Stuart Findlay, born in Rutherglen on 14 September 1995 (age 31), is a commanding 6ft 3in (1.91m) Scottish centre-half now with Hearts, where he wears the number 35 shirt.
He came through Celtic before his senior career took a different route. Early loan football helped move him beyond the usual academy promise, and in July 2016 he left Celtic for Newcastle United. That move did not end up being the main story of his career.
Kilmarnock did. Across seven seasons he made 179 league appearances and scored seven league goals, the sort of sustained spell that gives a defender a proper shape as a player rather than just a list of employers. Findlay became closely associated with Rugby Park: dependable, durable, and more prominent there than anywhere else.
He later moved on to Hearts, where his 2025-26 league season was his most productive in front of goal, with five goals in 34 appearances. In 2026-27 he has made six league appearances, along with outings in the League Cup, Scottish Cup and European qualifiers, taking him to 13 appearances across all competitions for Hearts.
Findlayโs career has run from Celtic youth football to Newcastle, then into a long Kilmarnock spell and on to Hearts. It is Kilmarnock, above all, that gives the career its weight.
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