Dundonian Charlie Adam’s football career was the stuff of dreams and was topped and tailed beautifully in his home city.
He enjoyed spells with nine different teams during his 19-year career, including Rangers and Liverpool, before finishing his playing days with boyhood heroes Dundee.
Charlie announced his retirement from football this week and, to mark the milestone, we took a trip down memory lane to celebrate his remarkable career in pictures.
Life and times
Charlie – always called Charles by the family – grew up in Fintry.
His father, also Charles, graced the colours of several clubs during his career including St Johnstone, Brechin, Dundee United and Partick Thistle.
A big future was predicted for Charlie, who played for Dundee United Social Club at under-age level for five years from the age of eight.
Tom Szpak played a big part in Charlie’s development as a player, shaping his early career as he started down the road towards a professional career.
Both grandads and his dad were also big influences and provided great support.
“I went a couple of times to Dundee United at Gussie Park as a kid, then went to Dundee a couple of times, too,” he said.
“But at that time, when I was growing up, it was all about the west coast lads coming through to Dundee.
“There were a lot of Glasgow kids playing for United in particular at that time.
“My dad and I decided then I’d go to other clubs. I went down to Man City and trained there as a youngster and I spent time with Celtic’s under-14s.”
Charlie had trials with Aberdeen, but it was Rangers who stepped in and signed him.
He left school at 16 to play football and his progress in those early days was charted in the BBC Scotland documentary Blue Heaven, which aired in 2003.
Charlie was sent on loan to Ross County in August 2004, where his brilliant left foot was invaluable for the side throughout the First Division season.
He joined St Mirren on loan the following season and made a huge impact as the Buddies won the First Division title and promotion back to the SPL.
Charlie scored nine goals in 37 first-team games for Gus MacPherson‘s side and the 2005 Challenge Cup to add to his First Division title medal.
The midfielder returned to Rangers following his loan spell at St Mirren and changed his diet to convince new manager Paul Le Guen to keep him at Ibrox.
The Frenchman was a fitness fanatic and expected the same from his players.
For Charlie, that meant following a menu that was more Paris than Paisley, but munching through summer salads resulted in losing a stone in weight.
A hat-trick against the Jomo Select during Rangers’ pre-season trip to South Africa certainly impressed his new manager.
Charlie started the season in the first-team at Ibrox under Le Guen whose seven-month spell in charge ended when he walked out of the club in January 2007.
Walter Smith returned to the Ibrox hotseat and Charlie kept his place in the side and ended the season with a Scotland call-up after scoring 14 goals from midfield.
The 21-year-old came off the bench in a friendly game against Austria to earn his first cap in a 1-0 win for the Scots in Vienna’s Gerhard Hanappi Stadium in May 2007.
“It was brilliant,” he said.
“It was a proud moment, especially after everything that has happened over the last year.
“Playing for my country is something I’ve always dreamed of doing and now I’ve done it. Long may it continue, hopefully.
“I’m very proud. In fact, I’m close to tears thinking about it.
“For me to play for my country is very special.”
Charlie signed a five-year deal with Rangers.
He scored his first Champions League goal against Stuttgart in September 2007 and was part of the Rangers squad that reached the 2008 Uefa Cup final.
Charlie’s first-team involvement became limited following the arrival of several new signings and he was sent on loan to Blackpool in February 2009.
He was sent off in his first game for the Championship side!
Charlie scored two goals in 13 games and signed on a permanent deal in the summer for a club record £500,000 before leading Blackpool to the Championship play-off final.
Charlie lashed home the firecracker free-kick at Wembley that sent Blackpool into the English Premier League.
“The £90 million goal,” they called it.
He became a club legend.
Charlie was a revelation in his first season in the Premier League with Blackpool, making the shortlist for the PFA Player of the Year.
He made 91 appearances for the Seasiders, scoring 30 goals, before signing for Liverpool for £6.75m under Sir Kenny Dalglish in the summer of 2011.
He was hailed as Scotland’s top midfielder, but he struggled to hit the heights in a toiling Reds side and scored two goals in 37 appearances at Anfield.
He earned a League Cup winner’s medal in 2012 after helping Liverpool beat Cardiff City in the Wembley final.
Charlie joined Stoke City on the last day of the 2012 summer transfer window.
He made 179 appearances across seven seasons for the Potters but he also pulled on a Dark Blue shirt for the first time in his career during his time with Stoke.
He played for Dundee in Julian Speroni’s Crystal Palace testimonial at Selhurst Park in 2015 and chipped in with a cracker of a goal from the edge of the area.
Moments after netting, Charlie looked to the heavens and pointed skywards.
Post-match, he said he wanted to dedicate the goal to his late father, who died in 2012.
“For me, it’s a family thing,” he said.
“Obviously, my dad was a massive Dundee fan.
“Playing for the club in the game brought back a lot of memories.
“He took me to games at Dens Park when I was a kid.
“So I dedicate it to my dad.
“I do that because I know how proud he would be to see me in a Dundee shirt.”
Charlie’s wonder-goal from his own half against Chelsea will live long in the memory!
He saw Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois off his line and unleashed a shot that sailed in over the Belgian’s head during a 2-1 defeat in April 2015.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho said it was a goal Lionel Messi would have been proud of!
After being a regular fixture in the Premier League with Stoke, Charlie appeared 12 times following relegation to the Championship in the 2018/19 season before joining Reading.
But for this proud Fintry boy, nothing compared to returning home in September 2020 to guide his beloved Dundee back to the Premiership.
He was released after Dundee were relegated straight back to the Championship.
Charlie played 65 times for Dundee, scoring 12 goals and adding 19 assists.
He also racked up 26 caps for Scotland.
His career was the envy of many.
Charlie is embarking on a new career in coaching so his retirement is very much a case of farewell but not goodbye.
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