Scotland
- Denis Law – Goals: 30
- Kenny Dalglish – Goals: 30
- Hughie Gallagher – Goals: 23
- Lawrie Reilly – Goals: 22
- Ally McCoist – Goals: 19
A member of both the English and Scottish Football Halls of Fame, Kenny Dalglish is a Liverpool legend. The striker won six league titles with the Reds and was the runner-up for the Ballon d’Or in 1983. Dalglish is also Scotland’s all time appearances leader and joint-top goal scorer.
Along with Dalglish, Denis Law is Scotland’s all-time top scorer. Law tallied an impressive 30 goals in just 55 appearances for Scotland. Law won the Ballon d’Or in 1964 and remains the only Scottish player to ever win soccer’s most prestigious individual award.
Jim Baxter is considered one of Scotland’s best-ever players despite being a controversial figure off the field. Baxter scored both goals in a 2-1 win over England in 1963 and was Man of the Match in a 3-2 win over the defending World Cup champions in 1967. Baxter won three league titles with Rangers and is in the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.
Graeme Souness appeared in three World Cups for Scotland national football team and made 54 international appearances over 12 years. Souness also won five league titles and three European cups with Liverpool, often captaining the side. Souness won the European Cup Golden Boot in 1980-81.
Danny McGrain was one of the best fullbacks in the world during the 70s and 80s. He made over 60 appearances for Scotland and appeared at two World Cups. McGrain won seven Scottish League championships with Celtic and continued to excel even after a diabetes diagnosis.
Scotland got its first World Cup win in 1974 as they defeated Zaire, 2-0. Peter Lorimer and Joe Jordan were on target for Scotland. In the next match, Scotland held Jairzinho and defending champions Brazil scoreless in a draw. It looked like Scotland would be eliminated as it trailed Yugoslavia 1-0 in the last few minutes of their group stage finale.
Then, Joe Jordan equalized with just two minutes remaining to seal a draw. Scotland finished level on points with both Brazil and Yugoslavia but were eliminated because of an inferior goal difference.
Despite not ever reaching the knockout stage, Scotland have managed to pick up at least a point in seven of their eight FIFA World Cup appearances. In 1954, however, Scotland lost both of their matches by a combined 8-0 scoreline. It certainly wasn’t the ideal first WC appearance for Scotland.
Scotland National Football Team History
Along with England, Scotland has the oldest national soccer team in the world. The Scotland national football team faced England in the first ever official international match in 1872. It finished in a scoreless draw.
Before the FIFA World Cup existed, Scotland had a strong team that only lost two of their first 43 matches. Scotland was not a FIFA member during the first 3 World Cups but was readmitted before the 1950 tournament. It was eligible to participate, but withdrew from the tournament.
World Cup Debut
Scotland’s World Cup debut came in 1954. Scotland lost 1-0 to Austria in its first match, and defending champions Uruguay demolished Scotland 7-0. These 2 losses meant Scotland got eliminated in the group stage.
Scotland got its first World Cup point in 1958, with a 1-1 draw against Yugoslavia. James Murray scored the first World Cup goal to equalize the match. With losses to Paraguay and France, Scotland were once again eliminated in the group stage.
Billy Ormond brought Scotland back to the World Cup in 1974 after a 16-year wait. The Tartan Army was pleased, since Scotland went undefeated in the group stage with one win and two draws. However, Scotland was eliminated on goal difference.
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Greatest World Cup Goal of All Time Â
Archie Gemmill scored one of the greatest World Cup goals of all time in a 3-2 win against the Netherlands in 1978. However, Scotland was once again eliminated on goal difference. In 1982, Scotland were eliminated on goal difference for a third consecutive World Cup.
Scotland national football team qualified for a fourth consecutive World Cup in 1986 in tragic circumstances. Needing a point against Wales to advance to the qualifying playoff versus Australia, Scotland equalized on a late penalty. Amid the ensuing celebration, Manager Jock Stein died from a heart attack. Scotland defeated Australia 2-0 over two legs to qualify for Mexico 1986, but failed to win a game at the World Cup for the first time since 1958.
Last-Time Appearance at a World CupÂ
Four years later, Scotland was eliminated in the group stage for a fifth consecutive World Cup. In 1992, Scotland qualified for their first European Championship but missed out on the 1994 World Cup in the USA. Scotland also qualified for Euro 1996 but were eliminated in the group stage.
Manager Craig Brown led Scotland to a second consecutive major tournament as they also qualified for the 1998 World Cup. Close to drawing with Brazil in their opener, an own goal doomed Scotland to a 2-1 defeat. Scotland drew 1-1 with Norway to keep hopes alive but lost 3-0 to Morocco in the group stage finale. That remains the last time Scotland appeared at a World Cup and they’ve never advanced out of the group stage at a major tournament.
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