# Caroline Weir

Caroline Elspeth Lillias Weir (born 20 June 1995) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for Spanish Liga F club Real Madrid CF and the Scotland national team.
She began her career in Scotland with Hibernian, moving to Arsenal aged 18 and spending the next nine years in English football with Bristol Academy, Liverpool and Manchester City, winning four trophies (two FA Women's Cups and two WSL Cups) in her time at City. She joined Real Madrid in 2022, becoming the first Scottish player in the top division of Spanish women's football.
Weir made her full international debut in 2013, and played for Scotland at the UEFA Euro 2017 and 2019 FIFA World Cup tournaments. She also featured for the rarely-assembled Great Britain team at the 2020 Olympic Games (held in 2021).

## Club career
### Elgin Star

Raised in Dunfermline, Weir began her footballing journey playing for local boys' team Elgin Star FC in the Fife Football Development League at Pitreavie Playing Fields between 2003 and 2005. She played as a midfielder in the 7-a-side games, invariably scoring two to three goals each game and regularly receiving the player of the match award.

### Hibernian

Weir started her career in the Hibernian youth system from the age of ten. In 2011, she won the SWFL First Division player of the year award for her performances in Hibs' reserve side while also making her first team debut in May against Glasgow City.

### Arsenal

Weir joined FA WSL side Arsenal in July 2013 after leaving high school. Whilst at Arsenal, Weir won the FA Women's Cup in 2014 but was unable to establish herself as a regular starter.

### Bristol Academy

On 9 July 2015, it was announced that Weir left Arsenal for FA WSL side Bristol Academy.

### Liverpool

On 18 January 2016, it was announced that Weir had left relegated Bristol to sign for Liverpool. While with the Reds, she won the club's Ladies Player of the Year Award for 2016.

### Manchester City

On 1 June 2018, Manchester City announced the signing of Weir. She won the Player of the Match award in the 2019 WSL Cup Final as Manchester City defeated her former club Arsenal 4–2 on penalties.
Weir scored the winner, a 25-yard strike, as Manchester City defeated Manchester United 1–0 in the inaugural Manchester derby on 7 September 2019. The goal was subsequently nominated for the FIFA Puskas Award 2020.
On 31 January 2020, she signed a new contract with Manchester City until 2022.
On 29 November 2021, another goal against Manchester United on 12 February 2021 – a chip from the edge of the area – was nominated for the FIFA Puskas Award 2021. Almost exactly a year later she scored a very similar goal against the same opposition.

### Real Madrid

On 7 July 2022, Real Madrid announced the signing of Weir on a free transfer. Shortly after that, a statement was released about a "hold on processing of non-EU licences", affecting the signing of Weir, who was not registered with Real Madrid before 30 June. A month later she scored a goal that knocked her previous club Manchester City out of Champions League qualifying and enabled Madrid to progress the second phase.
Weir suffered damage to her anterior cruciate ligament while on international duty in September 2023 and was out of action for a year. Shortly after her return from the injury in October 2024, she "curled in a brilliant opener from distance" to open the scoring in a 2024–25 UEFA Women's Champions League fixture against Celtic which Real Madrid won 4–0; it was the first time she had played a club match against a Scottish team since Arsenal defeated Glasgow City in the 2013–14 edition of the same tournament, a few months after Weir left Hibernian for the English league.
On 3 December 2024, The Guardian named Weir at 83rd place among the top 100 women footballers in the world for 2024, a drop of 39 places from her 2023 placing attributable primarily to her injury absence.

## International career
### Scotland

Having represented Scotland at all youth levels, Weir received her first call-up for the Scotland senior squad for their match against Iceland in June 2013. She retained her place in the squad for the following game against Germany. During Euro 2017, the first major tournament for which Scotland had qualified, Weir scored the opening goal against Spain and was voted player of the game. She helped Scotland qualify for the 2019 FIFA World Cup, and played in all of their three matches at the tournament. During the 2023 FIFA World Cup UEFA play-off match against Ireland, which the Scots lost 1–0, Weir had a penalty saved. After missing more than a year of football due to injury, she was recalled to the national squad in October 2024.

