Ryan Gauld was born on 16 December 1995 in Aberdeen and grew up in Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire, where he was a pupil at Mearns Academy [REF].
In 2002, Gauld began to play for Brechin City Boys Club (now renamed Brechin City Youths), where he was part of a successful team alongside John Souttar and Euan Spark.