# Colby Donovan
**Colby Donovan** (born 2006) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Celtic in the [Scottish Premiership](https://www.edgepedia.org/scottish-premiership) and has been called up to the Scotland national team. A product of the Celtic Academy, he made his senior debut for the club in August 2025 at the age of 18 and was part of the squad that won the [2025-26 Scottish Premiership](https://www.edgepedia.org/2025-26-scottish-premiership).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Colby Donovan |
| Born | 2006, Glasgow, Scotland[1](https://www.thecelticwiki.com/donovan-colby/) |
| Position | Right-back / defender; squad number 51 at Celtic[2](https://www.celticfc.com/players/colby-donovan) |
| Senior debut | 23 August 2025, as a substitute in a 3-0 home win over Livingston[2](https://www.celticfc.com/players/colby-donovan) |
| 2025/26 Premiership | 14 appearances, 2 assists; 2025-26 Premiership winner[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/9814/colby-donovan/career) • [4](https://www.bdfutbol.com/en/j/j708862.html) |
| International | Scotland U19 and U21 regular; first senior call-up by Sebastien Pocognoli in September 2026, national team number 13[5](https://pre-prod.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/colby-donovan?tab=bio) • [6](https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/teams/players/250176940--colby-donovan/) |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in[2](https://www.celticfc.com/players/colby-donovan) |
## Youth career and B Team
Donovan signed his first professional contract with Celtic in the summer of 2022 and rose through the club's Academy ranks.[2](https://www.celticfc.com/players/colby-donovan) After featuring for the under-18s, he made the full-time step up to the B Team during the 2023/24 campaign, becoming a regular in Stephen McManus' side.[2](https://www.celticfc.com/players/colby-donovan) • [7](https://www.celticfc.com/players/celtic-b/colby-donovan/) The B Team gave him his first taste of men's football in the Lowland League, where he played in both the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons.[5](https://pre-prod.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/colby-donovan?tab=bio)
His B Team spell included a notable individual moment: he scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory over Queens Park in the Glasgow Cup.[7](https://www.celticfc.com/players/celtic-b/colby-donovan/) He also featured in five of Celtic's six league-phase matches in a [UEFA Youth League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-youth-league) campaign in which the club reached the knockout stages.[7](https://www.celticfc.com/players/celtic-b/colby-donovan/) • [2](https://www.celticfc.com/players/colby-donovan)
## Breakthrough at Celtic
**First-team integration.** The right-back caught the eye of manager [Brendan Rodgers](https://www.edgepedia.org/brendan-rodgers) and first joined the senior squad for pre-season in the United States in 2024, appearing in friendly outings.[2](https://www.celticfc.com/players/colby-donovan) • [7](https://www.celticfc.com/players/celtic-b/colby-donovan/) He was later named on the bench for a Premier Sports Cup tie against Falkirk in the 2024/25 season, though he did not make a competitive first-team appearance that year.[7](https://www.celticfc.com/players/celtic-b/colby-donovan/) • [3](https://theanalyst.com/players/9814/colby-donovan/career)
After another pre-season with the first team in the summer of 2025, with trips to Portugal, Ireland, and Italy, he scored in Celtic's 2-1 win over Cork City in the Cork Super Cup.[2](https://www.celticfc.com/players/colby-donovan)
**Senior debut and early appearances.** Donovan made his competitive debut on 23 August 2025, coming off the bench in a 3-0 home win over Livingston.[2](https://www.celticfc.com/players/colby-donovan) He made his first start in a 2-1 win over [Kilmarnock](https://www.edgepedia.org/kilmarnock), and a few weeks later made his first European start, impressing in a 1-1 draw against Crvena Zvezda.[2](https://www.celticfc.com/players/colby-donovan)
**Establishing himself.** Across the 2025/26 [Premiership](https://www.edgepedia.org/premiership) season he made 14 league appearances, 7 of them starts, and provided 2 assists, accumulating 620 league minutes.