Alan McLaren
{{short description|Scottish footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2018}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Alan McLaren
| image =
| fullname = Alan James McLaren
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|1|4|df=y}}
| birth_place = Edinburgh, Scotland
| position = Defender
| years1 = 1987–1994
| years2 = 1994–1998
| clubs1 = Heart of Midlothian
| clubs2 = Rangers
| caps1 = 182
| caps2 = 78
| goals1 = 6
| goals2 = 5
| nationalyears1 = 1992–1995
| nationalteam1 = Scotland
| nationalcaps1 = 24
| nationalgoals1 = 0
}}
Alan James McLaren (born 4 January 1971 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish former footballer, who played for Heart of Midlothian and Rangers.
Football career
=Club=
McLaren started his career with Hearts in 1987 and made over 180 appearances for the Tynecastle club. He moved to Rangers in October 1994 in a £2m part-exchange deal, with Dave McPherson moving the opposite direction. He made his debut against Old Firm rivals Celtic on 30 October 1994 in a 3–1 win at Hampden Park. He was named in the SPFA Team of the Year for 1994.{{ cite web | url = https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003741/19950113/061/0061 | title = WELL BUFFED | newspaper = The Scotsman | date = 13 January 1995 | access-date = 5 May 2023 | url-access=subscription | via = British Newspaper Archive}}
He was forced to retire from football in 1998, aged 27, due to injury. His final appearance for Rangers was as captain in a 1–0 win over Dundee United in which Rangers secured their 9th title in row.{{ cite news | url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12264785.Knee_injury_forces_young_Rangers_defender_into_an_early_retirement_The_game_is_finally_over_for_McLaren/ | title=Knee injury forces young Rangers defender into an early retirement The game is finally over for McLaren | publisher=The Herald (Glasgow) | date=14 May 1998 | work=The Herald }}
On 2 March 1999, Rangers played English club Middlesbrough in a testimonial match for McLaren at Ibrox in front of 49,468 spectators. McLaren scored a penalty in a 4–4 draw.
=International=
McLaren also won 24 caps for Scotland. He was named in the squad for UEFA Euro 1992, but did not feature in any matches. He was forced to miss UEFA Euro 1996 through injury, being replaced by Derek Whyte in the squad.{{ cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/scotland-squad-for-euro-96-1349871.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408155237/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/scotland-squad-for-euro-96-1349871.html |archive-date=2016-04-08 |url-access=limited |url-status=live | title=SCOTLAND SQUAD FOR EURO 96 |work=The Independent | date=29 May 1996 }}
Post-football career
McLaren became an ambassador for charity Football Aid and a regular pundit on Rangers TV.{{cite news | url=http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/rangers/where-are-they-now-rangers-9-in-a-row-clinching-team-1-4084133 | title=Where are they now? Rangers' 9-in-a-row clinching team |work=The Scotsman |first=Stephen |last=Halliday | date=28 March 2016 }}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Soccerbase}}
- {{SFA profile}}
{{Scotland Squad 1992 European Championship}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McLaren, Alan}}
Category:Heart of Midlothian F.C. players
Category:Footballers from Edinburgh
Category:Scotland men's international footballers
Category:Scottish Football League players
Category:Scottish men's footballers
Category:UEFA Euro 1992 players
Category:Scotland men's under-21 international footballers
Category:Men's association football central defenders
Category:20th-century Scottish sportsmen
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