James McArthur

Hamilton Academical

Born in Glasgow and raised in the city's Barrowfield district, McArthur attended Whitehill Secondary School and supported Rangers in his youth; he played for Rangers South BC (alongside future international colleagues Robert Snodgrass and Graham Dorrans), St Johnstone pro youth, Rangers SABC and Clyde before moving to Hamilton Academical as a youth in 2003. He made his professional debut in January 2005 against Ross County. He established himself in the Hamilton team the following season and scored his first goal in April 2006 against St Johnstone. Such was his progress that he was given the captaincy for Hamilton against Aberdeen in February 2008 for a Scottish Cup tie and nominated for the First Division Player of the Year for the 2007–08 season. In May 2008 after helping his side to the Scottish First Division, McArthur was awarded with a new three-year contract. By the time he departed from New Douglas Park aged 22, he had played in nearly 200 matches for Accies.

Wigan Athletic

In the 2009–10 season, several English Championship and Premier League clubs, including Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion, Leeds United and Sunderland, showed an interest in McArthur. On 5 April 2010, McArthur went on a three-day visit to Premier League club Wigan Athletic with a view to a permanent move in the summer. He signed a four-year contract at the DW Stadium on 23 July for a fee of around £500,000. The move reunited him with former Hamilton…

He was first called up to the Scotland under-21 squad in February 2008, and he made his debut at that level against Ukraine later that month. On 16 November 2010, McArthur made his senior international debut as a second-half substitute for Charlie Adam against the Faroe Islands. He scored his first international goal on 9 February 2011, in a Nations Cup match against Northern Ireland. As of August 2018, McArthur had made 32 international appearances and scored four goals. At this time he advised Scotland manager Alex McLeish that he wished to be excused from international games while he managed ongoing back problems. In October 2018, he announced his retirement from international football.

Club

International

Scotland score listed first, score column indicates score after each McArthur goal.

Hamilton Academical

Scottish Football League First Division: 2007–08 Wigan Athletic

FA Cup: 2012–13 Crystal Palace

FA Cup runner-up: 2015–16