SPL’s record goalscorer returns home (video)
Kris Boyd signed for Kilmarnock on Saturday, the club where it all began for the SPL’s record goalscorer.
The 29-year-old Scotsman has netted in the Scottish Premier League on 164 occasions, trumping Celtic legend Henrik Larsson by 8 goals.
Boyd began his career at local side Kilmarnock after coming through the club’s youth ranks. He made his debut for Killie on the last day of the 2000/01 season and went onto score 63 SPL goals for the Ayrshire-based club.
In the 2004/05 season, Boyd had scored 17 goals before the beginning of the new year for Kilmarnock including all 5 goals in a 5-2 home victory over Dundee United. His goals and performances sparked the interest of Boyd’s boyhood heroes Rangers and prompted the Ibrox side to pay £500,000 for the striker at the beginning of the January transfer window that season.
Boyd started his Rangers career with a debut hat-trick in a 5-0 Scottish Cup victory over Peterhead and went on to score 101 SPL goals for the Gers including yet another 5 goals against Dundee United in a 7-1 romp in Glasgow.
Boyd’s form earned him a call-up for the Scottish national team with whom he put in another virtuoso debut performance with 2 goals against Bulgaria in the Kirin Cup in Japan. His current international record stands at 7 goals in 16 caps, yet he has not appeared in front of the tartan army since 2010.
In spite of his incredible goalscoring exploits, Boyd was often criticised by the media, supporters and his coaching staff for a lack of work ethic and his inability to link up play with the midfield – many believed Boyd to be nothing more than an old fashioned goal-poacher.
Subsequently, Boyd was often left on the bench against stronger opposition and was frequently excluded from the Rangers starting eleven in Old Firm derbies and in European competition.
With Rangers, Boyd won 2 SPL titles, 2 Scottish Cups, 2 League Cups and reached the UEFA Cup final in 2008. On a personal level, Boyd was the SPL top scorer for 4 consecutive seasons between the 2005/06 season and 2009/10.
Rangers opted to offload Boyd to Middlesbrough in the summer of 2010, however he has been unable to replicate his goalscoring form since leaving Scotland. Boyd has had spells with Boro, Nottingham Forest, Turkish side Eskisehirspor and Major League Soccer outfit Portland Timbers, but has only been able to score 19 goals since his departure from Glasgow.
Having returned to Scotland with Kilmarnock, Kris Boyd will be hoping to further extend his record-breaking goal tally in the SPL.
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