Lee Wallace

This article is about the football player. For the American actor, see Lee Wallace (actor).

Lee Wallace

Wallace with Rangers in 2015.
Personal information
Full name	Lee Wallace
Date of birth	(1987-08-01) 1 August 1987
Place of birth	Edinburgh, Scotland
Height
Position(s)	Left Back
Team information
Current team	Rangers
Number	5
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004–2011	Heart of Midlothian	139	(3)
2011–	Rangers	155	(19)
International career‡
2006	Scotland U19	5	(0)
2007	Scotland U20	3	(0)
2007–2008	Scotland U21	10	(0)
2009–	Scotland	8	(0)
Medal record Rangers Runner-up Scottish Premier League 2012 Winner Scottish Third Division 2013 Winner Scottish League One 2014 Runner-up Scottish Challenge Cup 2014 Winner Scottish Championship 2016 Winner Scottish Challenge Cup 2016 Runner-up Scottish Cup 2016
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 03 January 2014 at 13:27 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 31 March 2013

Lee Wallace (born 1 August 1987) is a Scottish footballer who plays as a defender for Scottish Premiership club Rangers. Wallace, who is the club captain of Rangers, has previously played for Heart of Midlothian and represented Scotland.

Club career

Heart of Midlothian

Wallace signed professional terms with Hearts in July 2004, having progressed from the Hearts youth team. Wallace made his debut in the 2004–05 season against Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup and became a regular member of the first team squad although he found it hard to dislodge Takis Fyssas from the left back position. Wallace scored a goal in the cup tie against Kilmarnock.

In the summer of 2006 fellow Scottish Premier League club Dundee United had a loan bid for Wallace rejected. A month later, Wallace signed a five-year contract with Hearts.

Wallace was made vice captain at Hearts during season 2010–11, but his season was blighted by injury and he made only ten appearances for the club. In total, Wallace made 160 appearances for Hearts and scored four goals.

Rangers

2011–12 season

On 22 June 2011, Hearts rejected a bid of £300,000 from Rangers, deeming it as derisory. A week later Rangers made an improved offer of £1m, which was also rejected. Hearts then placed a £3m price tag on Wallace. Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers had also expressed an interest in Wallace, but did not make any offers. On 21 July 2011, a bid of £1.5m from Rangers was accepted by Hearts. Wallace signed a five-year deal with the club, becoming Ally McCoist's second signing of the summer.

Wallace made his Rangers debut in the Champions League qualifier on 26 July 2011, in a 1–0 defeat, at the hands of Swedish side Malmo.

Wallace scored his first goal for Rangers on Christmas Eve 2011 in a 2–1 defeat to St Mirren. Four days later he thought he had scored again on his Old Firm debut, but the goal was not given as the officials made a mistake thinking it didn't cross the line. Wallace scored his second goal for the club on 25 March 2012, against Old Firm rivals Celtic, it was the third goal in a 3–2 win for Rangers.

2012–13 season

Wallace playing for Rangers in 2013.

Following the liquidation of The Rangers Football Club plc, Wallace opted to transfer his contract to the new company. At the beginning of the 2012–13 season Wallace was appointed vice-captain. On 14 September 2012, Wallace signed a new five-year contract with Rangers. Wallace was sent off during a game against Annan on 18 December 2012, conceding a penalty which was saved by Rangers goalkeeper Neil Alexander. This red card was rescinded on appeal.

2013–14 season

Wallace started the first game of the 2013–14 season in a 4–0 win over Albion Rovers in the Ramsdens Challenge Cup. Wallace played in the first league game of the season in a 4–1 win over Brechin City at Ibrox.

Wallace has been the subject of much transfer speculation and both Nottingam Forest and West Ham United have been credited with interest in him. Billy Davies’ Forest made a pair of cash bids for Wallace in a bid to take him to The City Ground to boost their hopes of reaching next season’s English Premier League. But each approach was turned down by chief executive Graham Wallace as the offers were not commensurate with the Light Blues’ valuation of the 26-year-old international.

2014–15 season

Wallace played in the first league game of the season against newly relegated Heart of Midlothian, a game that Rangers lost 2–1.

2015–16 season

On 21 July 2015 Wallace was appointed captain on a temporary basis after the departure of Lee McCulloch by new Rangers manager Mark Warburton. Wallace opened the 2015–16 Rangers campaign by scoring a brace in Rangers' 3–1 home victory over St Mirren on 7 August 2015. Wallace was officially appointed captain on a permanent basis prior to Rangers' 5–1 win over Alloa Athletic at Recreation Park on 16 August 2015.

