club's all-time top goalscorer, the all-time top goalscorer in English top-flight football, and was the Premier League top scorer for six consecutive seasons between 2032 and 2038. With Liverpool, McGurran won three Champions Leagues, six Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two UEFA Super Cups and two Club World Cups. In 2039, he rejoined Southampton as a free agent. There he would win the FA Cup and Premier League, as well has becoming their all-time top goalscorer. He would end his career with stints at the New York/New Jersey Metrostars and Sligo Rovers.

Early Life
McGurran was born 15 October 2007 in Hackensack, New Jersey and grew up in the nearby town of Hasbrouck Heights. He is the second child of Kevin McGurran, a steam fitter, and Christine McGurran, a lunch aid and interior designer. On his father's side, he is of Irish ancestry, and on his mother's side, he is of Scandinavian and Italian descent. Growing up in a tight-knit, football-loving family, McGurran developed a passion for the sport from an early age, playing constantly with his brothers, Robbie and Michael. He starting playing organized football at the age of four. He grew up supporting Southampton, Celtic, and Sligo Rovers, all clubs that he would go on to play for.

While on vacation in Sligo, Ireland in February 2023, he was noticed by players of the Sligo Rovers team and was offered to join the youth team. He then moved from New Jersey to Ireland to pursue his goal of making their first team.

Southampton
At age 16, McGurran was signed by Southampton from Sligo Rovers' academy. On 12 September 2024, McGurran, then 16, played his first official match for the senior team, in an EFL League One at St Mary's Stadium against Bristol Rovers. He came on in the 56th minute in place of Ryan Fraser. He helped the Saints reach promotion to the EFL Championship that season

Loan to Gent
After his remarkable debut season, he was sent on loan to Jupiler Pro League club Gent. There McGurran was a regular starter and helped Gent reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League as win Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year.

Return to Southampton
In McGurran's third season contracted to Southampton, he was EFL League One's top goalscorer and was their best player in their run to the league title. He began to gain attention from top clubs after he scored a brace in a 2-1 victory against heavy favourites Newcastle United in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

McGurran agreed to join Scottish Premiership club Celtic as a free agent at the end of the season.

Celtic
McGurran made his debut as a substitute in a 2-1 loss away at Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish Premiership on 31 July 2027 and received a standing ovation when he came on for Daizen Maeda. His performance earned praise from Dalglish, who hailed it as "undoubtedly the most exciting debut" he had ever seen. McGurran scored his first goal for Celtic in a 1-0 win in the Old Firm Derby on 29 August. He scored more goals that season before injury sidelined him. In his next season for Celtic he helped them win the treble by winning the league, cup, and Europa League. In the league, he broke the record for most goals in a season by netting 58 goals. The record was held previously by Willie McFadyen, who set it 97 years earlier in 1932. In the Europa League, he scored once in a remarkable comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals, where Celtic scored three times in fifteen minutes to reach the final against Olympique Lyonnais.

In his final season in Glasgow, he helped them win the Super Cup by scoring a brace in a 2-1 against Liverpool. He then scored again in the Club World Cup final. Midway through the season, he was nominated for the Ballon d'Or. Over the course of the 2029–2030 season, his representatives suggested the player to Chelsea manager Roberto De Zerbi and Barcelona president Joan Laporta. Manager Xabi Alonso, who was interested in signing McGurran, met with him at Real Madrid's stadium in November to discuss a possible transfer.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot was determined to acquire McGurran on a permanent move urgently, after Celtic defeated Liverpool 2-1 in the 2029 UEFA Super Cup Final. Initially, Liverpool had planned to sign McGurran and loan him back to Celtic for a year. Having been impressed by him, the Liverpool players urged Slot to sign him. After the game, Slot agreed to sign McGurran on loan that January.

Liverpool
During the 2030 January transfer window, McGurran joined Liverpool for a world record transfer fee at the time of £240 million (€280 million). His contract, which ran until 2036, was worth €45 million per year.

