Ryan Christie says Scotland are heading to the World Cup fuelled by unfinished business and a burning desire to prove themselves on the global stage.
The Bournemouth star insists the squad carries a point to prove following a painful Euro 2024 campaign that left the group deeply disappointed in themselves.
Steve Clarke is preparing his players for a third tournament, with Christie eager for the world to finally see what Scotland are truly capable of delivering.
Christie said: “Some of that comes from the Germany Euros in terms of coming away and there was a lot more of a feeling of not giving a true representation of ourselves. It still hurts when you feel like you’ve let yourselves down a bit.”
He added: “That chip on our shoulder will definitely help us going into this World Cup when we’re desperate to really show how good a team we are.”
Christie made clear the feeling of underachievement at Euro 2024 remains a driving force within the Scotland dressing room ahead of the tournament.
He said: “Most of us who were there still have that feeling of what could have been. We maybe let ourselves down a little bit. You need to carry that into this tournament.”
Christie was keen to stress the squad has moved forward, noting that qualifying for the World Cup helped ease the lingering pain of the Euros.
He said: “We are desperate to go over there, give a good account of ourselves, be successful and get out of the groups. This is the one we wanted to tick off, going to a World Cup.”
Scotland missed out on the previous World Cup after losing a play-off semi-final to Ukraine, and Christie reflected on the weight of that missed opportunity.
He said: “It didn’t really hit me of what we’d missed out on until after it. You look back on the opportunity you’ve missed and it added fuel to the fire to get to this one.”
Clarke recently signed a new four-year contract, a development Christie described as straightforward given the success the manager has delivered to Scottish football.
Christie said: “It is brilliant that he has managed to get it done before the tournament. Look at the success he’s brought us. It is a bit of a no-brainer for me.”
He praised Clarke’s all-round professionalism and acknowledged the role Andy Robertson has played in helping shape the culture Clarke has built within the squad.
Scotland now travel to the World Cup with a renewed hunger, carrying both the lessons of past disappointment and a collective determination to make history.
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