Kyle Lafferty
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50%Born
1987 (36 years old)
Birth Place
Enniskillen, Northern IrelandPosition
Centre-Forward
Status
Free Agent
Ethnicity
Team Number
28
Height
193 cm
Weight
70 kg
Outfitter
Kit
Side
Agent
Market Value
Free
Wage Year
Player Cutout
Player Action Render
Sport
SoccerTeam
_Free Agent Soccer
2nd Team
League
_No League Soccer
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Kyle Joseph George Lafferty (born 16 September 1987) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for West of Scotland Football League First Division side Johnstone Burgh.
Lafferty began his professional career with English side Burnley, where he made 89 appearances. He signed for Rangers in 2008 for £3.25 million and won three Scottish Premier League titles, the Scottish Cup once and the Scottish League Cup twice with the club. In 2012 Lafferty chose not to transfer over to the new company, moving to Switzerland's FC Sion. He signed for Serie B club Palermo in 2013 and led them to promotion as champions in his only season before joining Norwich City. He spent time on loan with Turkish club Çaykur Rizespor and back in England with Birmingham City. After just over a year back in Scotland with Heart of Midlothian, Lafferty re-signed for Rangers in August 2018, and he has since had short spells with Sarpsborg 08, Sunderland, Reggina, Kilmarnock and Anorthosis Famagusta. In January 2022, he returned to Kilmarnock, joining the club for the second time. He would then return to his native Northern Ireland to play for Linfield for a short while, before dropping down to the Scottish seventh tier to play for Johnstone Burgh.
He made his first international appearance for Northern Ireland in 2006 and has more than 80 caps, representing the team at UEFA Euro 2016. With 20 goals he is the team's second highest scorer of all time, behind former strike partner David Healy on 36.
In early 2006, Lafferty represented Northern Ireland under-19s at the Milk Cup. He impressed during the tournament, scoring in his first game against Paraguay, but Northern Ireland lost the match 3–1. Later in 2006, he received his first senior Northern Ireland call-up on a post-season trip to the United States to play friendly games against Romania and Uruguay. Lafferty scored his first Northern Ireland goal in an away friendly against Finland the following year. He featured predominantly as the second striker alongside David Healy during Northern Ireland's Euro 2008 qualification group, and he scored his first competitive international goal in a 4–1 victory over group minnows Liechtenstein. He then secured a 1–1 draw away to Sweden, scoring Northern Ireland's equaliser in the second half.
On 26 March 2008, he scored twice in an international match for the first time, in a friendly against Georgia which Northern Ireland won 4–1.
Lafferty scored in all of Northern Ireland's first three matches in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, against Hungary, the Faroe Islands and Greece, the first time that the nation won the first three matches of any qualification campaign. He added a brace on 29 March 2015 in a 2–1 home win over Finland.
On 4 September, Lafferty scored once for Northern Ireland in a 3–1 win against the Faroe Islands. The result put Northern Ireland at the top of Group F and on the brink of qualifying for their first European Championship. In the following game, against Hungary three days later, he scored a stoppage-time equaliser in a 1–1 draw to keep Northern Ireland top of their group. Lafferty ended the qualifying phase with seven goals, which made him Northern Ireland's top scorer as the team qualified as group winners. On 27 May 2016, Lafferty marked his 50th international appearance with a goal in a 3–0 win over Belarus in a friendly at Windsor Park, Belfast.
After Lafferty withdrew from the Northern Ireland squad for two UEFA Nations League matches in October 2018, the Irish Football Association invoked a FIFA rule to prevent him from playing for Rangers in their next league game.
Lafferty was the victim of multiple counts of vandalism while at Rangers.
He married former Miss Scotland Nicola Mimnagh at St Margaret's Roman Catholic Church, in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, in June 2012. The couple had a son, born in 2011. They later divorced. Lafferty married model and former Miss Scotland contestant Vanessa Chung at Gleneagles Hotel in May 2016. The couple had their first born daughter in 2018 and another daughter in 2020.
In August 2016, Lafferty accepted a misconduct charge from the Football Association in relation to football betting, and was fined £23,000.
In September 2022, Kilmarnock launched an investigation after video evidence emerged of Lafferty apparently making a sectarian remark in a nightclub. He subsequently withdrew from the Northern Ireland squad preparing for two international matches.
Career Honours
Career Milestones
Former Youth Teams
2004-2005 |
Former Senior Teams
|
2005-2008 |
2006 (Loan) |
2006-2022 |
2008-2012 |
2012-2013 |
2013-2014 |
2014-2017 |
2015 (Loan) |
2016 (Loan) |
2017-2018 |
2018-2019 |
2019-2020 |
2020 |
2020-2021 |
2021 |
2021-2022 |
|
2022-2023 |
2023 |
Former Club Staff
Contracts
|
2018-2020 |
Fanart
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| Rangers | Appearances | Scottish Premier League | 2010-2011 | 31 |
|
| Rangers | Goals | Scottish Premier League | 2010-2011 | 11 |
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