Kris Boyd

Kilmarnock (first spell)

Boyd signed a senior contract with Kilmarnock at the age of sixteen on 25 August 1999, and made his debut for the club as a substitute on the last day of the 2000–01 season against Celtic. He was given his chance to stake a place in the team the following season with the departures of Ally McCoist (who finished his career the day of Boyd's debut) and Christophe Cocard, scoring four goals in total. Boyd started the 2002–03 season, in "impressive" form and won the SPL Young Player of the Month award for August. In total he scored 12 times in the season and won Kilmarnock's Young Player of the Year award. His form attracted the interest of Wolverhampton Wanderers, and he had a trial with the Molineux club in August 2003. Boyd scored a total of fifteen goals in the 2003–04 season. In September 2004, he equalled a Scottish Premier League record when he scored all five of Kilmarnock's goals against Dundee United. He scored 19 goals in all competitions in the 2004–05 season, and was then linked with a move to Aberdeen. Boyd's form during the 2005–06 attracted interest from Championship sides Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday had offers accepted by Kilmarnock, however, Boyd rejected the moves.

Rangers (first spell)

Following speculation that he would sign in the January transfer window, Boyd officially joined Rangers on 1 January 2006. He was signed for a fee of around £500,000 on a contract lasting until the summer of 2009. He waived…

Boyd was regularly selected for the Scotland under-21 team, winning eight caps and scoring once. On 11 May 2006, he made his debut for the Scotland national team and scored twice in a 5–1 win over Bulgaria in the Kirin Cup. Boyd then took part in European Championship qualifying, scoring twice against the Faroe Islands in a 6–0 win and also against Georgia in a 2–1 win, his fifth goal in six games. On 11 October 2008, Boyd stated that he would not play international football again under manager George Burley. His decision came after Burley had left Boyd on the substitute bench in a 0–0 World Cup qualifying match against Norway, opting to bring on debutant Chris Iwelumo instead. When asked about the decision, Burley stated that Boyd had "to establish himself in the Rangers team, which he hasn't done". After hearing those comments, Boyd contacted Burley to inform him of his decision, and confirmed his decision with Gordon Smith, the chief executive of the Scottish Football Association. At a press conference on 13 October 2008, Burley hinted that the door might not be closed should Boyd reconsider, stating that Boyd, rather than he, had "made the decision", and that "... if [Boyd] is totally committed, that's what the country needs". On 16 November 2009, Burley was sacked as manager of Scotland after winning just three out of fourteen games as manager. After Craig Levein was appointed manager of Scotland in December 2009, Boyd stated that he was "ready and willing" to play for…

Boyd is typically defined as a goal poacher, whose key attribute is his strike rate. He scored an average of two goals for every three games when he arrived at Rangers; many of which came from the substitute bench, making his goals-to-games ratio even more impressive. He prefers to play in the penalty box, where he can play off the shoulder of defenders who are close to their goals. Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish compared him to rival Ally McCoist in goalscoring ability. When he fails to score, however, his overall contribution to the team is sometimes questioned. Manager Walter Smith occasionally chose not to play him owing to his lack of contribution to the overall team performance. With Smith's common 4–5–1 formation, Boyd was not seen to be an effective lone striker.

As a youth, Boyd played in 17 matches as a full back for Rangers. He was released, and became a striker when he joined the youth development program at Kilmarnock, ten miles from his home village, at the age of 12.