Anthony Paul Watt (born 29 December 1993) 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 forward for club

Motherwell Motherwell (, ) is a List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Shires of Scotland, Historically in the p ...

on loan from side

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 ...

. He was a product of the

Airdrie United Airdrieonians Football Club is a Scottish professional football team in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, who are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in the . They were formed in 2002 as Airdrie United Football Clu ...

youth academy before joining

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 ...

in 2011, where he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 win over

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in the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League. Watt fell out of favour at Celtic and spent the 2013–14 season on loan at

Belgian Pro League The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023 ...

club Lierse. He signed for another Belgian club,

Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège ( ; ; ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège. They are one of the most successful clubs in Belgium, having won t ...

, in the summer of 2014. He returned to the UK in January 2015 to join Charlton Athletic. Charlton loaned Watt to Cardiff City, Blackburn Rovers and Heart of Midlothian. Watt then had another stint in Belgian football with OH Leuven, before returning to Scotland with St Johnstone in July 2018. After a spell with Bulgarian club CSKA Sofia, Watt signed for

in February 2020. He then joined Dundee United in January 2022. Watt represented Scotland at various youth levels and has played for the Scotland national team once, in March 2016.

Club career

Airdrie United

Watt started his career with

in 2009 at under-17 level after impressing youth coach Jimmy Boyle in a bounce game; previously to this he had only played football for fun. He broke into the first team squad during the 2010–11 season, making his debut on 24 July 2010, playing from the start in a

Challenge Cup The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...

match against Ayr United. He made his league debut on 7 August 2010, coming on as a 60th-minute substitute against East Fife, and scored Airdrie United's third goal to draw the match 3–3. In all he made 19 appearances and scored three goals. Following his departure to Celtic, he was awarded the SFL young player of the month award for December 2010.

Celtic

Several clubs including

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and

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showed interest in signing Watt during the 2011 January transfer window. After a trial with Rangers and a week's training with Liverpool, Watt was signed by his boyhood heroes

on 4 January, for a reported fee of £80,000 and future payments dependent on his first-team progression. He signed a three-year contract. Watt made his Celtic debut on 22 April 2012 in a 3–0 win over

. He scored two goals within five minutes of coming on as a substitute. On 25 August 2012, Watt made his first start for Celtic scoring two goals in their 4–2 away win against

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 ...

. He made his Champions League debut on 7 November 2012, coming on as a second-half substitute for

Mikael Lustig Carl Mikael Lustig (; born 13 December 1986) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a right-back or centre-back. Beginning his career with Umeå FC in 2004, he went on to represent GIF Sundsvall, Rosenborg BK, Celtic, and ...

and scoring in the 83rd minute in a 2–1 home win against

. Four days later, he came off the subs bench to score again, this time in a 1–1 draw against St Johnstone in the league. On 15 November 2012, Watt signed a new contract extending his stay with

until 2016. Watt made a further 14 appearances for Celtic that season, mostly coming on as a substitute, and did not score any more goals. He did however win his first major honour as Celtic won their 44th league championship title in May 2013; his 20 league appearances over the season entitling him to a league winner's medal.

Lierse (loan)

Celtic qualified for the Champions League group stage and signed two new strikers, Amido Baldé and Teemu Pukki, minimising Watt's opportunities at

. On 31 August 2013, Watt moved to

club Lierse S.K. on a season long loan deal for the 2013–14 season. In September 2013, the young striker was brought on as a substitute against

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of We ...

in his debut for Lierse and, within 90 seconds of being on the field, he scored with his second touch of the ball. Despite this, Watt was branded lazy and unfit by Lierse boss Stanley Menzo. In response, Watt pulled off his shirt after scoring against Lommel United a few days later in the

Belgian Cup The Belgian Cup (; ; ) is the main knockout football competition in Belgium, run by the Royal Belgian FA. The competition started in 1908 with provincial selections as the "Belgian Provinces Cup". Starting from 1912 only actual clubs were allowed ...

resulting in a yellow card. Watt explained: "I just wanted to show that I am not fat. I knew perfectly well that if I took my top off I would get a yellow card – it happens all over the world but I just wanted to show everyone that I am in prime condition. I am not too fat and I wanted to prove this." Watt struggled to hold down a first team place thereafter, and was sent off on 2 November 2013, within a minute of coming on as a second-half substitute against

Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...

