The Scotland national team has a long proud history in the international game. Scottish players have represented their country with pride and passion for over a century and a half.
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However, which players have represented Scotland on the most occasions in the international game?
Kenny Dalglish (102 national team appearances)
‘King Kenny’, as he is known to many Liverpool fans, is Scotland’s most-capped player. He has appeared for the national team on 102 occasions. Dalglish is also Scotland’s joint top goalscorer alongside the great Denis Law, having scored 30 times for his national team.
The forward made his Scotland debut in November 1971, when Scotland won 1-0 against Belgium in qualifying for the 1972 European Championships.
Dalglish helped his nation qualify for Euro1972 and the 1974 World Cup in West Germany. The forward started all three of his team’s group games, but Scotland exited at the group stage level despite remaining unbeaten.
He also took part in the World Cups in 1978 and 1982, scoring against the Netherlands in a 3-2 win in the former and New Zealand in the latter.
Unfortunately for the forward and his team, they were eliminated at the group stage in both tournaments. Dalglish was selected for the 1986 World Cup squad but missed the eventual tournament due to injury issues.
Jim Leighton (91 national team appearances)
The former Aberdeen and Manchester United goalkeeper made 91 appearances for Scotland in a 16-year international career.
Leighton was a member of the 1982 World Cup squad. However, he didn’t make his international debut until October 1982 against East Germany.
He quickly established himself as Scotland’s first-choice goalkeeper and played in all his of his country’s games at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups.
Leighton then struggled at club level and was usurped as Scotland’s number one by Andy Goram, who was number one at Euro 1992 and Euro 1996.
However, Leighton wasn’t entirely done with the national team. He regained his position as number one and played all three of Scotland’s group games at the 1998 World Cup.
Leighton retired in October 1998 at the age of 40 years and 78 days, having played his last game against Estonia in a Euro 2000 qualifier.
Darren Fletcher (80 national team appearances)
The former Manchester United midfielder enjoyed a long career at both club and international levels. For 14 years, Fletcher was a mainstay of Scotland’s midfield.
He made his Scotland debut in 2003 and represented his country until 2017, with the midfielder scoring five goals. One of his most crucial international career goals came in a Euro2004 qualifier against Lithuania in a 1-0 win.
Fletcher came off the bench to win only his second cap in the game, and his strike qualified Scotland for the play-offs. The midfielder made history in May 2004 in a 1-0 friendly win over Estonia, becoming his country’s youngest captain since 17-year-old John Lambie in 1886.
Alex McLeish (77 national team appearances)
Having played six times for Scotland’s under-21s, the defender went on to win 77 caps for Scotland at international level over a 13-year Scotland career.
McLeish’s international debut came in 1980 against Portugal, when he started in midfield alongside iconic Scottish stars Archie Gemmill and Graeme Souness. The former Aberdeen stopper also had the privilege of representing Scotland at three World Cups in 1982, 1986 and 1990.
He made his final international appearance in February 1993, as his team recorded a 3-0 victory over Malta at Hampden Park.
McLeish is a member of the Scotland Hall of Fame and was added to Scotland’s national team honour roll after winning his 50th international cap in 1987.
Although McLeish’s playing career with Scotland ended in 1993, he later returned as head coach. He had two spells as his country’s national team boss from January 2007 until December 2007 and then from February 2018 until April 2019.
Paul McStay (76 national team appearances)
The Celtic stalwart captained his country at under-19 level before winning his first international cap. The midfielder made his international debut at senior level in 1983, winning 76 caps and scoring nine goals, with his last cap coming in 1997.
During his international career, McStay played at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups, as well as the 1992 European Championships. He was also selected for Scotland’s Euro96 squad, but he eventually missed out due to injury issues.
McStay was inducted into the Scotland Hall of Fame in 2010 and was also on the Scotland national team honour roll, having won his 50th international cap in 1990.
Craig Gordon (74 national team appearances)
Having represented Scotland at under-21 and B level, Gordon made his full international debut in a friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago in 2004 and has won 74 caps for his country. Despite being 41 years of age, Gordon has yet to retire from international duty.
The former Celtic keeper has enjoyed a slightly stop-start international career that has almost been split into three periods.
He played for Scotland from 2004 until 2010 but didn’t feature again for the national team for four years, mainly due to injury issues. His injury problems were so bad that he had to retire from the professional game briefly.
However, Gordon was back in the international fold from 2014 until 2017, but he then endured an absence from the national team squad from October 2017 until November 2020.
He wasn’t finished at international level yet, though. In June 2024, at the age of 41 years and 158 days, Gordon became Scotland’s oldest-ever player, appearing as a substitute in a friendly against Finland. Despite his appearance, he was eventually omitted from the Euro2024 squad.
