Gary Mackay-Steven was born on 31 August 1990, in Scotland and has become a formidable force as a football forward, predominantly playing as a left winger for Kilmarnock. Standing at 5ft 8in (1.75m) tall, and weighing 11st (70kg), Mackay-Steven dons the number 14 jersey.
His career set off in January 2011 when he joined Airdrieonians, a Championship side from his native Scotland. During his debut season, he featured in 19 first team league matches. Not long after, in July 2011, he transferred to Dundee United, an upward move into the Premiership. Proving his value over consecutive seasons, he had a noteworthy statistics of 31 appearances with four goals in 2011-2012, 23 appearances with five goals in 2012-2013, escalating to 35 appearances with seven goals in 2013-2014, and 21 appearances with five goals in 2014-2015.
February 2015 marked a significant turn in Mackay-Steven's career as he swapped United for the iconic Celtic; a club known for its fanatical supporter base. It is believed that a fee of around £250k was agreed for the deal. He successfully integrated himself into the Celtic squad, making 13 appearances in half a season, and scored four goals. In the next season, he notched up 4 goals in 25 appearances, and whilst in the 2016-2017 season his appearances were cut short to eight, his commendable performances did not go unnoticed.
After two solid seasons with Celtic, he transferred to Aberdeen in the Premiership for a reported fee of around £150k in July 2017. Here, Mackay-Steven continued to impress, with 31 appearances and five goals in the 2017-2018 season, and 20 appearances with four goals in the 2018-2019 season.
His performances on the Scottish football scene caught the attention of American side, New York City FC, who managed to secure his transfer in July 2019. Mackay-Steven then made the move across the pond to compete in the MLS, where he made 12 first team appearances and a further 22 in the subsequent season 2020, netting a total of three goals.
Mackay-Steven returned home in January 2021 and signed for Hearts, where he managed 32 appearances with two goals in the 2021-2022 season, and four appearances in the following season. After a short spell at Hearts, he transferred to his current club, Kilmarnock, in December 2023. He has been consistent for them with nine first team appearances in both the 2023-2024 and the ongoing 2024-2025 seasons, scoring once in the former season.
Not just limited to domestic league games, he also demonstrated his versatility as he participated in the League Cup 2024-2025 for Kilmarnock with one start, and in the Conference League Qualifiers 2024-2025 for Kilmarnock with two substitute appearances.
