Lewis Macleod (footballer)

Lewis Macleod

Personal information
Full name	Lewis Macleod[1]
Date of birth	16 June 1994
Place of birth	Wishaw, Scotland
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position	Central midfielder
Club information
Current team	Brentford
Number	4
Youth career
	Newmains Hammers
	Livingston
2004–2012	Rangers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2012–2015	Rangers	52	(11)
2015–	Brentford	14	(0)
National team^‡
2009–2010	Scotland U16	6	(0)
2010–2011	Scotland U17	13	(0)
2012	Scotland U18	2	(1)
2012–2013	Scotland U19	6	(2)
2012	Scotland U21	8	(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:55, 19 September 2016 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16:55, 19 September 2016 (UTC)

Lewis Macleod (born 16 June 1994) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Brentford. He came to prominence with Rangers in Scotland and is a product of the club's academy.^[2] Macleod represented Scotland from U16 to U21 level.

Club career

Rangers

Early years

Macleod began his career with youth side Newmains Hammers, playing a year above his age-group,^[3] before joining Livingston.^[4] He signed for Scottish Premier League club Rangers as a ten-year-old in 2004.^[3] He progressed through the youth system at Murray Park and was called up to the first team squad for the first time for a league match versus Motherwell on 31 March 2012.^[5] He remained an unused substitute for the 2–1 victory.^[6] It was his only involvement in the first team squad during the 2011–12 season.^[5]

Breakthrough

The liquidation of The Rangers Football Club PLC in June 2012 (and with it the demotion of Rangers to the Scottish Third Division) saw the Scottish Football Association impose a transfer embargo on the club, which created opportunities for players within the youth and reserve ranks.^[7] Macleod made his professional debut in a Scottish Challenge Cup first round match versus Brechin City on 29 July 2012.^[8] He started the game and Rangers went through to the second round after game finished 2–1 after extra-time, with Macleod's corner providing the winning goal –  a 102nd-minute header by Lee McCulloch.^[9] Macleod went on to hold down a regular starting place in the side and signed a five-year contract extension on 13 September.^[10] He scored his first goal for the club in a 4–1 victory over Montrose on 23 September,^[11] while also claiming the man of the match award.^[12][13] Macleod continued his starting run and good form through to January 2013 (scoring in home and away matches versus Elgin City) and picking up the Scottish Football League's Young Player of the Month award for November 2012.^[14][15] A knee injury suffered against Montrose on 26 January 2013 kept him sidelined until Rangers' final game of the season against Berwick Rangers.^[8][16] Macleod made 29 appearances and scored three goals in Rangers' 2012–13 Third Division title-winning season and won the Rangers Young Player of the Year award.^[8][17]

2013–2014

After three goals in 2013–14 pre-season, Macleod continued his good form into the regular season, hitting four goals in a seven-game spell,^[18] the pick of the bunch being an overhead kick in a 2–0 victory over Ayr United on 6 October 2013.^[19] He held down a regular starting place,^[18] but again his season was cut short in January, after an adverse reaction to a viral infection affected the muscles around his heart.^[20] In March 2014, manager Ally McCoist allayed fears that Macleod's career could be under threat.^[20] Macleod failed to appear again during the 2013–14 season and finished the campaign with 24 appearances and five goals.^[18] In his absence, Rangers won the Scottish League One title to seal a place in the Scottish Championship for the 2014–15 season, with Macleod receiving a winners' medal.^[21]

Macleod made a successful recovery from his health problems and scored on his comeback in a closed-doors friendly at Murray Park against Fulham in July 2014.^[22] He began the 2014–15 season in good form, scoring four goals in his first four appearances of the season and four goals in 9 games from September through to November.^[23] A match-winning bicycle kick versus Livingston on 4 October later won Rangers' Goal of the Season award and he won the Scottish Football League Young Player of the Month award for October.^[24][25] After suffering a serious hamstring injury suffered during a 3–2 defeat to Alloa Athletic on 3 December 2014, it was reported that Macleod would be out until 2015,^[26] but the Alloa match turned out to be his final appearance in a Rangers shirt.^[23] On 31 December 2014, it was announced that Macleod had left Rangers.^[27] He finished his involvement in the 2014–15 season having scored eight goals in 21 appearances.^[23] Macleod made 74 appearances and scored 16 goals during his two-and-a-half-years as a first team player at Ibrox.^[28][29] In January 2015, he revealed that "if things had maybe happened differently off the pitch with regards to the club trying to keep me when someone came in, I might have stayed".^[30]