, however the red card was later rescinded. A week later, Watt was sent home from training after a row with manager Stanley Menzo. He was then again publicly criticised by Menzo in December 2013, with the manager stating he would not take him back from Scotland for the second half of the season. However, Watt was recalled to the side on

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and scored twice against

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in a 3–0 win. Menzo commented afterwards about Watt, "Today I am glad we have him but tomorrow I might want to murder him! That's just how it is with him." Watt travelled with Lierse to Portugal in January 2014 for a mid-season friendly match against Dutch side Heerenveen, with the striker scoring both of his side's goals in a 2–3 defeat. Despite manager Stanley Menzo's earlier threats, Watt remained with Lierse for the second half of the season. He started for Lierse on 18 January 2014 away against

and scored twice in a 4–3 win for his side. Watt continued his run of impressive form on 31 January, scoring with a 20-yard shot in a surprise 2–0 win for Lierse over reigning Belgian champions

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. The relationship between Watt and manager Stanley Menzo remained volatile though. In February 2014 Watt stated that he loved Lierse and Belgium, however after losing his starting place in the team again during March 2014, he complained to the media that "Whenever we lose, Menzo blames me" and added that "Actually, it's his fault." Lierse responded to Watt's comments by demoting him from the first-team squad to their 'B' squad. Watt did not play for Lierse again, and returned to Celtic at the end of the season.

Standard Liège

After his loan spell in the country, a number of top Belgian clubs were reported to be showing an interest in signing Watt permanently. Watt left Celtic in July 2014 for a reported fee of £1.2 million, signing a five-year contract with Belgian club

. He made his debut on 2 August 2014, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 3–2 league win away against

. Watt made his next appearance three days later, again as a second-half substitute, this time in a 2–1 away win against Panathinaikos in the Champions League qualifying rounds. However, Watt failed to make much impact and by the end of December 2014 had scored only three goals with most of his appearances being as a substitute.

Charlton Athletic

The Addicks confirmed the signing of Watt on 6 January 2015. "He's a guy who can score goals, he has a lot of pace, especially round the back of the defence, and although he's only 21 he has a lot of experience already and has played in the Champions League" manager Bob Peeters said. Watt scored his first goal for Charlton in a 3–2 loss at home against

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

on 10 February 2015. Four days later, Watt helped Charlton end a 13-game winless run in the league with a 3–0 victory over

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

. Watt did not score but turned in an outstanding performance which included an assist for Charlton's second goal, earning him the man of the match award. On 28 February, Watt scored a brace in a 3–0 win against

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confl ...

at The Valley in an impressive performance by both Charlton and Watt. For the remainder of the season he formed a formidable partnership with fellow striker Igor Vetokele. Watt scored three goals for Charlton during the first month of 2015–16, but as the season progressed and amidst a combination of injuries and rumours of a row at training, he became a more peripheral figure at the club.

Cardiff City (loan)

On 23 November 2015, Watt was loaned to Cardiff City, until 16 January 2016, he later made his debut during a 2–2 draw with

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

and scored his first goal the following game against

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

. Cardiff were hit with a transfer embargo for the January transfer window, following a breach of financial fair play rules, meaning they could not sign Watt on a permanent deal. He returned to Charlton after they rejected an extension to the loan deal, making nine appearances and scoring twice in the Welsh capital.

Blackburn Rovers (loan)

On 29 January 2016, Watt was loaned to Blackburn Rovers, until the end of the 2015–16 season, with a fee already agreed for a permanent move in the Summer of 2016. Watt scored his first goal for Rovers on his debut in an FA Cup match away to Oxford United on 30 January. Watt scored his first league goal for Rovers against

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at Ewood Park. On 7 April 2016, Watt returned to Charlton Athletic due to an injury.

Hearts (loan)

Watt was loaned to

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, also known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Scotland and the highest level of the Scottish football league system. Th ...

club Hearts for the 2016–17 season. On 1 January 2017, the loan deal was cut short and he returned to Charlton, having only scored once in 17 games for Hearts.

OH Leuven

On 13 August 2017, Watt returned to Belgium, signing for

Belgian First Division B The Challenger Pro League, previously known as 1B Pro League is the second-highest division in the Football in Belgium, Belgian football Belgian football league system, league system, one level below the Belgian Pro League. It was created by the ...

team Oud-Heverlee Leuven a one-year contract with the option for another season.