2030–2033: First Quadruple
McGurran made his Premier League debut against Norwich City on 16 January, scoring once in a 5–2 home win. He scored in each of his first four league games, the first Liverpool player to do so since Mohamed Salah in 2017. His first Champions League goals for the club followed with a goal in each leg in the quarter–final against Atletico Madrid. He received his first red card in England in a match against Newcastle United. He finished the season with 34 goals in 28 games and became Liverpool's highest goalscorer that season, despite only being there for half a season.

His subsequent return to Ballon d'Or winning form continued into the following season. This was epitomized when he became one of the few players to score 5 goals in a Premier League match during a 6–2 rout against Watford on his 23rd birthday. McGurran scored further hattricks against Birmingham City, Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland and Crystal Palace. Despite his performances, he did not make the top three in the 2030 FIFA Ballon d'Or.

During the following season, McGurran found further success and scored 39 goals. He helped get Liverpool back into the top four to achieve Champion's League qualification. He also became the fasted player to score 100 goals for Liverpool when he scored against Everton on 23 February 2032, a milestone reached in in just 105 games. He also became the first player to score against all 19 opposition teams in a Premier League season.

In the 2032–33 season, McGurran established himself as one of the world's best. He broke the premier league record for goals in a season in just 23 games when he scored against Fulham on 27 January 2032. He also led Liverpool to a historic quadruple, making them the first English team to accomplish the feat. He scored the winning goal in the 87th minute of the Champions League final against Real Madrid, at the San Siro

2033–2035: First Ballon d'Or wins
Following the 2032–33 winter break, he captained Liverpool for the first time in an official match, scoring twice to lift 10-man Liverpool to a 4–3 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on 6 January. He also made his 500th club game that January in a game against rivals Manchester United. He scored his 200th goal for Liverpool on 8 May in a 6–2 win against AFC Bournemouth, reaching the landmark in 197 games. Liverpool would win their first Premier League title since 2029 this season with 95 points. In the first knockout round of the Champions League, McGurran faced his former club Celtic for the first time. After scoring the equalizer in a 1–1 draw at home, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 win on his first return to Celtic Park. He did not celebrate scoring against his former club as a mark of respect.

At the start of the 2033–34 season, McGurran signed a new contract that extended his stay by three years to 2039, with a salary of €70 million net, making him briefly the highest-paid player in football. By late November, McGurran had scored 32 goals from 22 matches for both club and country, including hat-tricks against Galatasaray, Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday, Northern Ireland, and Sweden. He ended 2033 with 102 goals in 59 appearances, his highest year-end goal tally. He received the 2033 Ballon d'Or. He would end the season with 84 goals in 57 games, winning the league and cup double. During the 2034–35 season, McGurran set a new personal best of 99 goals. He subsequently achieved his best-ever goalscoring start to a league campaign, with 15 goals in the first eight rounds. His record 23rd Premier League hat-trick, scored against Burnley on 6 December, made him the fastest player to reach 200 goals in Premier League, reaching the milestone in 178th matches. After winning the 2034 FIFA Club World Cup, McGurran received the 2034 Ballon d'Or. Liverpool finished in first place in the Premier League and exited at the semi-final stage in the Champions League. In the latter competition, McGurran extended his run of scoring away to a record 12 matches with his strike in a 2–0 win against Schalke 04. He scored both of his side's goals in the semi-finals against Juventus, where Liverpool were eliminated 3–2 on aggregate. With 10 goals, he finished as top scorer for a fourth consecutive season. On 5 April, he scored five goals in a game for the first time in his career, including an eight-minute hat-trick, in a 9–1 rout of Sunderland. His 300th goal for his club followed three days later in a 2–0 win against Rayo Vallecano. Subsequent hat-tricks against Fulham, West Ham United and Sunderland took his number of hat-tricks for Liverpoo to 31, surpassing Salah's club record of 28. He finished the season with 48 goals, winning a fourth consecutive Premier League Player of the Season and the European Golden Shoe for a fifth time.