Brentford

On 31 December 2014, Macleod moved to England to sign for Championship side Brentford for an undisclosed fee on a three-and-a-half-year contract, effective 3 January 2015.^[27] The fee was later reported by The Sunday Post to be £850,000, with add-ons raising the amount to up to £1.3 million.^[31] Having failed to recover from the hamstring injury suffered in his last match while a Rangers player, Macleod's recovery suffered further setbacks when tripping over a twig and accidentally stepping down a rabbit hole in separate incidents.^[32][33] He finally made his first appearance in a Brentford shirt with 45 minutes in a Development Squad defeat to Nottingham Forest on 28 March 2015,^[34] but two weeks later, manager Mark Warburton ruled Macleod out of first team contention for the rest of the 2014–15 season.^[35] In an apparent U-turn, Macleod won his maiden first team call-up for Brentford's playoff semi-final first leg versus Middlesbrough on 8 May.^[36] He remained an unused substitute during the 2–1 defeat and was replaced on the bench by Chris Long for the second leg, which resulted in a 3–0 loss that ended Brentford's season.^[36]

Macleod's rehabilitation away from the first team squad saw him miss the entire 2015–16 pre-season.^[37] He returned to the Development Squad in October,^[38] making seven appearances either side of a recurrence of his hamstring injury in mid-November 2015,^[39][40] before finally making his first team debut versus Brighton & Hove Albion on 5 February 2016,^[41] replacing Josh McEachran after 82 minutes of a 3–0 defeat.^[42] Later that month, Macleod suffered a slight medial ligament injury in training,^[43] but he returned to fitness before the end of the 2015–16 season and crowned his return to match play by scoring Brentford's first goal of the 2016–17 pre-season versus Boreham Wood.^[44][45] He made his first competitive start for the club on the opening day of the 2016–17 season, playing 82 minutes of a 2–1 defeat to Huddersfield Town before being replaced by Philipp Hofmann.^[46] Macleod made 12 further appearances before suffering a serious knee injury during a West London derby versus Queens Park Rangers on 28 October 2016 and is expected to be out until July 2017.^[47][48]

International career

U16–U19

Macleod has represented the Scotland national team from under-16 to under-21 level. He won six under-16 caps, which included three of Scotland's 2009 Victory Shield matches.^[49] He was an under-17 regular between January 2010 and March 2011, winning four of his seven caps in Scotland's unsuccessful 2011 European Under-17 Championship qualifying campaign.^[50] By April 2012 he had progressed to the under-18 squad and won two caps in a pair of friendlies against Serbia,^[51] scoring his first international goal in a 4–1 win in the second match.^[52] Macleod made five appearances for the under-19 squad in September and October 2012 (scoring in a 4–0 2013 European Under-21 Championship qualifying rout of Armenia) and scored his second under-19 goal in a 2–2 elite qualifying draw with Belgium on 24 May 2013.^[53][54] His under-19 career ended after his sixth and final cap against Georgia on 26 May 2013,^[55] a 3–1 defeat which ended the under-19s' chances of qualifying for the tournament finals.

U21

Macleod made his under-21 debut while a regular of the under-19 team, receiving his first call up for a friendly versus Portugal on 14 November 2012.^[56] He made his debut in the 3–2 defeat, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute for Kenny McLean.^[56] On 14 October 2013, Macleod scored his first goal for the under-21s in a 2–1 loss to Georgia and made six appearances in Scotland's unsuccessful 2015 European U21 Championship qualifying campaign.^[57][58] After nearly two years away from international football due to injuries, Macleod was recalled to the under-21 squad for two 2017 European U21 Championship qualifiers in September 2016,^[59] but withdrew due to injury.^[60]