St Johnstone

Having left Leuven in February 2018, Watt was unable to sign for another club during the 2017–18 season. After training 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 ...

due to a mutual connection with their manager Derek McInnes, he signed a one-year contract with St Johnstone in July 2018. On 21 July he scored for the first time since the previous August, netting the only goal of a 1–0 victory over Montrose in the

group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

of the 2018–19 Scottish League Cup. He went on to score six goals in the opening nine games of the season, seeing him winning the Scottish Premiership Player of the Month award for August 2018. Watt then suffered a goal drought for four months, until scoring the only goal in the 89th minute of St Johnstone's 1–0 win over St Mirren on 26 December 2018. Manager Tommy Wright commented after the game: "We're trying to get Tony in the box more often and it's a great header from him that wins the game. That should do him a world of good." However, Watt only scored one more goal for St Johnstone, in a 2–0 win over Hamilton Accies in January 2019. In April 2019, it was announced that Watt had turned down the offer of a new contract with St Johnstone, and would leave at the end of the season.

CSKA Sofia

On 27 May 2019, Watt signed a three-year contract with Bulgarian club CSKA Sofia. He scored his first goal for the "redmen" in a competitive match on 20 July 2019, in the 3–1 league loss against Cherno More. Watt parted ways with the team by mutual consent in January 2020 for personal reasons.

Motherwell

In February 2020, Watt started training with

and he subsequently signed a short-term contract with the club on 7 February 2020 After extending his contract with Motherwell until the summer of 2021 on 29 May 2020, Watt then extended his contract with again on 9 November 2020, until the summer of 2022. During the 2020–21 season, Watt was rewarded for his performances, by being voted as the Motherwell fans Player of the Month for four successive months from October to January. On 20 February 2021, he was named as

captain 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 ...

for Motherwell's home match versus St Johnstone.

Dundee United

On 27 December 2021, signed a pre-contract deal with fellow Scottish Premiership club

, agreeing a three-year contract. Three weeks later, the clubs came to an agreement for Watt to join United immediately for an undisclosed transfer fee. He made his debut for United on 18 January 2022, as a substitute in a 2–1 home defeat against St Mirren. Watt was loaned to St Mirren in January 2023. On 29 December 2023, his 30th birthday, Watt scored a hattrick in a 3-0 win over Partick Thistle at Tannadice.Dundee United 3-0 Partick Thistle: Watt celebrates birthday with hat-trick

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(29 December 2023)

International career

Watt has played for Scotland U19s, his debut came on 12 May 2011, in a 1–0 loss to

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. He scored his first goal on 23 September 2011, in a 3–1 victory over

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

After his Celtic debut, Scotland U20s manager Billy Stark said that he wanted to move Watt up from the U19 squad to the under 20s, Watt made his debut for

Scotland U21s 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 August 2012 in a friendly match against

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. He went on to make a total of nine appearances for the U21 side, scoring five times. On 21 May 2013, Watt was called up by Gordon Strachan to the senior Scotland squad for the World Cup qualifier in Zagreb against Croatia on 7 June 2013. He did not play, and was subsequently dropped from the Under 21 side by manager Billy Stark, with Stark citing issues with Watt's fitness as the main reason for not selecting him. Watt was called up to the senior

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 ...

squad again in March 2016 for a friendly against

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, and made his debut in the match on 24 March, a 1–0 win for Scotland, when he came on as a 78th-minute substitute for Ross McCormack.

Personal life

Watt grew up in

Coatbridge Coatbridge (, ) is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. Along with neighbouring town Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Airdrie, Coatbridge forms the area known as the Monklands (popula ...

and attended St Andrew's High School.

Career statistics

Honours

Celtic *

Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...

: 2012–13 Dundee United *

Scottish Championship The Scottish Championship known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional association footb ...

: 2023–24 Individual * Scottish Premiership Player of the Month: August 2018 * SFL Young Player of the Month: December 2010 * SPL Young Player of the Month: August 2012

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watt, Tony 1993 births Living people Scottish men's footballers Scotland men's international footballers Scotland men's under-21 international footballers Scotland men's youth international footballers Scottish expatriate men's footballers Men's association football forwards Scottish Football League players Scottish Premier League players Scottish Professional Football League players English Football League players Belgian Pro League players Challenger Pro League players First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players Airdrieonians F.C. players Celtic F.C. players Standard Liège players Lierse S.K. players Charlton Athletic F.C. players Cardiff City F.C. players Blackburn Rovers F.C. players Heart of Midlothian F.C. players Oud-Heverlee Leuven players St Johnstone F.C. players PFC CSKA Sofia players Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in Bulgaria Footballers from Coatbridge Motherwell F.C. players Dundee United F.C. players St Mirren F.C. players Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Bulgaria 21st-century Scottish sportsmen