2035–36: All-time Liverpool top scorer
At the start of his sixth season in Merseyside, the 2035–36 campaign, McGurran became the club's all-time top scorer, first in the league and then in all competitions. His five-goal haul in a 6–0 away win over Everton on 12 September took his tally in Liverpool to 230 goals in 203 games, surpassing the club's previous record holder, Ian Rush. A month later, on 17 October, he again surpassed Rush when he scored the second goal in a 3–0 defeat of Crystal Palace at Anfield to take his overall total for the club to 324 goals. Two goals against Malmö FF in a 2–0 away win on 30 September saw him reach the milestone of 500 career goals for club and country. He subsequently became the first player to score double figures in the competition's group stage, setting the record at 11 goals, including another four-goal haul against Malmö.

McGurran's four goals in a 7–1 home win over Coventry City on 5 March 2036 took his total to 252 goals in the Premier League, becoming the competition's highest scorer in history behind Alan Shearer. He scored a hat-trick against VfL Wolfsburg to send his club into the Champions League semi-finals. The treble took his tally in the competition to 16 goals, making him the top scorer for the fourth consecutive season and the fifth overall. McGurran would score a brace in a 2-1 win over Juventus in the finals. The Champions League win would give McGurran his second treble win. For the fourth successive year, he ended the season having scored over 50 goals across all competitions. For his efforts during the season, he received the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award for a fourth time.

McGurran missed Liverpool's first three matches of the 2036–37 season, including the 2036 UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla, as he continued to rehabilitate the knee injury he suffered against Arsenal in the 2036 FA Cup Final. On 15 September, he did not celebrate his late free kick equalizer against Celtic in the Champions League, with McGurran stating post-match that "they made me who I am". On 19 November, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 away win against Everton, making him the all-time top scorer in the Merseyside derby with 18 goals. On 15 December, McGurran scored his 500th club career goal in the 2–0 win over Club América in the semi-finals of the 2036 FIFA Club World Cup. He then scored a hat-trick in the 4–2 win over Japanese club Kashima Antlers in the final. McGurran finished the tournament as top scorer with four goals and was also named player of the tournament. He won the 2036 Ballon d'Or, his fourth, and the 2036 The Best FIFA Men's Player. Despite McGurran's heroics, Liverpool failed to win the Premier League or the FA Cup in this season.

2037-2039: Fifth Ballon d'Or and third treble win
At the start of the 2037–38 season, McGurran scored Liverpool's second goal in the 80th minute of a 3–1 win over Manchester United in the 2037 FA Community Shield at Wembley Stadium; however, he was sent off two minutes later and missed the rest of the game. On 6 December, he became the first player to score in all six Champions League group stage matches with a curling strike at home to Dortmund. On 3 March 2038, he scored two goals in a 3–1 home win over Sunderland, his first being his 400th Premier League goal in his 286th appearance, making him the first player to reach this landmark. On 18 March, he reached his 50th career hat-trick, scoring four goals in a 6–3 win against Oldham Athletic. Liverpool would win the treble this season while going undefeated and getting 101 points.

The next season McGurran did not sign a contract extension and his first signs of aging showed when he only scored 68 goals. Liverpool only managed to win the Community Shield and the League Cup that year. He announced just before the last Premier League game of the season that he would rejoin Southampton, who would be promoted to the Premier League the following season. He would score twice in his farewell at Anfield against Wolverhampton Wanderers to a sold out crowd.

Style of Play
Regarded as one of the best players of his generation, McGurran was a creative, energetic forward who combined technical skill with strength and physicality, while also excelling in the air despite being 5 feet 9 inches (1.76 m) tall. He was a versatile attacker, capable of playing anywhere along the front line; although his preferred role was as a striker. McGurran was also used as a supporting forward, or even as a winger. As his pace and movement declined as he entered his thirties, he was deployed in deeper, more creative roles, as an attacking midfielder, as a deep-lying playmaker, or even as a central or box-to-box midfielder, in particular under manager James Ward-Prowse due to his vision, range of passing, runs forward from midfield, and team-work. He was also occasionally deployed as a false attacking midfielder, and as a false 9 throughout his career.

