Graeme Shinnie
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Graeme Garry Shinnie (born 4 August 1991) is a Scottish professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as a
defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
or
left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...
for and
captains Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
club
Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
. He has previously played for
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, Inverness CT or just Inverness, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team competes in , the third tier of the Scottish Professional Footba ...
, Forres Mechanics,
Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
and
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...
. Shinnie made his first full international appearance for
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
in May 2018.


Career


Inverness Caledonian Thistle

Shinnie started his career playing for Dyce Boys Club, a boy's club in Aberdeen, alongside brother
Andrew Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "c ...
. He joined
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, Inverness CT or just Inverness, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team competes in , the third tier of the Scottish Professional Footba ...
in July 2009, at the age of 17. He made his senior debut for them in the
Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...
on 1 August 2009, before making his League debut on 26 September 2009. Shinnie went on loan to Forres Mechanics in the Scottish Highland Football League in February 2010. His loan spell was extended until the end of the season. Shinnie was offered a contract extension by Inverness on 30 November 2010, agreeing a 3-year deal on 13 December 2010. He suffered an intestinal problem that stopped him from playing between January and August 2011. In the 2011–12 season, Graeme's brother Andrew joined Inverness on a free transfer from
Rangers A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...
. Shinnie scored his first goal of his Inverness career on 27 August 2011 in a 2–1 win over
Kilmarnock Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...
and after the match, manager
Terry Butcher Terry Ian Butcher (born 28 December 1958) is an English football manager and former player. During his playing career as a defender, Butcher captained the England national team, winning 77 caps in a ten-year international career that feature ...
expressed delight for Shinnie on his first goal. Following a 3–1 loss against
Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish professional association football, football club based in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923. United are nickname ...
on 17 September 2011, captain Richie Foran spoken out about Shinnie, stating he was worthy of pass marks. After two-months spell out for the side, Shinnie made his return in a 2–1 loss against Rangers on 17 December 2011. Despite the performance, Butcher praised the returning Shinnie and Lee Cox. In December 2012, Shinnie signed a new contract extension, keeping him until 2015, having vowed to remain at the club. In the 2014 Scottish League Cup Final, Shinnie played throughout the match until it went to a penalty shoot-out, won by opponents Aberdeen. He was selected in the 2013–14 Premiership
PFA Scotland Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Scotland Team of the Year (often called the PFA Scotland Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 44 footballers in the four national tiers of the Scottish foo ...
. In April 2015, Shinnie helped Inverness to reach the
Scottish Cup Final The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the Scottish Cup, is a knockout cup competition in Scottish football. Organised by the Scottish Football Association, it is the third oldest existing football competition in the wo ...
; ''Caley'' went on to win the trophy, beating
Falkirk Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...
2–1 on 30 May 2015, with Shinnie lifting the trophy as captain in his last game for the club.


Aberdeen

In January 2015 it was announced that Shinnie had signed a three-year contract with
Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
, despite interest from
Football League Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...
clubs, and would join the club when the summer transfer window opened in June 2015. He made his competitive debut for Aberdeen on 2 July 2015, against
FK Shkëndija FK or fk may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Flyer Killer, fictional automated robots in the ''Terminator'' film franchise * Fox Kids, a former American children's television programming block * Funky Kong, a video game character Place * F ...
in the first qualifying round of the
Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
. He scored his first goal for Aberdeen on 9 August 2015, in a 2–0 league win against
Kilmarnock Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...
. Shinnie signed a new contract with Aberdeen in January 2017, which ran until its expiry in summer 2019. In May 2017 he was made team captain, after it was announced that Ryan Jack had signed a pre-contract agreement with
Rangers A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...
. During his four-year spell at Pittodrie, he took part in three finals (the 2016–17 and 2018–19 League Cup finals, and the 2017 Scottish Cup Final), losing to
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
on each occasion. In the Premiership, Aberdeen finished runners-up to Celtic three times.


Derby County

In May 2019 it was announced that Shinnie would join English club
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...
in July 2019 on a free transfer, signing a three-year contract. He scored his first goal for the club, an injury time winner, against
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...
on 23 October 2019.


Wigan Athletic

In January 2022 he signed for
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...
, for an undisclosed transfer fee, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract.