Full

On 4 November 2014, manager Gordon Strachan called Macleod into the senior Scottish squad for the first time, ahead of a Euro 2016 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland and a friendly against England. Strachan stated that Macleod was "not just coming along to make up the numbers", but he failed to make an appearance in either match.^[61]

Style of play

Macleod stated that he likes "to get forward, but I also like to help out defensively too. I like to play either a number 8 or a number 10 role”.^[45]

Personal life

Macleod attended Newmains Primary School in Wishaw and is a former pupil of Coltness High School.^[4] His father Kenny played junior football for Wishaw and was on the books at Barnsley as a youth.^[3][4] As well as football, Macleod also excelled in golf at school, playing for his school team and winning tournaments.^[3] He is the cousin of David McEwan – a former goalkeeper for Hamilton Academical and Dumbarton.^[62]

Career statistics

As of match played 28 October 2016.

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Rangers	2011–12[5]	Scottish Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2012–13[8]	Scottish Third Division	21	3	3	0	3	0	2[lower-alpha 1]	0	29	3
	2013–14[18]	Scottish League One	18	5	2	0	1	0	3[lower-alpha 1]	0	24	5
	2014–15[23]	Scottish Championship	13	3	2	0	3	2	3[lower-alpha 1]	3	21	8
	Total		52	11	7	0	7	2	8	3	74	16
Brentford	2014–15[23]	Championship	0	0	0	0	—		0	0	0	0
	2015–16[42]	Championship	1	0	0	0	0	0	—		1	0
	2016–17[47]	Championship	13	0	0	0	0	0	—		13	0
	Total		14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	14	0
Career Total			66	11	7	0	7	2	8	3	88	16

1. Appearances in Scottish Challenge Cup

Honours

Club

Rangers

• Scottish League One: 2013–14^[21]
• Scottish League Third Division: 2012–13^[21]

Individual

• Scottish Football League Young Player of the Month: November 2012, October 2014^[15][25]
• Rangers Young Player of the Year: 2012–13^[17]

