You had a highly successful career and are known as a popular figure at every club you played, often nominated for supporters’ “Player of the Year” and “Players’ Player of the Year”. Do you have any favourite moments that stand out to you? 

Yes, especially with Celtic and Aston Villa. Being the club captain is a great honour and a great responsibility. For me, going to the European finals is probably the best moment in my career because when you look back, I had a memorable time with some great teammates, good managers and great clubs with amazing players.

Well, the fans seem to love you. We saw you were at Villa Park before Christmas, do you try to watch matches as often as you can?

Yes! I go to a lot of youth games as well. I think when you’ve been a player and you want to be involved in football, you have to make time and dedicate time as well. It’s really great to see where football is going and how it is developing. Being part of the MIP educational course has given me a lot of insight into how football is developing because modern football is completely different from when I was playing.

You retired from football in 2013 under circumstances out of your control, one can only imagine how mentally challenging that must have been. How did you feel during that time?

Confused. I would say really confused because as a former player, the old-fashioned thinking is you can only be a manager, a coach, or do a little TV work, but there is more to it. I went through a lot of questioning in my head about what I’m going to do after I retire and what the next chapter of my life will be.

A lot of former players now understand that they have to sacrifice, the way they sacrificed in football, and they have to educate themselves to be ready for the next chapter. This was something that I decided, and I don’t regret it at all because I’ve learned so much.

You are currently the director of Player4Player, which supports footballers during transition into retirement, alongside other MIP members Gareth Farrelly and Gaizka Mendieta. Is helping people with that transition a passion of yours? 

I am very passionate about Player4Player because dealing with people’s problems is not easy, to guide them in the right direction with what to do after their career and with their education. A lot of things have changed since I played, and a lot of people around football now are more business than football people. A lot of players are reluctant to go back to education because it takes a lot of your time, but once they go through it they understand that it is always positive for their development.

You graduated from your UEFA MIP course in 2019 – how did you find it?

Honestly, I found it kind of difficult because English is not my first language. I had to make sure that I had people around me to help me with writing and understanding. I dedicated a lot of my time and long hours of reading because at the end of the course, you have to be able to understand what you’re presenting and the examiners have to understand what you’re talking about. We finished school a long time ago and to go back to school again and dedicate yourself takes a lot of effort.

What advice would you give to anyone considering starting their UEFA MIP course? Study! Study when you can. With the way football is developing at the moment, the demands are high. If you don’t sacrifice, if you don’t put the time in, you’ll be left behind because a lot of people dedicate that time and making sure they do the right things.

How did the UEFA MIP course help you in your career now? 

It mostly helped me to structure my business plans and deepen my own understanding of the financial world and how everything in football is looked at. The main thing for me is my business plans, the different things that I want to do outside of football understanding how to structure, and how to be relevant in the financial world. So many people from the course are now sporting directors, they’re doing really well with big clubs in Germany, Spain, England, and different parts of the world and just showing you how strong you can be in a football system.

You have recently been involved in a charity game for StriveAid and 6-a-side Scottish Masters with Celtic. How did it feel to be back playing?

A lot of people don’t understand that football was taken away from me and to be able to move and be part of the game is a great feeling for me. Most players will retire from their careers when they feel that their time is up, but for me, it was completely different. I was still in my prime and I was playing well, I was fit and when I had the news the football was taken away from me. I still miss football. I will always miss it.

It’s a new year … any resolutions? What can we look forward to seeing this year from Stan?

To be healthy, for me now, that’s become a top priority. As a family and for me as a person, we are well set up and we know what we want, what we’re trying to achieve and we are striving to achieve those targets. At the end of the day, 2025 will be the same as 2024. I will aim to be better, to be successful, and have a good time.