# Steven Fletcher (footballer)
**Steven Kenneth Fletcher** (born 1987) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a striker, most notably for Hibernian, Burnley, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sunderland, and Scotland, and who retired in September 2025 at the age of 38.[1](https://safcstats.co.uk/players/723/steven-fletcher) • [2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cn0r8r9ed7po) He was born in [Shrewsbury](https://www.edgepedia.org/shrewsbury), England, and qualified for Scotland internationally.[3](https://londonhearts.com/scotland/players/stevenkennethfletcher.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / born | Steven Kenneth Fletcher, 1987, Shrewsbury, England[3](https://londonhearts.com/scotland/players/stevenkennethfletcher.html) |
| Position | Striker; height 1.85 m[4](https://www.skysports.com/steven-fletcher) |
| Club career | Hibernian, Burnley, Wolves, Sunderland, Marseille (loan), Sheffield Wednesday, Stoke City, Dundee United, Wrexham; 749 club appearances, 189 goals[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cn0r8r9ed7po) • [5](https://wolvescompletehistory.co.uk/fletcher-steven/) |
| Scotland record | 33 caps, 10 goals; debut 26 March 2008 in a 1-1 friendly draw against Croatia[6](https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/steven-fletcher) |
| Record fees | Burnley paid a club record £3 million in June 2009; Wolves paid another club record fee a year later, reported as £6.5 million by the Scottish FA and £7.5 million by Sky Sports[6](https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/steven-fletcher) • [4](https://www.skysports.com/steven-fletcher) |
| Distinctive mark | First Scotland hat-trick since Colin Stein in 1969, against Gibraltar in Euro 2016 qualifying, repeated in the return fixture[6](https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/steven-fletcher) |
| Retirement | Announced 29 September 2025, at age 38, after helping Wrexham win back-to-back promotions to the Championship[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cn0r8r9ed7po) |
## Hibernian
Fletcher broke into the Hibernian first team just after his 17th birthday and became a regular for the Edinburgh club, scoring 43 goals in 156 appearances. Two of those goals came against [Kilmarnock](https://www.edgepedia.org/kilmarnock) in the 2007 [Scottish League Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/scottish-league-cup) final.[6](https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/steven-fletcher) His youth international record preceded this: he was Scotland's top goalscorer at the UEFA Under-19 Championships in 2006, netting nine goals as Scotland finished as runners-up, and he scored five times for the under-21 side between 2007 and 2008.[6](https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/steven-fletcher)
## Move to England: Burnley and Wolves
Burnley signed Fletcher in June 2009 for a club record fee of £3 million.[6](https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/steven-fletcher) In his single season there, 2009/10, he made 35 Premier League appearances and scored 8 goals with 4 assists.[7](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/18953/steven-fletcher/career) A year later he moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers for another club record fee; the Scottish FA gives the figure as £6.5 million, while [Sky Sports](https://www.edgepedia.org/sky-sports) lists the transfer, dated 3 June 2010, at £7.5 million.[6](https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/steven-fletcher) • [4](https://www.skysports.com/steven-fletcher) At Wolves he scored 10 goals in 29 league appearances in 2010/11 and 12 in 32 in 2011/12.[7](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/18953/steven-fletcher/career)
## Sunderland
Fletcher signed for [Sunderland](https://www.edgepedia.org/sunderland) in August 2012.[6](https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/steven-fletcher) His first season there was his most productive in the Premier League: 11 goals in 28 appearances in 2012/13.[7](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/18953/steven-fletcher/career) He followed with 3 goals in 2013/14, 5 in 2014/15, and 4 in 16 appearances in 2015/16.[7](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/18953/steven-fletcher/career) Across the whole move he made 89 appearances for the club by one statistical count.[1](https://safcstats.co.uk/players/723/steven-fletcher) In February 2016 he joined [Marseille](https://www.edgepedia.org/marseille) on loan, listed by Sky Sports with transfer dates of 1 and 2 February 2016 and an undisclosed fee.[4](https://www.skysports.com/steven-fletcher) • [5](https://wolvescompletehistory.co.uk/fletcher-steven/)
## Later club career
Fletcher joined Sheffield Wednesday in July 2016, then Stoke City in August 2020.[4](https://www.skysports.com/steven-fletcher) • [5](https://wolvescompletehistory.co.uk/fletcher-steven/) He returned to Scotland with Dundee United from July 2022 to July 2023, then signed for Wrexham in September 2023.[5](https://wolvescompletehistory.co.uk/fletcher-steven/) At Wrexham he was part of the side that secured back-to-back promotions to the Championship, and in the 2024/25 [EFL League One](https://www.edgepedia.org/efl-league-one) season he scored 8 goals in 40 matches, six of them at home.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cn0r8r9ed7po) • [8](https://footystats.org/players/scotland/steven-fletcher) He announced his retirement on 29 September 2025, saying on Instagram that "every club has shaped me and given me memories I'll never forget".[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cn0r8r9ed7po)
## Scotland
Fletcher made his senior debut in a 1-1 friendly draw against Croatia in March 2008 and scored his first senior goal in a 2-1 [FIFA World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-world-cup) qualifying win over Iceland in April 2009.[6](https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/steven-fletcher) He finished with 33 caps and 10 goals.[6](https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/steven-fletcher)
**The Gibraltar hat-tricks.** In Euro 2016 qualification he became the first player to score a hat-trick for Scotland since Colin Stein in 1969, scoring three against [Gibraltar](https://www.edgepedia.org/gibraltar) at Hampden, and he repeated the feat in the away fixture, which was actually played in [Faro, Portugal](https://www.edgepedia.org/faro-portugal), in the last game of the campaign.[6](https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/steven-fletcher) He was recalled to the Scotland squad in November 2018 for the first time in over a year while at Sheffield Wednesday.[4](https://www.skysports.com/steven-fletcher)
## Playing profile
The Scottish FA describes him as a "towering striker", and his listed height of 1.85 m supported a target-man role through his career.[6](https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/steven-fletcher) • [4](https://www.skysports.com/steven-fletcher) His Premier League record across Burnley, Wolves, and Sunderland totals 190 appearances, 53 goals, and 12 assists.[7](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/18953/steven-fletcher/career) His full club career closed at 749 appearances and 189 goals.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cn0r8r9ed7po)
## References
1. [Steven Fletcher — Sunderland AFC Stats, Appearances & Goals, SAFC Stats](https://safcstats.co.uk/players/723/steven-fletcher)
2. [Steven Fletcher: Former Scotland forward retires at 38 with 'gratitude', BBC Sport, 29 September 2025](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cn0r8r9ed7po)
3. [Steven Fletcher — Scotland Football Record, London Hearts](https://londonhearts.com/scotland/players/stevenkennethfletcher.html)
4. [Steven Fletcher — Scotland Player Profile, Sky Sports Football](https://www.skysports.com/steven-fletcher)
5. [Fletcher, Steven — Wolves Complete History](https://wolvescompletehistory.co.uk/fletcher-steven/)
6. [Steven Fletcher — Men's A Squad, Scottish FA](https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/en/teams/mens-team/steven-fletcher)
7. [Steven Fletcher — Wrexham Forward, Profile & Stats, Premier League](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/18953/steven-fletcher/career)
8. [Steven Fletcher Stats — Goals, Assists & Career Stats, FootyStats](https://footystats.org/players/scotland/steven-fletcher)
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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: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: 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