Lewis Ferguson

Lewis Ferguson

Personal information
Date of birth	(1999-08-24) 24 August 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth	Hamilton, Scotland
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.81 m) [1]
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team	Bologna
Number	19
Youth career
2009–2013	Rangers
2013–2017	Hamilton Academical
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017–2018	Hamilton Academical	13	(0)
2018–2022	Aberdeen	132	(27)
2022–	Bologna	63	(13)
International career‡
2017–2018	Scotland U19	7	(0)
2018	Scotland U20	1	(0)
2018–2020	Scotland U21	11	(0)
2021–	Scotland	12	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:27, 13 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:30, 26 March 2024 (UTC)

Lewis Ferguson (born 24 August 1999) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Serie A club Bologna, whom he also captains, and the Scotland national team.

After playing youth football for Rangers and Hamilton Academical, Ferguson made his senior debut for the latter club in the 2017–18 season. After four seasons with Aberdeen he moved to Italian club Bologna in 2022.

A Scotland youth international, Ferguson made his senior debut in 2021.

Early life

Lewis Ferguson was born on 24 August 1999 in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire. ^[1]

Club career

Hamilton Academical

Ferguson is a graduate of the Hamilton Academical youth system after earlier being part of the setup at Rangers. ^{[2] [3]} He made his senior debut for Hamilton on 20 January 2018, ^[4] and became a regular in the team in the latter part of the 2017–18 season, replacing Greg Docherty who had moved to Rangers. ^[5]

With his contract due to expire at the end of that season, Ferguson signed a pre-contract agreement with Aberdeen in May 2018. ^{[5] [6]} He was one of seven first-team players who left Hamilton at the end of the 2017–18 season. ^[7]

Aberdeen

Ferguson made his competitive debut for Aberdeen on 26 July 2018, in the first leg of a Europa League tie against Burnley at Pittodrie Stadium. ^{[8] [9]} He scored his first senior goal in the second leg at Turf Moor – a "stunning overhead kick" – although Burnley eventually won the tie on aggregate after extra time. ^[10] On 28 October, he helped Aberdeen to reach the 2018 Scottish League Cup Final by scoring the only goal of the semi-final against Rangers at Hampden Park. ^[11] By the end of the calendar year, he had also scored three league goals, all in the closing minutes of each fixture, with two of them (a free kick against Kilmarnock ^[12] and another overhead kick against Livingston) ^[13] winning the matches for his team.

In February 2019, Ferguson extended his contract with Aberdeen, keeping him at the club until 2024. ^[14] In April, he played at Hampden Park again, but this time was sent off for a dangerous challenge as Aberdeen lost to Celtic in the semi-final of the 2018–19 Scottish Cup. ^[15] In May 2019, he was nominated for the season's PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year; the award was won by Ryan Kent. ^[16]

Ferguson was the club's top scorer during the 2020–21 season, with 10 goals in 41 appearances. ^[17] Aberdeen rejected an offer from Watford for Ferguson in May 2021, after which he submitted a written transfer request. ^[17]

Bologna

On 12 July 2022, Italian club Bologna announced the signing of Ferguson for an undisclosed transfer fee. ^{[18] [19]} He made his debut as a substitute in a 2–0 away defeat to Milan on 27 August 2022, ^[20] and made two more substitute appearances before his first start against Napoli on 16 October. ^[21] His first goal came a week later, the second in a 2–0 win at home to Lecce, and he scored again the following week – the equaliser in a 2–1 away win over Monza. ^[20] On 12 November 2022, he scored Bologna's third goal in a 3–0 win over Sassuolo, a curling effort from the edge of the penalty area after a one-two with Nicolás Domínguez that was later named the Serie A goal of the month for November 2022. ^{[22] [23]} Ferguson started 28 games for Bologna during the 2022–23 season as they finished ninth in Serie A. ^[24] He scored seven goals during the season, which was the highest tally by a Scottish player in an Italian league season since Denis Law played for Torino in 1961–62. ^[24]

In July 2023, Ferguson signed a new contract with Bologna that is due to run until the end of the 2026–27 season. ^[24] In October 2023 he became Bologna's captain, ^{[25] [26]} and he continued in that role, ^{[27] [28] [29]} until suffering a knee injury in April 2024. ^{[30] [31]} He later said it would be six or seven months before he could re-start training. ^[32]

