David Turnbull, born in Carluke on 10 July 1999 (age 27), is a Scottish central midfielder now with Cardiff City. His senior career began at Motherwell, where his clean ball-striking and penalty-box timing quickly stood out. His most productive league season came in 2018-19, when he scored 15 goals in 30 appearances.
Celtic signed him from Motherwell in August 2020 for around £3.5m, and that spell remains the main body of his career. Across four seasons he made 100 league appearances and scored 25 league goals, a decent return for a midfielder whose game was always more measured than frantic.
He was part of a successful Celtic side, winning two Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and two League Cups. There were also runners-up finishes in the Premiership and Scottish Cup, but his time in Glasgow was mostly spent collecting medals rather than excuses.
Turnbull left Celtic in February 2024, joining Cardiff City for around £2m. In 2026-27 he has had a limited role so far, with one Championship appearance for Cardiff.
His career is still shaped most clearly by Motherwell giving him the platform and Celtic giving him the stage. Cardiff is the next chapter, but the substantial work to date was done in Scotland.
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