References

1. http://www.football-league.co.uk/documents/pages-from-fl-professional-retain-list-free-transfers-2014-15-2.pdf-...549-2491536.pdf
2. Jack, Chris (18 December 2012). "Rangers babe Lewis is on Macleod nine". Evening Times. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
3. Scott McDermott (16 November 2014). "Dad of Rangers kid Lewis Macleod reveals his pride at his son's rise to stardom". dailyrecord. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
4. "Rangers star Lewis Macleod is living his boyhood dream". dailyrecord.co.uk. Daily Record. 17 October 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
5. "Lewis MacLeod". espnfc.co.uk. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
6. "Motherwell". ESPNFC.com. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
7. Wilson, Richard (23 May 2012). "No contract, little certainty, lots of hurdles: it's a great time to be a young player with Rangers". The Herald. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
8. "Lewis MacLeod". espnfc.co.uk. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
9. Lindsay, Clive (29 July 2012). "Ramsdens Cup: Brechin City 1–2 Rangers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
10. "Rangers hand teenage trio long-term deals". BBC Sport. 11 September 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
11. MacDonald, Calum (23 September 2012). "Rangers 4–1 Montrose". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
12. Melvin, David (24 September 2012). "The Future's Bright". Rangers Football Club. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
13. Greechan, John (23 September 2012). "New Boys Strike". Mail Online. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
14. "Lewis MacLeod | Football Stats | Brentford | Season 2012/2013 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 2015-12-22.
15. "Lewis MacLeod wins young player prize". BBC Sport. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
16. "Lewis Macleod injury misery for Rangers". Evening Times. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
17. Lindsay, Matthew (14 June 2013). "Gers kids can pave way for new stars in second division, says Macleod". Evening Times. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
18. "Lewis MacLeod". espnfc.co.uk. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
19. "Rangers midfielder Lewis Macleod nets skilful overhead kick". BBC Sport. 14 October 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
20. "SPFL: Rangers manager Ally McCoist elaborates on Lewis MacLeod's health". Sky Sports. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
21. "Lewis Macleod moves from Rangers to Brentford". scotsman.com. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
22. Marjoribanks, Brian (22 July 2014). "Rangers midfielder Lewis MacLeod given new lease of life as he recovers from virus that threatened his career". Mail Online. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
23. "Lewis MacLeod - Football Stats - Brentford - Season 2014/2015 - Soccer Base". soccerbase.com. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
24. Wickham, Chris. "Goal of the Season award from Glasgow Rangers for Lewis Macleod". www.brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-06-20.
25. "BBC Sport - Rangers' Lewis Macleod picks up young player prize for October". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
26. Craig Swan (6 December 2014). "Rangers star Lewis Macleod set to be out until the New Year". dailyrecord. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
27. "Brentford sign Lewis MacLeod from Rangers". Brentford FC. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
28. "Lewis MacLeod". espnfcasia.com. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
29. "Lewis MacLeod - Football Stats - Brentford - Age 21 - Soccer Base". Retrieved 17 January 2016.
30. "Lewis Macleod: 'Rangers left me no choice but to leave the club I love... they didn't try and keep me'". Mail Online. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
31. "David Weir lays it on the line to new boy Lewis Macleod". sundaypost.com. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
32. Tom Moore (6 March 2015). "Lewis Macleod 'very close' to Brentford debut after bizarre injury setback". getwestlondon. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
33. Amos, Stuart (19 March 2015). "Brentford: Macleod will make impact on Bees promotion push". This is Local London. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
34. Ciaran Brett. "Brentford take on Nottingham Forest at Griffin Park in Under-21 Professional Development League Two South". brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
35. Tom Moore (10 April 2015). "Brentford midfielder unlikely to feature this season". getwestlondon. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
36. "Lewis MacLeod". Retrieved 17 January 2016.
37. FC, Brentford. "Brentford FC Injury update". www.brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
38. Marshall, Alan. "Find out which former Rangers star is set to make his football comeback". Retrieved 2015-10-06.
39. "Brentford FC injury update from Head of Medical Neil Greig". www.brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
40. "Development Squad Player Statistics". www.brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
41. "Lewis Macleod 'feeling good' after Cardiff City victory". www.brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-12-22.
42. "Lewis MacLeod | Football Stats | Brentford | Season 2015/2016 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
43. Moore, Tom. "Brentford injury news: Update on Maxime Colin, Lewis Macleod and Alan McCormack". getwestlondon. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
44. Moore, Tom (2016-05-05). "Dean Smith gives the latest news from the Brentford treatment room". getwestlondon. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
45. Street, Tim (2016-07-13). "Brentford's forgotten man Lewis Macleod opens up on his relief at a successful return to the side". Retrieved 2016-07-24.
46. "Lewis MacLeod Player Profile - ESPN FC". www.espnfc.com. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
47. "Lewis MacLeod | Football Stats | Brentford | Season 2016/2017 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 2016-07-24.
48. FC, Brentford. "Brentford midfielder Lewis Macleod injury update". Retrieved 2016-11-02.
49. "Scottish Football Association". scottishfa.co.uk. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
50. "Scottish Football Association". scottishfa.co.uk. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
51. "Scottish Football Association". scottishfa.co.uk. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
52. "Victory for Under-18s in Serbia". Scottish Football Association. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
53. "Scotland U19 vs. Armenia U19 - 9 October 2012 - Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
54. "Scotland U19 vs. Belgium U19 - 24 May 2013 - Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
55. "Scotland - L. MacLeod - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
56. "Scottish Football Association". scottishfa.co.uk. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
57. "Georgia Under-21 2–1 Scotland Under-21". BBC Sport. 14 October 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
58. "Scottish Football Association". scottishfa.co.uk. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
59. "Scottish Football Association". www.scottishfa.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
60. Brett, Ciaran. "Brentford FC international round-up as Lewis Macleod withdraws from Scotland Under-21 squad". Retrieved 2016-09-19.
61. "Scotland: Rangers' Lewis Macleod given first squad call". BBC Sport. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
62. "Football: Kitted out for glory". Daily Record. 9 May 2007.(subscription required)

External links

• Official Scotland Profile
• Lewis Macleod career statistics at Soccerbase
  
• Lewis Macleod profile at brentfordfc.co.uk
• Lewis Macleod – UEFA competition record