Talented attacking midfielder Ryan Christie arrived at AFC Bournemouth on deadline day in August 2021.
Born in Inverness, his father Charlie Christie was a professional footballer who played 257 times for Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Christie joined Caley Thistle’s academy system aged ten, signing his first professional contract in 2011.
He made his debut for the club in December 2013 in a narrow defeat to Celtic, making 15 appearances in his breakthrough season.
He appeared as a substitute in the 2014 Scottish League Cup final, a game in which Inverness lost on penalties to Aberdeen, and scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 loss to Motherwell in April 2014.
Christie made a further 42 appearances in the 2014/15 season, scoring four goals, helping the club to the Scottish Cup title. He was awarded the SWA Young Player of the Year for his performances.
In September 2015, the midfielder joined Celtic on a four-year deal, immediately re-joining Inverness on a season-long loan. Injury limited him to only nine appearances before he was recalled to Celtic Park.
Christie joined fellow Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen on loan in January 2017, scoring his first goal in a 2-0 win over Partick Thistle. He helped the Dons to a second-place finish and a spot in the 2017 Scottish Cup final but wasn’t eligible to play in Hampden Park due to the fixture being played against his parent club.
He returned to Pittodrie Stadium for the 2017/18 season and netted eight goals in 43 appearances.
His performances earned Christie his first senior call-up to the Scotland team, playing the full 90 minutes in a narrow defeat to the Netherlands.
The 2018/19 campaign saw him earn a regular spot in Neil Lennon’s squad while at domestic level he scored 11 goals in 38 appearances as Celtic won the league title, before injury curtailed his season.
He contributed to all three goals in the League Cup semi-final victory over Hearts before scoring in the final, netting the only goal against former club Aberdeen.
The 2019/20 season proved to be Christie’s most productive to date and began when he scored a hat-trick in the 7-0 opening day victory over St Johnstone.
He scored 20 goals in 45 appearances as Celtic once again won all available domestic competitions, and he also netted seven goals in 14 European matches.
Christie scored his first goal for Scotland in a Euro 2020 qualification win over Cyprus, scoring a curling shot from outside the penalty area.
He proved to be a pivotal part of the Scotland squad that qualified for Euro 2020, their first major tournament in 22 years, scoring in the play-off final against Serbia, which they won on penalties.
His tournament debut came in Scotland’s Euro 2020 opener against Czech Republic at Hampden Park, lining up at Wembley four days later in the goalless draw with England.
In total, Christie made 151 appearances for Celtic, scoring 41 goals and setting up 44, before linking up with the Cherries on a permanent deal.
Christie made an instant impact at Vitality Stadium after his transfer deadline day arrival in August 2021, making five assists in his first nine games.
He netted his first goal for the club in the 3-0 win over Cardiff City in December 2021, scoring further goals against Birmingham City and Peterborough United.
In total, he made 39 appearances in his debut season, scoring three goals and setting up eight. He helped the Cherries to automatic promotion to the Premier League for only the second time in the club's history.
Christie scored his first Premier League goal in the 2-1 win over Leicester City in October 2022 and he made 36 appearances across the 2022/23 campaign.
Under Andoni Iraola, the Scotsman was moved to a central position for 2023/24, where he can received the ball more often and highlight his high-class dribbling skills. His smart finish in stoppage time won the Carabao Cup tie with Swansea City in August 2023.
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