Graeme Shinnie will leave Aberdeen next month when his contract expires, ending a second spell at Pittodrie after the club could not guarantee him regular football next season.
The 34-year-old was offered a two-year contract extension that included a pathway into coaching, but he decided to move on because he wants to keep playing more regularly. Aberdeen manager Stephen Robinson called him an outstanding leader and said his dedication, work rate and influence in the dressing room had been invaluable. Robinson also said he understood Shinnie’s wish to continue playing often and could not promise that going into next season.
Shinnie leaves after 344 appearances across two spells for the club, putting him 20th on Aberdeen’s all-time appearance list and 12th-most in European competition with 32 appearances. He first joined Aberdeen in 2015 after leaving Inverness Caledonian Thistle, left for Derby County in 2019 and came back to Pittodrie in 2023.
His return delivered a moment Aberdeen had waited 35 years for. Shinnie captained the side to a 2025 Scottish Cup win over Celtic at Hampden, becoming the first Aberdeen captain in 35 years to lift the trophy. Aberdeen said he leaves as a true Dons legend after helping the club secure one of its most significant recent results.
The move now points Shinnie back toward Inverness Caledonian Thistle, where he is expected to return after their promotion to the Championship. That would bring the 34-year-old back to the club where he also won the Scottish Cup as captain, and it would keep him on the pitch rather than behind the scenes. Aberdeen finished ninth in the league this season, and Shinnie started only half of the club’s league games, a reminder that his role had become less certain even as his influence remained strong.
Robinson said: “It goes without saying that he leaves here with our sincerest thanks, admiration and very best wishes for the future.” For Aberdeen, the exit marks the end of a long and decorated association with a player who helped define two separate eras at the club. For Shinnie, it is a deliberate choice to keep competing while he still can.
