Ex-Scotland international announces retirement aged 32 as he reveals career change with new full-time role in football

A FORMER Scotland international who was capped three times has announced his retirement from football at the age of 32.

The defender came through the youth ranks at Celtic before establishing himself with Hamilton Accies.

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He made his Scotland debut in 2019Credit: Kenny Ramsay – The Sun Glasgow

Steve Clarke gave him his first international capCredit: EPA

He later went on to play for Aberdeen, Fleetwood Town, Hibs, Livingston and most recently Ayr United.

Mikey Devlin has now confirmed he has decided to hang up his boots after spending six months without a club following his release from Ayr United in June.

He joined the Honest Men in the summer of 2024 under former Celtic captain Scott Brown, having previously been signed by him during Brown’s spell in charge at Fleetwood Town in 2022.

Injuries disrupted his career in recent years, although he enjoyed regular football during the 2023/24 season at Livingston under David Martindale, where he was appointed captain for a spell.

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Devlin was first called up to the Scotland squad by Alex McLeish in 2018 and made his international debut under Steve Clarke against Russia in 2019.

He also featured in matches against San Marino and Cyprus.

The 32-year-old announced his retirement in an emotional LinkedIn post, confirming he has taken up a new full-time role with the SFA.

He wrote: “It was hard to find the words for this, for obvious reasons. Retirement comes to us all in some form or another and when it does, we can only hope we are prepared for it.

“After a lot of reflection and contemplation, I feel ready for it. To walk away from a job that was my dream, something I loved deeply and my identity for vast majority of my life was, and is, a challenge. That being said, not only do I feel ready, I feel excited about what’s next.

“I’m incredibly proud of what I achieved in my career. Without doubt, representing my country is the highlight.

“The highs and lows are expected, to a degree, but football has the potential to take you to places mentally, which you don’t have the capacity to make sense of. This was certainly the greatest challenge I faced personally.

“I consider myself unbelievably fortunate to have experienced what I have throughout my 16 years as a professional. I played for brilliant clubs and worked with amazing people. And it’s the people I’ll remember most. Friendships I’ll have for life, people who have shaped who I am now and helped me navigate my heaviest struggles.

“My biggest takeaway and the aspect I care about most is the people I met along the way. I’ve been extremely lucky to have shared a dressing room with a lot of special people.

I’ve had many great influences on my career from an early age who left a lasting impact on me as a human being. Managers, Coaches, Physios, Sport Scientists and Doctors all played a big part in my experience as a footballer.

“I’m hugely grateful and thankful to those who believed and supported me.

“Most importantly, the role my family played in my career will never go unacknowledged or under appreciated. Without them, I know I wouldn’t have ‘made it’.

“We often overlook the impact our careers have on the people close to us. They live it too, feeling the highs and lows as much as we do. For me, my parents, brother Paul, and sister, Rachel, have been my stability, my support, my reassurance and my biggest fans.

“I’ll never be able to repay them for their physical and emotional investment in my journey. They alone, enabled my hopes and dreams to become a reality. I love you all very much and couldn’t have done this without you. Thank you.

PFA Scotland and the work they do has always meant a lot to me. Fraser Wishart has been a huge influence on me and I’m extremely thankful for the belief he has shown in me.

“I’ve been fortunate to be Chair of the organisation for a few years now and am exceptionally grateful and appreciative of the Management Committee who, at our most recent meeting, unanimously voted for me to continue as Chair, despite my retirements.

“I feel proud and excited to be moving into a full time role as Head of Projects at PFA Scotland. I hope my lived experience as a player can influence and guide me as I seek to support and drive change for every other footballer in Scotland.

“There is a lot to look forward to and be excited about.”

Mikey Devlin playing for Ayr UnitedCredit: Kenny Ramsay

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