David Turnbull was born in Carluke on 10 July 1999 (age 27), and came through at Motherwell as one of the more obvious Scottish midfield prospects of his age group. His best league return came in 2018–19, when he scored 15 goals in 30 appearances for Motherwell – a serious output from central midfield, and enough to make Celtic’s interest feel entirely sensible.
Celtic signed him from Motherwell in August 2020 for around £3.5m. His time in Glasgow is the spell that gives his career its shape: 100 league appearances, 25 league goals, and regular involvement in a side that reset itself and started winning again.
Turnbull was not a decorative midfielder. At his best he gave Celtic clean passing, set-piece quality and goals from areas where too many midfielders prefer to admire the view. During his Celtic spell he won two Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and two League Cups, and was also part of squads that finished runners-up in the Premiership and Scottish Cup.
He left Celtic in February 2024, joining Cardiff City for around £2m. It was a reasonable point of departure: he had contributed plenty, but the midfield had moved on and his place was no longer as secure as it had once been.
Turnbull is now with Cardiff City, wearing squad number 14 and playing primarily in central midfield. In 2026–27 he has made six Championship appearances. His career remains most strongly tied to Celtic, where his best years so far brought goals, medals and a useful level of reliability without ever needing much noise around it.
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