[3](https://theanalyst.com/players/9814/colby-donovan/career) He alternated at right-back with fellow Scotland international Anthony Ralston while Celtic coped without the injured Alistair Johnston, and finished the season with a Premiership winners' medal.[5](https://pre-prod.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/colby-donovan?tab=bio) • [4](https://www.bdfutbol.com/en/j/j708862.html) He also made two [Scottish Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/scottish-cup) appearances that season, including a start in a 2-1 win over [Dunfermline](https://www.edgepedia.org/dunfermline).[8](https://falkirkfc.co.uk/player/c-donovan/)
When Johnston suffered another injury early in the 2026/27 season, Donovan was given his first extended run in the team and made the right-back berth his own.[5](https://pre-prod.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/colby-donovan?tab=bio) He appeared in each of Celtic's first seven Premiership games of 2026/27, starting five, and also featured in the Champions League and Europa League.[9](https://theanalyst.com/players/9814/colby-donovan) In August 2026 he starred in Celtic's 3-0 Champions League play-off win over LASK, a match attended by the new Scotland manager.[10](https://scotlandfootballnews.com/news/colby-donovan-eyes-scotland)
## International career
Donovan was a regular at Scotland Under-19 level, playing both center back and right back, and became a key figure for the Scotland Under-21 side during their 2027 Under-21 European Championship qualifying campaign.[5](https://pre-prod.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/colby-donovan?tab=bio) In September 2026 he received his first senior call-up from new Scotland head coach Sebastien Pocognoli, a Belgian former international defender, and was assigned national team number 13.[5](https://pre-prod.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/colby-donovan?tab=bio) • [6](https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/teams/players/250176940--colby-donovan/) He was named in the squad for the 2026-27 [UEFA Nations League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-nations-league) league phase, including a fixture against [North Macedonia](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-macedonia) on 13 November 2026.[6](https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/teams/players/250176940--colby-donovan/)
## Playing style
Donovan is a right-footed full-back who plays mainly on the right of a back four. A scouting profile describes him as a rangy athlete with good pace, balance, and ball progression, strong in medium-range passing and crossing, with shooting and heading cited as areas to develop.[11](https://www.thescoutingapp.com/blog/scouting-report-colby-donovan-579) The Celtic Wiki characterizes him as a strong and physical player for his age.[1](https://www.thecelticwiki.com/donovan-colby/)
## Honours
- Scottish Premiership: 2025-26[4](https://www.bdfutbol.com/en/j/j708862.html)
## References
1. [Donovan, Colby – The Celtic Wiki](https://www.thecelticwiki.com/donovan-colby/)
2. [Colby Donovan | Celtic FC Player Profile](https://www.celticfc.com/players/colby-donovan)
3. [Colby Donovan Career History | Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/9814/colby-donovan/career)
4. [C. Donovan – BDFutbol](https://www.bdfutbol.com/en/j/j708862.html)
5. [Colby Donovan – Men's A Squad – Scottish FA](https://pre-prod.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/colby-donovan?tab=bio)
6. [Colby Donovan | Scotland | UEFA Nations League | UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/teams/players/250176940--colby-donovan/)
7. [Colby Donovan | Celtic FC B Team Profile](https://www.celticfc.com/players/celtic-b/colby-donovan/)
8. [C. Donovan – Falkirk FC player page](https://falkirkfc.co.uk/player/c-donovan/)
9. [Colby Donovan | Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/9814/colby-donovan)
10. [Colby Donovan eyes Scotland call-up after Celtic win – Scotland Football News](https://scotlandfootballnews.com/news/colby-donovan-eyes-scotland)
11. [Scouting Report: Colby Donovan – The Scouting App](https://www.thescoutingapp.com/blog/scouting-report-colby-donovan-579)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of the British Isles (modern era) › Scottish footballers › Surnames A to J*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license