Kris Boyd – Kilmarnock

Kris Boyd was given a senior contract by Kilmarnock on 25th August 1999, and he debuted in the first team as a sub in the last game of the 2000-1 season against Celtic.

Boyd won the SPL Young Player of the Month for August 2002. He also finished the 2002-3 season with 12 goals, earning him Kilmarnock’s Young Player of the Year award.

Boyd scored 15 times in 2003–04 and in September 2004 equalled an SPL record by scoring all five of Kilmarnock’s goals in a 5–2 win over Dundee United. He finished 2004–05 with 19 goals as Kilmarnock consolidated their top‑flight status.

Rangers signed Boyd on Jan. 1, 2006; Rangers reportedly paid approximately £500,000 for him. He marked his debut on 7 January 2006 with a hat‑trick in a 5–0 Scottish Cup win over Peterhead and completed that season as top scorer for two clubs, having netted 17 times for Kilmarnock before his move.

Boyd returned to Kilmarnock in February 2013 with a short-term deal, but it was his best output as a Killie player when he scored 22 goals in 37 games, earning a recall to the national team and a Player of the Year nomination.

Boyd then signed a three-year contract with Kilmarnock in June 2015, after a one year season back at Rangers. He recorded the quickest goal in the Scottish Premiership at 10 seconds on January 28, 2016. He also recorded his 100th goal for Kilmarnock on August 13, 2016. Finally, on March 6, 2017, he became one of just five players since World War II to reach 200 career top-flight league goals.

Boyd finished the Scottish Premiership’s top scorer during the 2017-18 campaign after he netted eighteen times and earned nominations for both the PFA and SFWA Player of the Year awards. Boyd made public his decision to retire from the sport in June 2019.