Return to Aberdeen

He returned to
Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
on loan in January 2023. In June 2023 he signed a permanent three-year contract, and was designated captain. He made his 600th professional appearance on 8 March 2025, scoring a goal, in a Scottish Cup match against Queen's Park. On his 300th appearance for the club in all competitions, Shinnie captained Aberdeen in the
2025 Scottish Cup final The 2025 Scottish Cup final was the final match of the 2024–25 Scottish Cup, the 140th edition of Scotland's most prestigious knockout association football, football competition. It was contested by seven-time winners Aberdeen F.C., Aberdeen an ...
which they won on penalties against Celtic (he was among the four Aberdeen players to score their penalties) for a first win in the competition for 35 years; as well as joining a small group of players to win the trophy with two clubs outside the
Old Firm The Old Firm is a collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply embedded i ...
, he became the first man to lift the cup as captain of two different teams.


International career

Shinnie made his debut for the
Scotland national under-21 football team The Scotland national under-21 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national under 21 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Scotland national football team. As a European under-21 t ...
in April 2012. On 29 September 2015, he was called up to the senior squad for games against
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
and
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
. He was called up again in October 2017, and in May 2018. Shinnie made his full Scotland debut on 29 May 2018, in a 2–0 defeat to Peru. In March 2019 he was selected to play at left-back in a
UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying The UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying tournament was a football competition that was played from March 2019 to November 2020 to determine the 24 UEFA member men's national teams that advanced to the UEFA Euro 2020 final tournament, intended to be playe ...
match away to
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
, but was at fault for one of the goals as Scotland lost 3–0; in the aftermath, Shinnie acknowledged that he had performed poorly and would be unlikely to be selected again once Andy Robertson and
Kieran Tierney Kieran Tierney (born 5 June 1997) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Scottish Premiership club Celtic and the Scotland national team. Tierney came through the Celtic youth system and made his first-team debut in ...
were available.


Personal life

Shinnie is the younger brother of fellow footballer
Andrew Shinnie Andrew Murray Shinnie (born 17 July 1989) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club Livingston. Shinnie started his professional career at Scottish Premier League side Rangers in 2006, but only made t ...
, who joined him at
Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...
in 2011. The first time that the two brothers faced each other in a competitive game was in a
2016–17 Scottish Cup The 2016–17 Scottish Cup was the 132nd season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill in what was the sixth season of a nine-year partnership, after contract negotia ...
semi-final, between Andrew's Hibernian and Graeme's Aberdeen. The brothers grew up in
Cove Bay Cove Bay, known locally as Cove, is a suburb on the south-east edge of Aberdeen, Scotland. Today Cove is home to around 8,000 people. It is a popular residential location owing to its village-like status. It is a quiet suburb at the Southern e ...
and attended
Kincorth Academy Kincorth Academy was an Aberdeen City Council secondary school in Kincorth, Aberdeen, Scotland. Local primary feeder schools were: Abbotswell Primary, Charleston Primary, Kirkhill Primary and Loirston Primary. The school worked in close partne ...
. Shinnie has
Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, abdominal distension, and weight loss. Complications outside of the ...
.


Playing style

Originally a left back at Inverness, Shinnie played primarily as a central midfielder at Aberdeen.


Career statistics


Honours

Forres Mechanics *
Highland League Cup The Highland League Cup is a knock-out tournament contested since 1946 by football clubs in the Highland Football League The Scottish Highland Football League (SHFL, commonly known as the Highland League) is a senior football league based in ...
: 2009–10 Inverness Caledonian Thistle *
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2014–15 *
North of Scotland Cup The North of Scotland Cup is a knock-out tournament, knock-out tournament for association football, football teams in membership of the North of Scotland Football Association. The teams involved are based in the Highland, Highlands and Moray an ...
: 2009–10 Wigan Athletic *
EFL League One The English Football League One, known as Sky Bet League One for sponsorship reasons, or simply League One, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League One is the second-highest division of the English Football League an ...
: 2021–22 Aberdeen *
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2024–25 Individual * Derby County F.C. Player of the Year:
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
*
PFA Scotland Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Scotland Team of the Year (often called the PFA Scotland Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 44 footballers in the four national tiers of the Scottish foo ...
( Premiership): 2013–14, 2014–15, 2017–18, 2018–19


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shinnie, Graeme 1991 births Living people Men's association football fullbacks Men's association football midfielders Scottish men's footballers Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. players Forres Mechanics F.C. players Aberdeen F.C. players Derby County F.C. players Wigan Athletic F.C. players Scottish Football League players Scottish Premier League players Footballers from Aberdeen Scotland men's under-21 international footballers Scottish Professional Football League players Scotland men's international footballers Highland Football League players English Football League players 21st-century Scottish sportsmen