Stephen O’Donnell joined Motherwell in August 2020, with a wealth of Scottish Premiership appearances already in the bag. With just shy of 200 appearances for Kilmarnock prior to his arrival, O’Donnell had already achieved 11 international caps.

O’Donnell was made captain by Graham Alexander in 2021 and has gone on to achieve more than 100 appearances at Fir Park. He broke the record for the most number of Scotland caps earned while on the books at Motherwell. George Stevenson had held the record on 12 since October 1934.

O’Donnell would go on to be part of the Scotland starting team who would qualify for UEFA Euro 2020, ending the nation’s 23-year wait to participate in a major tournament. His eventual total of Scotland caps rose to 26, with his last appearances coming in June 2022.

He signed a new contract at Fir Park which would see him remain in ML1 until the summer of 2025, with there being an option of a further year. He was named vice-captain at the start of the 2024/25 season and achieved over 170 games for the club. Injury would strike at the worst time for the 32-year-old, with the defender missing out on the opportunity to lead the team out at Hampden in November 2024. Closing in on 200 games for the Steelmen, O’Donnell signed up for the 25/26 campaign, his sixth season at Fir Park and continued to show everyone what he is capable of.

Suited to Jens Berthel Askou’s possession-based style, O’Donnell would play in his usual right-back slot but was also deployed at centre back. Playing 43 games, he made his 200th appearance against Hearts in November 2025. His consistency and impressive displays saw some call for his inclusion in the Scotland World Cup squad, but O’Donnell’s main focus remained with his club. His lowest point of the season came when he picked up a small injury that would see him ruled out of the semi-final against St Mirren, as his wait to play a major domestic trophy semi-final dragged on.