Who have Scotland missed out being able to select in the past?

Up until 2020, Scotland’s Men’s National Team have struggled to gain any success, at either European or International level. However, thanks to Steve Clarke’s clever tactics and selection of inform players, Scotland qualified for the 2020 European Championships.

After David Marshall’s dramatic shootout heroics, the Tartan Army could finally, travel to a major tournament.

Could this long wait have been made much easier if these players chose to play for the boys in blue? Here are six players that Scotland seemingly missed out on:

Aiden McGeady:

Born in Rutherglen, McGeady started his career at Queens Park, before signing for Celtic’s youth team. He made his Celtic debut at 18 and his Champions League debut only a year later.

Fabled for his unique McGeady spin, Aiden bamboozled many defences in the Scottish Premiership, before playing in Russia and then England.

When he was younger, McGeady represented Scotland Schools, but Celtic did not allow their players to play for their school, which Scotland Schools demanded. This meant McGeady was out of the Scottish system; Packie Bonner spotted a loophole as Ireland Schools didn’t have the same requirement, so McGeady joined their setup.

He’s been with Ireland ever since, despite Scotland best attempts to persuade him otherwise, winning 93 caps. McGeady is seen as a traitor by many in Scottish Football; it is thought that he is one of the best technical players to start his career in Scottish Football for a long time.

Gabby Agbonlahor:

Born in Birmingham and spending the majority of his time there, it does come as a surprise that he could’ve played for Scotland. Agbonlahor’s mother was born in Scotland, but she left his father at the age of two, which caused much anguish to the Villa striker.

Alex McLeish tried to lure Agbonlahor to the Tartan Army, but his poor relationship with his estranged mother made sure it was out of the question. The striker went on to make three caps for England, failing to get on the scoresheet.

Sebastian Coates:

It’s certainly surprising that a 40 cap, Uruguayan international could’ve played in the navy blue of Scotland. Coates was born in Motivedio to a Scottish father and an Uruguayan mother, allowing the Sporting Lisbon defender to represent Scotland.

Unfortunately for the Tartan Army, this was not picked up upon by the selectors and was already capped by La Celeste before the connection was realised. Coates has had a stellar career, playing for clubs such as Liverpool, Sunderland and Sporting Lisbon.

Andy Carroll:

The big Geordie striker is well known for his time on the treatment table, but not many will know that Craig Levein tried to entice the big, target man to play for the country of one of his grandmothers. However, Carroll declined the offer, despite a call up to Scotland under 19’s squad.

England trumped Scotland’s move by calling up Carroll to their under 19’s, which was a sign that there was a future for him in the England setup. Carroll went on to play nine times for the three lions, scoring twice.

James McCarthy:

Well known for his though tackling performances in midfield, McCarthy was another player who Scotland were too slow to offer a call-up. Originally born in Glasgow, McCarthy qualified for Ireland due to his grandfather being born in County Donegal.

The Republic of Ireland offered him a place in their setup at the age of 16, which he chose to accept, but has insisted that he would’ve played for Scotland if they had asked first. He would go on to play 42 games for the boys in green.

Michael Owen:

The Ballon d’Or winner of 2001, Owen conceded that his father’s side of the family was Scottish. This would’ve allowed Owen to be the figurehead of the Tartan Army, but this was another venture not explored by the Scottish National Team.

Not many will forget his goal against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup, but the Tartan Army will regret that he wasn’t scoring in the blue of Scotland. Owen went on to make 89 appearances for England, scoring 40 goals, but his career seemed to burn out due to injuries.

In a couple of years, the same could be said for players such as Che Adams, Karlan Grant, Ryan Fredricks and Harry Souttar. The Tartan Army will hope that some of the players in question, will embrace their Scottish roots.

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