Scotland v Belarus 2026 FIFA World Cup, WM, Weltmeisterschaft, Fussball Qualifier 12/10/2025. Group C Andy Robertson of Scotland during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier, Scotland vs Belarus, The National Stadium, Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, 12/10/2025. Hampden Park The National Stadium Glasgow Scotland Editorial use only , Copyright: xColinxPoultneyx PSI-23023-0087
Christie, 31, watched Lionel Messi score a stunning hat-trick against Algeria from Scotland’s team hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Bournemouth midfielder admitted he has idolised the Argentine since growing up in Inverness, and that admiration has never faded.
Messi, who turns 39 next week, delivered one of the tournament’s standout performances to light up the World Cup in America on Tuesday night.
Christie said: “When I was younger, I idolised Messi growing up, so to think you’re playing on the same stage as him now, it’s pretty cool.”
The sight of Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luka Modric still performing at the highest level has given Christie genuine belief in his own longevity.
Christie said: “You look at these guys who are still doing it on the biggest stage, even some of the names that I’m playing against every week in the Premier League.”
The midfielder recently signed a new three-year contract at Premier League side Bournemouth, signalling his determination to keep performing at the top level.
He and the older members of Steve Clarke’s squad have set their sights on featuring at the next World Cup in 2030 as well.
Christie said: “It certainly gives us a bit of hope that we can kick on and, fingers crossed, we can make another World Cup.”
Scotland face a crucial Group C clash against Morocco in Boston on Friday night, with Christie pushing for a starting berth in that game.
The last time Scotland appeared at a World Cup was in 1998, when Christie was just three years old and growing up in the Scottish Highlands.
He admitted a World Cup appearance was something he never truly dared to imagine, given Scotland’s long absence from major tournaments during his formative years.
Christie said: “Was a World Cup ever on my agenda growing up? If I’m honest, it was non existent.”
He credited the famous qualifying night in Serbia, which secured Scotland’s place at Euro 2020, as the moment that made the impossible feel real for him.
Christie said: “It probably felt so out of reach for me and a few of the other boys, I was delighted when I won my first cap, it was a dream come true.”
Sharing a World Cup stage with players like Messi, Ronaldo, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappe is something Christie describes as a remarkable and unexpected journey.
Christie said: “Watching Messi do his thing, stuff like that was just incredible, whether you’re playing or not, to watch that kind of stuff happen is pretty immense.”
He is determined to soak up every moment of the tournament, knowing it represents everything he never thought possible as a young footballer in Inverness.
Christie said: “When you come to tournaments like this, it makes you try to soak it in and enjoy it, because it’s something I never expected to be part of.”
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