In the build-up to Euro 2024, The Scotsman has embarked on a project to list the top 50 Scotland players of the past 50 years.
This is not an easy exercise by any stretch of the imagination. There have been so many immensely talented football players to pull on the blue shirt of Scotland since 1974. Undoubtedly, this list will spark debate because many viewers are defined by their era, what they look for in a footballer and what their memories are of the national team. But that is the beauty of collating such a list – it is designed to get people thinking, to spark debate and recollections of some wonderful players to represent this country.
We run the list down from No 50 to No 1 and next week, we will release a two-part, 90-minute video with former Scotland winger and now pundit Pat Nevin, who in discussion with our chief football writer Alan Pattullo and sports editor Mark Atkinson picks his XI from our list that, in a hypothetical situation, would take on Germany in the Euro 2024 opener – and go on to win the tournament (maybe). Watch out for that landing on www.scotsman.com in the coming days.
So, without further ado, here is The Scotsman’s top 50 Scotland players from the past 50 years:
1. Number 50 - Paul Sturrock
The image of Sturrock with shirts outside shorts and socks rolled down is still soldered into minds of those who saw him, and though the recollections are perhaps mostly of the winger wearing a tangerine-coloured top, he was a thorn in the sides of defences for Scotland too. He won 20 caps and played in one World Cup – two appearances at Mexico ’86 - and was unfortunate not to have many more Scotland experiences. Sadly for him, players of the calibre of one K Dalglish were around in his position at the time.Photo: Colorsport/Shutterstock
2. Number 49 - Charlie Nicholas
Scored a memorable goal on his debut against Switzerland in 1983 when he dinked the ball up with his right knee before lobbing over the keeper with his left foot without the ball touching the ground. He scored over 50 goals for Celtic the previous season and joined Arsenal in 1983 after they won the race for his signature over Liverpool. It never quite happened for him at Arsenal although he did score twice in a League Cup final win over Liverpool in 1987 and continued his stop-start Scotland career, which perhaps promised more than it delivered, winning his last cap v Cyprus in 1989 as an Aberdeen player.Photo: SNS Group
3. Number 48 - Bruce Rioch
Born in Aldershot because his father was a sergeant major in the Scots guards and be benefited from a rules change that meant he could play for the land of his father’s birth, and became Scotland’s first English-born captain. A late maturing performer on the football front, he was 26 when he played top-flight football for the first time – for Derby County - and 27 when he won his first Scotland cap, against Portugal. Ended up gaining 24 caps and skippered Scotland at the 1978 World Cup, although he contends now that he should not have even played in the disastrous first game v Peru, describing manager Ally MacLeod as too loyal to both him and Don Masson.Photo: SNS Group
4. Number 47 - Alan Hansen
Stylish centre half whose Scotland career will always throw up the question, why did not win more caps. At the same time as he was conquering England and Europe on a regular basis with Liverpool he played just 26 times for his country and was controversially omitted from the 1986 World Cup squad by Alex Ferguson. It has been claimed that he would have been a regular in any other national side of the time. Admittedly he was up against some considerable competition in the likes of Willie Miller, Alex McLeish, David Narey and Richard Gough and he may have suffered not only for being an ‘Anglo’, but also for an unfortunate collision – for which he bore the brunt of the blame - with Miller against Russia that led to the concession of a goal in a must-win final group game against USSR at Mexico ‘86.Photo: SNS Group