On 5 April 2016, Wallace captained Rangers to a 1–0 home victory against Dumbarton to win the Scottish Championship and earn promotion to the top flight of Scottish football.

The 2015-16 season saw Wallace and teammate Barrie McKay earn praise from a large number of fans and pundits for their efficient partnership, with many highlighting their attacking prowess and link up play.

International career

Alongside team-mate Calum Elliot, Wallace was an integral part of the Scotland U-19 team that reached the final of the 2006 UEFA U-19 Championships before narrowly losing to Spain. He started every match at left back.

Wallace made his full international debut for Scotland in October 2009 playing in a friendly against Japan in Yokohama. He continued to feature for Scotland under manager Craig Levein, and in the Euro 2012 Qualifying match against Liechtenstein, Wallace suffered a serious injury to his posterior cruciate knee ligament.

Following Rangers' demotion to the Scottish Third Division, doubt was cast on Wallace's future international career by Craig Levein. However, on 31 January 2013, Wallace was named in the first squad of newly appointed Scotland manager Gordon Strachan. Wallace was named in the Scotland squad to face Croatia but late pulled out due to injury.

In August 2013, Rangers team mate David Templeton expressed his surprise at the omission of Wallace from the Scotland squad for the special challenge match with England. Manager Ally McCoist urged Wallace to use being overlooked for the international at Wembley as motivation to push into future Scotland squads. Wallace was recalled to the Scotland squad for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers with Belgium and Macedonia.

After over two years out of the national team, Wallace was recalled in May 2016 for friendlies against Italy and France. Wallace subsequently pulled out of the squad, along with teammates Chris Martin and Alan Hutton, for unknown reasons.

Career statistics

Club

As of 1 May 2016

Club	Season	League		Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Hearts
	2004–05	13	0	4	1	0	0	0	0	17	1
	2005–06	13	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	15	0
	2006–07	17	0	2	0	0	0	4	0	23	0
	2007–08	21	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	23	0
	2008–09	34	2	2	0	1	0	0	0	37	2
	2009–10	32	1	0	0	3	0	0	0	35	1
	2010–11	9	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	10	0
	Total	139	3	9	1	8	0	4	0	160	4
Rangers	2011–12	28	2	2	0	3	0	0	0	33	2
	2012–13	33	3	3	0	4	1	2	0	42	4
	2013–14	28	3	5	0	1	0	5	0	39	3
	2014–15	31	3	2	0	5	0	9	1	47	4
	2015–16	36	7	5	2	3	0	5	0	49	9
	Total	156	18	17	2	16	1	21	1	210	22
Career Total		295	21	26	3	24	1	25	1	368	26

International

Scotland national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2009	2	0
2010	3	0
2011	0	0
2012	1	0
2013	2	0
2014	0	0
2015	0	0
2016	0	0
Total	8	0

Personal life

In August 2006, Wallace was charged with a firearms offence. Three months later he admitted being in possession of an airgun and was fined £1,500. In May 2009, he was arrested and charged with breach of the peace outside Edinburgh nightclub "Lava & Ignite" after allegedly threatening to shoot the doormen. However, this charge was later dropped and he was fined £1,100 for shouting abuse at the door supervisors and police.

Honours

Club

Rangers

• Scottish Championship: 2015–16
• Scottish League One: 2013–14
• Scottish Third Division: 2012–13
• Scottish Challenge Cup: 2015-16

Personal awards

• Scottish Premier League Young Player of the Month: February 2009
• Hearts FC Players' Player of the Year: 2008–09, 2009–10
• Rangers FC Player of the Year: 2013–14, 2015–16
• Rangers FC Players' Player of the Year: 2012–13, 2013–14
• John Greig Special Achievement Award: 2015–16
• PFA Scotland Third Division Player of the Year: 2012–13
• PFA Scotland Third Division Team of the Year: 2012–13
• PFA Scotland League One Player of the Year: 2013–14
• PFA Scotland League One Team of the Year: 2013–14
• PFA Scotland Championship Player of the Year: 2015–16
• PFA Scotland Championship Team of the Year: 2015–16

External links

• Lee Wallace career statistics at Soccerbase
• Lee Wallace at Soccerway
• Appearances at londonhearts.com
• Scotland U21 stats at Fitbastats
• Rangers F.C. profile
• Lee Wallace at scottishfa.co.uk

Sporting positions
Preceded by Lee McCulloch	Rangers captain 2015-Present	Succeeded by Incumbent