Matthew Craig

Matthew Craig
Personal information
Full name	Matthew George Craig
Date of birth	16 April 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth	Barnet, England
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team	Mansfield Town; (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)
Youth career
	Watford
2015–2023	Tottenham Hotspur
Senior career*
Years	Team
2023–	Tottenham Hotspur
2024	→ Doncaster Rovers (loan)
2024–2025	→ Barnsley (loan)
2025–	→ Mansfield Town (loan)
International career‡
2018–2019	Scotland U16
2021–2022	Scotland U19
2022–	Scotland U21
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:44, 9 January 2025 (UTC); ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:24, 28 May 2023 (UTC)

Matthew George Craig (born 16 April 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for EFL League One club Mansfield Town, on loan from Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. Born in England, he is a youth international for Scotland.

Background

Craig and his older identical twin brother Michael were born two minutes apart on 16 March 2003. Both of their grandfathers hail from Scotland including Aberdeen born Ron Still who top scored for Notts County one season and also played for Brentford, both in the mid-1960s.^[2]

Career

Craig is a youth product of Watford who moved to the academy of Tottenham Hotspur with his brother at the age of 12.^[3] On 5 May 2021, he signed a professional contract with Spurs keeping him until 2023.^[4] He made his senior and professional debut with Tottenham Hotspur as a late substitute in a 4–1 Premier League win over Leeds United on 28 May 2023.^[5]

On 9 January 2024, Craig joined League Two club Doncaster Rovers on loan until the end of the season.^[6]

On 22 July 2024, Craig joined League One club Barnsley F.C.on loan until the end of the season.^[7]

On 9 January 2025, Craig was recalled from his loan at Barnsley, allowing him to join fellow League One side Mansfield Town on loan for the remainder of the season.^[8]

International career

Born in England, Craig has represented Scotland at age group level. He said of he and his brother's international allegiance, "Both of my grandfathers are Scottish. Obviously, once Scotland came calling, it was a big honour to be selected here. There wasn't a debate".^[9]

Career statistics

Club

As of 9 January 2025

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Europe		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Tottenham Hotspur U21	2021–22^[10]	—			—		—		—		1^[a]	0	1	0
	2022–23^[11]	—			—		—		—		2^[a]	0	2	0
	2023–24^[12]	—			—		—		—		1^[a]	0	1	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	4	0
Tottenham Hotspur	2022–23^[11]	Premier League	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		1	0
Doncaster Rovers (loan)	2023–24^[12]	League Two	18	1	—		—		—		2^[b]	0	20	1
Barnsley (loan)	2024–25^[13]	League One	14	0	0	0	2	0	—		0	0	16	0
Career total			33	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	6	0	41	1

^ ^a ^b ^c Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy
^ Appearance(s) in the League Two play-offs

References

^ "2022/23 Premier League squad lists". www.premierleague.com.
^ "Michael and Matthew Craig: Who are the Scottish twins in the Tottenham squad for Paços de Ferreira clash?". The Scotsman. 19 August 2021.
^ Freeman, Will (1 November 2022). "Lowdown on Matthew Craig, the 19-year-old midfielder seen in Tottenham training". Football.London.
^ Cahill, Sean (5 May 2021). "Tottenham Hotspur sign four academy players to professional contracts". Cartilage Free Captain.
^ "Leeds 1-4 Tottenham: Harry Kane nets twice to relegate Leeds from Premier League but Spurs miss out on Europe". Sky Sports.
^ "Rovers sign Tottenham midfielder Matthew Craig on loan". www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
^ "Craig loaned to Barnsley". Tottenham Hotspur. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
^ "Stags secure Premier League midfielder on loan". www.mansfieldtown.net. 9 January 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
^ "Matthew Craig reveals his twin ambitions to make history for Scotland". heraldscotland.com. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
^ "Games played by Matthew Craig in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Games played by Matthew Craig in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Games played by Matthew Craig in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
^ "Games played by Matthew Craig in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2023.

External links

Matthew Craig at Soccerway
Matthew Craig at the Scottish Football Association

[EFLT-11] Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy

[L2P-14] Appearance(s) in the League Two play-offs

[1] "2022/23 Premier League squad lists". www.premierleague.com.

[Scots-2] "Michael and Matthew Craig: Who are the Scottish twins in the Tottenham squad for Paços de Ferreira clash?". The Scotsman. 19 August 2021.

[3] Freeman, Will (1 November 2022). "Lowdown on Matthew Craig, the 19-year-old midfielder seen in Tottenham training". Football.London.

[4] Cahill, Sean (5 May 2021). "Tottenham Hotspur sign four academy players to professional contracts". Cartilage Free Captain.

[5] "Leeds 1-4 Tottenham: Harry Kane nets twice to relegate Leeds from Premier League but Spurs miss out on Europe". Sky Sports.

[6] "Rovers sign Tottenham midfielder Matthew Craig on loan". www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.

[7] "Craig loaned to Barnsley". Tottenham Hotspur. Retrieved 22 July 2024.

[8] "Stags secure Premier League midfielder on loan". www.mansfieldtown.net. 9 January 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2025.

[9] "Matthew Craig reveals his twin ambitions to make history for Scotland". heraldscotland.com. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2024.

[sb2122-10] "Games played by Matthew Craig in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2023.

[sb2223-12] "Games played by Matthew Craig in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2023.

[sb2324-13] "Games played by Matthew Craig in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2023.

[sb2425-15] "Games played by Matthew Craig in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2023.

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