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Soccer hero Stephen Craigan has recently retired from the professional game but he has already established himself as a sharp football pundit on TV with the likes of ESPN, BBC and Sky Sports. He also sits in on numerous sports programmes on BBC radio Scotland and Real Radio.
Stephen hails from Co. Down but left Northern Ireland, at the early age of 17, in pursuit of his dream of becoming a professional footballer.
Stephen spent the early part of his career at Motherwell in the Scottish Premier League without making the impact he desired. When he dropped down to the 2nd division and joined Partick Thistle, his career was at a crossroads – his goals and aims seemed a distant memory. Through sheer determination and hard work, Stephen climbed the leagues with Thistle and earned a move back to his first club Motherwell. His total commitment and ability to rise to any challenge saw him become a firm fans favourite.
While at Motherwell, he went on to earn a club record 54 international caps with Northern Ireland, a record he still holds to this day. He played over 550 games in his professional career and Stephen’s strong leadership qualities led him to captain Motherwell on over 200 occasions and in 2011, to lead his team to their 1st Scottish Cup Final in 20 years. His greatest honour though was to become captain of his native Northern Ireland.
He has worked with many managers in his glittering career, including a young Alex McLeish, the enigmatic John Lambie, battle hardened England international Terry Butcher, the maverick Jim Gannon and one of Europe’s most respected coaches, former Scotland international manager, Craig Brown.
Stephen is a keen student of the game and in 2010 he qualified as a UEFA ‘A’ Licence coach with the Irish Football Association.
Stephen’s knowledge and understanding of the game means he is always in demand as a pundit and his blossoming media career has seen him work with some of the biggest names in the business. When not working in the media, Stephen is also gaining a reputation as a top motivational speaker based on his own inspirational story ‘Against all odds’.