Ferguson became the top Scottish scorer in Serie A history on 23 December 2023, overtaking Denis Law, when he scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Atalanta. ^[33] He was named the Serie A midfielder of the year for the 2023–24 season. ^[34]

On 29 October 2024, Ferguson was named in a matchday squad for the first time in over six months, remaining on the bench as Bologna beat Cagliari 2-0. ^[35] He later said that "the Scottish mentality" helped him recover from his injury quicker than expected. ^[36]

International career

Ferguson was called up by the Scotland under-19 team in August 2017, ^[37] and he went on to make appearances at the under-19, under-20 and Scotland under-21 levels. ^[38] Ferguson received his first call-up to the senior Scotland squad in August 2021 for games against Denmark, Moldova and Austria. ^[39] He made his debut against Denmark on 1 September 2021 in a 2–0 away loss, coming on for Billy Gilmour in added time. ^[40]

He suffered a knee injury in April 2024 which required surgery and put his participation at Euro 2024 into doubt. ^{[30] [31]} After missing the tournament due to injury, he said his "time would come" with the national team. ^[41]

Personal life

Lewis is the son of Derek Ferguson and nephew of Barry Ferguson, both former professional footballers with clubs including Rangers, and the Scotland national team. ^[42] His cousin Kyle Ferguson is also a footballer (they were teammates as children in the Rangers academy). ^[2] His daughter Lake was born in November 2022. ^[43]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 13 April 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [lower-alpha 1]		League cup [lower-alpha 2]		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Hamilton Academical U20s	2016–17 [1]	—			—		—		—		1 [lower-alpha 3]	0	1	0
	2017–18 [1]	—			—		—		—		1 [lower-alpha 3]	0	1	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	0
Hamilton Academical	2017–18 [4]	Scottish Premiership	13	0	1	0	0	0	—		—		14	0
Aberdeen	2018–19 [8]	Scottish Premiership	33	6	6	0	3	1	2 [lower-alpha 4]	1	—		44	8
	2019–20 [44]	Scottish Premiership	28	1	4	1	1	0	6 [lower-alpha 4]	1	—		39	3
	2020–21 [45]	Scottish Premiership	35	9	3	0	0	0	3 [lower-alpha 4]	1	—		41	10
	2021–22 [46]	Scottish Premiership	36	11	2	1	1	0	6 [lower-alpha 5]	4	—		45	16
	Total		132	27	15	2	5	1	17	7	—		169	37
Bologna	2022–23	Serie A	32	7	1	0	—		—		—		33	7
	2023–24	Serie A	31	6	2	0	—		—		—		33	6
	Total		63	13	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	66	13
Career total			208	40	19	2	5	1	17	7	2	0	251	50

1. Includes Scottish Cup, Coppa Italia
2. Includes Scottish League Cup
3. Appearance in Scottish Challenge Cup
4. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
5. Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

As of match played 26 March 2024

^[38]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Scotland	2021	2	0
	2022	3	0
	2023	5	0
	2024	2	0
Total		12	0

Honours

Individual

• SFWA Young Player of the Year: 2019–20 ^[47]
• Serie A Goal of the Month: November 2022 ^[48]
• Premio Bulgarelli Number 8: 2023–24 ^[49]

