Oliver Burke

Nottingham Forest

Burke was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, but grew up in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England where he joined local club Mowbray Rangers aged eight. After one season at the club, he was scouted to join Nottingham Forest's Academy where he progressed for the next nine years. Burke signed his first professional contract with Nottingham Forest on 19 September 2014, before making his professional debut as an 87th-minute substitute during a 3–1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on 24 September. He made his league debut on 14 February 2015 as a 64th-minute substitute in a 4–4 draw away to Blackpool. Burke was sent on a month-long loan to League One club Bradford City on 24 February. He made his debut for them on the same day, playing for 75 minutes in a 2–1 loss away to Swindon Town. Burke made another start on 28 February in a 2–0 loss against Peterborough United and appeared twice as an unused substitute before returning to his parent club. After his loan spell at Bradford City came to an end, Burke signed a three-year contract with Forest. Ahead of the 2015–16 season, Burke signed another three-year contract with the club on 29 July. Burke played for the club's reserves until December when he was called up to the first team by manager Dougie Freedman, whom Burke considered his mentor. On 29 December, Burke scored his first goal for Forest from a curling shot hit with the outside of his right foot against Cardiff City. His goal opened the scoring at the Cardiff…

Burke was eligible to play for England in addition to Scotland, having been brought up south of the border from a young age, but he opted to play for his country of birth. He was first called up by Scotland U19 and scored on his debut for the team, a 3–1 win against Mexico U18, on 6 October 2015. He went on to make six appearances for the side. Burke received his first call-up to the senior Scotland squad on 10 March 2016 for their friendly match against Denmark. He made his debut as an 82nd-minute substitute for goalscorer Matt Ritchie in the 1–0 win at Hampden Park 19 days later. He was left out of the full squad in June 2017, and was a late call-up to the under-20 squad for the 2017 Toulon Tournament. Burke scored both goals in a 3–2 defeat against the Czech Republic. As captain, Scotland claimed a historic first ever victory against Brazil at any level, in the second match. The team went on to win the bronze medal. It was the nation's first ever medal at the competition. During the 2017–18 season, Burke was selected in the under-21 squad. He made his debut at that level on 5 September, and he scored the first goal in a 2–0 win against the Netherlands. In the 2018 Toulon Tournament, Burke scored goals against France and South Korea as Scotland finished in fourth place. In the third-place play-off against Turkey, he was the only player to miss in the penalty shootout defeat, with Altay Bayındır saving his attempt. Burke was recalled to the full international squad in March…

Club

As of match played 17 May 2026

International

As of 3 September 2023

As of match played 8 June 2019 Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Burke goal.

Burke became engaged to television personality Megan McKenna in June 2023. They live in Germany. In October 2024, the couple welcomed their first child and Burke's second son. Burke also has an older son from a former relationship. In June 2025, Burke and McKenna got married.