### Great Britain Olympic team

Weir was one of two Scots selected by Great Britain for the 2020 Summer Olympics, along with Kim Little. She was initially credited with scoring in the 1–1 draw with Canada, but it was later denoted as an own goal by Nichelle Prince. She also had a penalty saved during their 4–3 loss to Australia in the quarter-final.

## Career statistics
### International appearances

    Scotland statistics accurate as of match played 26 September 2023.
    Great Britain statistics accurate as of match played 2 August 2021.
| Year | Scotland | Scotland | Great Britain | Great Britain |
| Year | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 2013 | 5 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 6 | 1 | — |
| 2015 | 12 | 4 | — |
| 2016 | 7 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 14 | 1 | — |
| 2018 | 11 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 13 | 3 | — |
| 2020 | 7 | 2 | — |
| 2021 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 2022 | 10 | 2 | — |
| 2023 | 9 | 2 | — |
| Total | 102 | 17 | 4 | 0 |

### International goals

    Results list Scotland's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition | Scored |
| 1 | 13 September 2014 | Fir Park, Motherwell | Faroe Islands | 9–0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qual. | 1 |
| 2, 3 | 8 February 2015 | Solitude, Belfast | Northern Ireland | 4–0 | Friendly | 2 |
| 4 | 23 October 2015 | Fir Park, Motherwell | Belarus | 7–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qual. | 1 |
| 5 | 27 October 2015 | Petar Miloševski Training Centre, Skopje | Macedonia | 4–1 | UEFA Women's Euro 2017 equal. | 1 |
| 6 | 27 July 2017 | De Adelaarshorst, Deventer, Netherlands | Spain | 1–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2017 | 1 |
| 7 | 17 January 2019 | La Manga Club Football Stadium, La Manga, Spain | Norway | 1–3 | Friendly | 1 |
| 8 | 28 May 2019 | Hampden Park, Glasgow | Jamaica | 3–2 | Friendly | 1 |
| 9 | 30 August 2019 | Easter Road, Edinburgh | Cyprus | 8–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2021 qual. | 1 |
| 10, 11 | 23 October 2020 | Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh | Albania | 3–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2021 qual. | 2 |
| 12 | 19 February 2021 | AEK Arena, Larnaca | Cyprus | 10–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2021 qual. | 1 |
| 13 | 10 June 2021 | Solitude, Belfast | Northern Ireland | 1–0 | Friendly | 1 |
| 14 | 24 June 2022 | Stadion Miejski w Rzeszowie [pl], Rzeszów | Ukraine | 4–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qual. | 1 |
| 15 | 6 September 2022 | Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn | Faroe Islands | 6–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qual. | 1 |
| 16 | 11 April 2023 | Hampden Park, Glasgow | Costa Rica | 4–0 | Friendly | 1 |
| 17 | 18 July 2023 | Tampere Stadium, Tampere | Finland | 2–1 | Friendly | 1 |

## Honours

Arsenal
* FA Women's Cup: 2014
Manchester City
* FA Women's League Cup: 2018–19, 2021–22
* Women's FA Cup: 2018–19, 2019–20
Individual
* Liga F AFE Player of the Season: 2022–23
* Scotland Player of the Year: 2016, 2020
* SFWA Women's International Player of the Year: 2021–22, 2022–23
* NRS Scottish Sporting Breakthrough Award: 2017
* FA Women's Super League Goal of the Month: February 2022
* PFA Bristol Street Motors Fans’ Player of the Month: December 2020
* PFA Women's Super League (WSL) Team of the Year: 2016–17, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22
* Puskas Award Nominee: 2020, 2021
* Liverpool Ladies Player of the Year: 2016
* Real Madrid Player of the Season: 2022–23