James Tavernier

James Tavernier
Personal information
Full name James Henry Tavernier[1]
Date of birth (1991-10-31) 31 October 1991 (age 32)[2]
Place of birth Bradford, England
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.82 m)[3]
Position(s) Right-back
Team information
Current team
 Rangers
Number 2
Youth career
Farsley Celtic
2001–2008 Leeds United
2008–2009 Newcastle United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2014 Newcastle United 2 (0)
2011 → Gateshead (loan) 13 (0)
2011 → Carlisle United (loan) 16 (0)
2011–2012 → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) 6 (0)
2012 → Milton Keynes Dons (loan) 7 (0)
2013 → Shrewsbury Town (loan) 1 (0)
2013–2014 → Rotherham United (loan) 27 (5)
2014–2015 Wigan Athletic 11 (0)
2015 → Bristol City (loan) 12 (3)
2015– Rangers 323 (90)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:45, 20 October 2024 (UTC)

James Henry Tavernier (/ˈtævɜ:ʳˈnɪɘʳ/;[4] born 31 October 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Scottish Premiership club Rangers, where he is club captain.[5][6]

After starting at the Leeds United Academy, he began his professional career at Newcastle United, spending most of his tenure on loans at six lower level clubs, including winning the League One playoffs with Rotherham United. In 2014, he signed for Wigan Athletic, where by his own admission, he struggled.[7] He spent the second half of his only Wigan season on loan at Bristol City, playing more consistently as they won League One.

Tavernier signed for Rangers in 2015, winning two trophies in his first season. He scored the goal that won Rangers the Scottish Championship, and was man of the match as they won the Scottish Challenge Cup, scoring a long-range volley in the final. At the beginning of the 2018–19 season, he was named as the club captain, going on to win the Scottish Premiership in 2021 and the Scottish Cup the following season. He was the top scorer as they finished runners-up in the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League. He has made over 400 appearances for the club, scoring over 100 goals, and was PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year in 2021. He was inducted to Rangers Hall of Fame in 2023. In March 2024, Tavernier became the highest scoring defender in British professional football history.

  1. ^ "Club list of registered players: As at 16th May 2015: Wigan Athletic" (PDF). The Football League. p. 36. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016.
  2. ^ "James Tavernier". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  3. ^ "James Tavernier". Rangers F.C. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  4. ^ @RaeComm (30 August 2015). "People still debating pronunciation of James Tavernier's surname didn't watch our pre-match today. He confirmed 100% 'Tav-er-near.' :-)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ^ Thomson, Nick (6 July 2018). "Tavernier Is My Leader". Rangers F.C. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  6. ^ "Lee Wallace backs new skipper James Tavernier". BBC Sport. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference damage was invoked but never defined (see the help page).