Ryan Christie says the hurt of Scotland’s exits at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 will travel with him to the World Cup next month, and he wants that memory to sharpen rather than weigh down the side. The 31-year-old Bournemouth midfielder said Scotland are determined to use those disappointments as added incentive when they head to the United States after the warm-up friendly against Curacao at Hampden.
That matters now because Scotland are about to play at a World Cup finals for the first time in Christie’s career, with Group C bringing Haiti, Morocco and Brazil. Christie said he is desperate to see Scotland do something they have never managed before and reach the knockout rounds, a target that gives this campaign a different edge from the last two major tournaments.
Christie did not hide the scale of the frustration from those Euros. Scotland were devastated after failing to get out of their section at Euro 2020 and again at Euro 2024, and he said the squad carry that feeling of what might have been. He added that Scotland may have let themselves down a little and need to remember it now, because he does not want the same ending this time.
His view of Euro 2024 was mixed with regret. Christie said the opening match against Germany was incredibly tough, and the follow-up against Switzerland made it difficult to bounce back. The final game against Hungary was, in his words, frustrating at the end because Scotland probably had a little more in the tank or could have given a better account of themselves. Even so, he said the tournament offered enough evidence to believe Scotland could have gone further.
There is also a different kind of energy around Steve Clarke’s squad this time. Lewis Ferguson, Ben Gannon-Doak, Lyndon Dykes and Aaron Hickey were all missing from Euro 2024 because of injury, but they have been named in Clarke’s 26-man squad for the finals. Christie said the younger players are also adding something new, describing them as boys pushing through who are setting standards themselves and bringing a fresh dynamic the team have not really had before.
That mix of pain, returnees and new blood is what Scotland will carry into the tournament. Christie said the disappointment should add bite to the play, and the next test will come quickly once the team leave for the United States and turn from preparation into Group C matches. For a side that has never reached the knockout stage at a World Cup, the question now is whether those memories will harden into results when the games begin.
