Jackson Irvine

Jackson Alexander Irvine (born 7 March 1993) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a central midfielder for J1 League club Cerezo Osaka and the Australia national team.

Irvine previously played for Celtic, Kilmarnock, Ross County, Burton Albion, Hull City, Hibernian and FC St. Pauli.

Irvine played for Scotland at under-19 level, but subsequently chose to represent the Australia national team at senior level, and was selected in their 2018, 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cup squads. Irvine is the 63rd captain of Australia.

Club career Celtic Irvine was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, where he attended The Knox School. and where he played for clubs in the Victorian League structure. While growing up, Irvine met Curtis Good when "they were both ten and lived two minutes from each other and grew up together". They also "ran cross countries together, played for Knox City (in Melbourne) as juniors". He won the Frankston Pines player of the year award in 2009, his first season of senior football.

He signed with Celtic in December 2010 after a successful trial period. that won the Scottish Youth Cup and Under-19 League that season. Irvine also won the Youth Cup in 2010–11 and 2012–13. He made his Scottish Premier League debut on 1 September 2012, when he came on as a half-time substitute in a 2–2 draw against Hibernian. Having made his first team debut he also captained the club's new under-20 side.

Kilmarnock (loan) At the start of the 2013–14 season, Irvine joined Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock on a six-month loan following interest from manager Allan Johnston.

Two days after signing for the club, Irvine made his debut, in a 1–1 draw against St Mirren. Irvine then went on to earn regular playing time in the starting eleven. After making six appearances at the club, Irvine scored a "stunning strike from a short Barry Nicholson free-kick" in a 2–0 victory over Ross County on 19 October 2013, giving Johnston his first win for Kilmarnock since arriving at the club as manager. Several weeks later, on 9 November 2013, Irvine was sent-off for receiving a second bookable offence, in a 3–1 loss against St Johnstone. In January 2014, Irvine's loan spell with Kilmarnock was extended until the end of the season.

Ross County On 1 September 2014, Irvine was sent out on loan again, this time to Ross County. He made his debut on 13 September 2014, in a 2–1 home defeat against Motherwell. On 28 July 2015, Ross County signed Irvine on a two-year permanent deal from Celtic for a development fee.

Burton Albion On 15 July 2016, Irvine signed for English Championship club Burton Albion for a reported fee of £330,000, with the club saying they had broken their transfer record to sign him. He made his debut for the club on 13 August against Bristol City. Three days later he scored his first goal, helping Burton Albion beat Sheffield Wednesday 3–1. This marked the start of a run of four goals in his first six league games for the club. Irvine was named Burton's Player of the Year for 2016–17 after scoring 10 goals in 43 games and helping the club to avoid relegation.

Hull City

On 30 August 2017, Irvine signed a three-year deal with Hull City. On 8 September 2017, he made his debut for the club when he came off the bench after 70-minutes to replace Jon Toral in a 5–0 away loss to Derby County. On 9 December 2017, Irvine scored his first goal for the club when he netted Hull's final goal in a 3–2 home win against Brentford.

Irvine was released by Hull City in June 2020.

Hibernian On 12 January 2021, Irvine joined Scottish side Hibernian until the end of the 2020–21 season.

FC St. Pauli On 5 July 2021, Irvine signed for German club FC St. Pauli, playing in the 2. Bundesliga. For the 2022–23 season, he became team co-captain, sharing the captaincy with Leart Paqarada. After Paqarada left the club in July 2023 Irvine became the sole captain for the 2023–24 season.

In August 2024, a day before FC St. Pauli's first match in the Bundesliga after promotion, Irvine agreed a contract extension with the club.

Irvine captained FC St. Pauli to the 2023–24 2. Bundesliga title and promotion to the Bundesliga, ending the club's 13-year absence from the German top flight. He played a key role throughout the campaign and established himself as one of the team's leaders both on and off the pitch. During his time at St. Pauli, Irvine made 153 appearances in all competitions, scoring 15 goals and providing 21 assists.

Cerezo Osaka On 5 August 2026, Irvine joined J1 League club Cerezo Osaka. He made his debut for the club in a 3-0 loss to Avispa Fukuoka, where he came on as a substitute in the 46th minute. On 22nd August 2026, He made his first start and assist in a 1-0 win against Shimizu S-Pulse.

International career Irvine represented Scotland at the under-19 international level, although he said in October 2011 that he was still interested in playing for Australia. Irvine was eligible to play for Scotland because his father was born in Aberdeen, On 11 October 2012, he made his debut for the Australia under-20 team in a friendly match against Portugal. He represented Australia at the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship in United Arab Emirates and at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.

In September 2013, Irvine received his first Australia senior national team call-up and was selected for two matches. After being on the bench for one game, Irvine made his debut coming on as a substitute for Mile Jedinak in the 83rd minute, in a 3–0 win over Canada on 15 October 2013.

In May 2018, Irvine was named in Australia's 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

In November 2022, he was named in his second World Cup squad, and was named in the starting team of the opening match against France as a right midfielder.

On 28 March 2023, Irvine became the 63rd captain of Australia in a friendly against Ecuador at Docklands Stadium. On 18 January 2024, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Syria, which qualified his country to the knockout phase.

On 31 May 2026, Irvine was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Personal life Irvine is noted for his support for social justice causes, especially LGBTQ inclusion in football.

In 2026, he criticised FIFA, saying football's credibility as a force for good has been undermined by its creation of a "FIFA Peace Prize" to award to Donald Trump, claiming it made a mockery of human rights.

Irvine hosted his own radio show, Heimspiel, every four weeks on the Hamburg-based music station ByteFM from 2024 to 2026.

Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals Frankston Pines 2009 Victorian State League Division 1

2012–13 Scottish Premier League

2013–14

2014–15

1!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!1!!0 Kilmarnock (loan) 2013–14 Scottish Premiership

2016–17

2017–18

2018–19

2019–20

Hibernian 2020–21 Scottish Premiership

2021–22

2023–24

Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Irvine goal.

FC St. Pauli 2. Bundesliga: 2023–24

Australia Soccer Ashes: 2023

Individual Scottish Premiership Player of the Month: March 2016 Burton Albion Player of the Year: 2016–17 AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 2023 PFA Men's Footballer of the Year: 2024