References

1. "L. Ferguson: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
2. "Youth Player Under 11s Team Group – Murray Park". Rangers Pics. 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
3. "Departures". Hamilton Academical F.C. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
4. "Games played by Lewis Ferguson in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
5. "Aberdeen: Lewis Ferguson agrees pre-contract move from Hamilton". BBC Sport . 5 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
6. Macrae, Daryn (4 June 2018). "Hamilton want £900k from Aberdeen for Lewis Ferguson". STV. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
7. Fowler, Craig (14 May 2018). "Hamilton Accies announce departure of seven first-team players". The Scotsman . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
8. "Games played by Lewis Ferguson in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
9. English, Tom (26 July 2018). "Aberdeen 1–1 Burnley". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
10. McLaughlin, Chris (2 August 2018). "Burnley 3–1 Aberdeen: Premier League side progress 4–2 on aggregate". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
11. "No Scottish League Cup final for Gerrard as Ferguson sends Aberdeen through". The Guardian . 28 October 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
12. "Kilmarnock 1–2 Aberdeen: Lewis Ferguson the hero again as Dons come from behind". The Scotsman . 4 November 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
13. Davie, Scott (11 December 2018). "Aberdeen 3–2 Livingston: Lewis Ferguson nets overhead-kick winner". The Scotsman. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
14. "Aberdeen: Lewis Ferguson signs two-year contract extension until 2024". BBC Sport. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
15. "Scottish Cup Semi-final (2): Aberdeen 0 Celtic 3". Hampden Park. 14 April 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
16. "Player of the Year: Old Firm quartet vie for PFA Scotland top prize". BBC Sport. 5 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
17. "Aberdeen: Lewis Ferguson hands in transfer request after bid". BBC Sport. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
18. "Lewis Ferguson joins Bologna". BolognaFC.it. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
19. "Ferguson completes move to Bologna from Aberdeen". BBC Sport. 12 July 2022.
20. "Lewis Ferguson on scary Bologna stardom as Scotland star opens up on Serie A 'wow' factor". Daily Record. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
21. McDougall, Mark (16 October 2022). "Lewis Ferguson given first Serie A start as ex Aberdeen man handed Bologna chance vs Napoli". footballscotland. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
22. Sked, Joel (14 November 2022). "Lewis Ferguson: Serie A stand-out, Thiago Motta favourite, Bologna chant, perfect Scotland opportunity". The Scotsman. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
23. "Goal of the Month". Lega Serie A. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
24. "Lewis Ferguson: Bologna extend Scotland midfielder's contract until 2027". BBC Sport. 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
25. McDougall, Mark (1 October 2023). "Lewis Ferguson's Bologna reputation grows as ex Aberdeen star named captain". Football Scotland.
26. Shanks, Ciaran (1 October 2023). "Lewis Ferguson given captain's armband for Bologna in 3-0 win". Aberdeen Live.
27. Evans, Anthony (11 December 2023). "Former Aberdeen star Lewis Ferguson captains Bologna again in first away victory". Aberdeen Live.
28. Walker, Mark (4 March 2024). "Ferguson labelled Bologna 'warrior' as boss says 'he's always a ten out of ten'". Daily Record.
29. "Souness lauds Ferguson's Italian job". BBC Sport. 4 March 2024.
30. "Lewis Ferguson: Knee surgery puts Scotland midfielder's Euro hopes in serious doubt". BBC Sport. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
31. "Ferguson's operation goes well". BBC Sport. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
32. "Lewis Ferguson: Scotland and Bologna star on 'long journey back' from injury". BBC Sport. 8 May 2024.
33. "Lewis Ferguson: Bologna midfielder overtakes Denis Law's Serie A record". BBC Sport. 23 December 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
34. "Scotland: Bologna's Ferguson named best Serie A midfielder". BBC Sport. 6 May 2024.
35. Atkinson, Mark (29 October 2024). "Red-hot Scotland duo help Napoli show title credentials at San Siro - but Lewis Ferguson forced to wait". The Scotsman. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
36. "Lewis Ferguson credits 'Scottish mentality' for Bologna return". BBC Sport. 28 October 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
37. "International call up for Lewis Ferguson". Hamilton Academical F.C. 26 August 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
38. Lewis Ferguson at the Scottish Football Association
39. "Scotland: Zander Clark, Liam Kelly & Lewis Ferguson called up for World Cup qualifiers". BBC Sport. BBC. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
40. "Denmark v Scotland game report". FIFA. 1 September 2021.
41. "Lewis Ferguson confident 'time will come' with Scotland after injury setback". BBC Sport. 9 June 2024.
42. McGilvray, Andy (16 December 2017). "Derek Ferguson says it will be a proud moment if and when son Lewis makes first-team debut for Hamilton". Daily Record. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
43. Burns, Scott (30 November 2022). "Lewis Ferguson opens up on his life changing move to Italy". Daily Record.
44. "Games played by Lewis Ferguson in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
45. "Games played by Lewis Ferguson in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
46. "Games played by Lewis Ferguson in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
47. "Lewis is young player of the year". SFWA. 11 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
48. "Lewis Ferguson Wins November's Goal of the Month Presented by Crypto.com". Serie A. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
49. "Lewis Ferguson: Scotland international named Serie A midfielder of the year". Sky Sports.

External links

• Profile at the Bologna FC 1909 website
• Lewis Ferguson at the Scottish Football Association
• Lewis Ferguson – UEFA competition record ( archive )