A prolific goalscorer in his prime at Liverpool, McGurran iwas a powerful striker of the ball and an accurate finisher, capable of scoring both inside and outside the penalty area, as well as from volleys. His ball striking ability saw him score from inside his own half for Liverpool, Celtic, and Southampton. He was praised for his work-rate and stamina by players, managers and the media, and was highly regarded for his dedication and willingness to press opponents when possession had been lost in order to win back the ball and start attacking plays. While not known to be particularly prolific from free kicks, he also often took set pieces and penalties throughout his career.

Image
McGurran was widely regarded as one of the two best players of his generation. Winning his first Ballon d'Or in 2023 by a record-high vote count at age 26, over the next decade McGurran has often featured in debates concerning who is the greatest player in history. Acclaimed for his prolific and consistent goal-scoring, he was considered a decisive player who was also a game changer, especially in important and high-pressured situations.

McGurran was noted for his work ethic, elite body conditioning and dedication to improvement on the training pitch, as well being regarded as a natural leader. On his longevity and "extraordinary commitment to physical preparation", Adam Bate of Sky Sports said: "Dedication is a huge part of staying at the top and McGurran’s focus is perhaps unparalleled within the game." While stating they were stylistically different players who shared an equal desire to score goals, former Brazil international Ronaldo praised McGurran’s approach to training, arguing that "there are so few players who take care of their body like he does. I trained because I had to, he does it because he loves it." His drive and determination to succeed were fueled by a desire to be talked about alongside other greats such as Pelé and Diego Maradona once retiring. He is credited with inspiring changing fortunes of Irish football in 2030s and 2040s.

Honours
For a comprehensive listing of McGurran's achievements, see List of career achievements by Ryan McGurran.

Southampton

 * EFL League One: 2024–25
 * FA Cup: 2041–42

Celtic

 * Scottish Premiership: 2027–28, 2028–29, 2030–31
 * Scottish Cup: 2027–28, 2028–29, 2030–31
 * UEFA Europa League: 2028–29
 * UEFA Super Cup: 2029
 * FIFA Club World Cup: 2029

Liverpool

 * Premier League: 2032–33, 2033–34, 2034–35, 2035–2036, 2037–38


 * FA Cup: 2032–33, 2033–34, 2035–36, 2037–38


 * Football League Cup: 2032–33, 2038–39
 * FA Community Shield: 2035, 2036, 2038
 * UEFA Champions League: 2032–33, 2035–36, 2037–38
 * UEFA Super Cup: 2033, 2036
 * FIFA Club World Cup: 2033, 2036

Individual

 * Ballon d'Or: 2033, 2034, 2035, 2036, 2038, 2042
 * The Best FIFA Men's Player: 2033, 2034, 2035, 2036, 2038
 * The Best FIFA Special Award for Outstanding Career Achievement: 2040
 * UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award: 2032–33, 2033–34, 2034–35, 2035–36, 2037–38, 2041–42
 * European Golden Shoe: 2028–29, 2029–30, 2032–33, 2033–34, 2034–35, 2035–36, 2036–37, 2038–39
 * Golden Foot: 2039
 * FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2029
 * UEFA European Championship Golden Boot: 2036
 * UEFA Champions League Top Scorer: 2028–29, 2029–30, 2032–33, 2033–34, 2034–35, 2035–36, 2036–37, 2038–39
 * UEFA Europa League Top Scorer: 2028–29, 2031–32
 * Premier League Player of the Season: 2029–30, 2032–33, 2033–34, 2034–35, 2035–36, 2036–37, 2038–39, 2041–42
 * Premier League Golden Boot: 2029–30, 2032–33, 2033–34, 2034–35, 2035–36, 2036–37, 2038–39, 2039–40, 2040–41, 2041–42