Aaron Hickey, Christie and Gannon-Doak see Scotland’s World Cup return
aaron hickey’s Scotland teammates Ryan Christie and Ben Gannon-Doak are already talking about a World Cup return that has been out of reach since 1998. Scotland qualified in November, and Christie said the tournament is beginning to feel real as it gets closer.
Christie and Gannon-Doak at Bournemouth
The pair are AFC Bournemouth teammates, which gives their conversation a club edge as well as an international one. Christie said he likes having somebody in the dressing room who knows Scottish stuff, while Gannon-Doak said there is a lot of gossip about Scottish football.
Christie was born shortly before Scotland’s last World Cup appearance, a detail that fits the scale of the wait. He said only the older generations can speak about that tournament, while “a good few generations in the middle” have never seen Scotland go to a World Cup in a very long time.
November made it real
Scotland sealed qualification in November, but the distance to summer kept it from feeling immediate. Christie said, “I can't wait, obviously, not so long now. It starts to kind of get a bit real, to be honest. When we qualified back in November, you've almost got to park it to the back of your mind because it's a bit far away, but it's just kind of around the corner now.”
That delay shaped Gannon-Doak’s build-up too. He said his injury recovery gave him extra motivation to get fit in time for summer: “For me, it is a bit different - as I was injured, but that was a big motivation for me to get back fit at a good time so I can build myself up to be ready for summer. For me, it's been on my mind every day.”
Rayan and the group stage
The two also joked about the possibility of Scotland meeting Bournemouth’s Brazilian star Rayan at the tournament. Gannon-Doak said, “I don't think there will be anything because the Brazilian boys don't speak English,” and Christie replied, “We might need to ramp that up.”
Christie said he hates the idea of playing against friends, but also called it “a nice touch” to share that stage with people he knows. He added, “Hopefully, fingers crossed, we both get to go and represent Scotland at a World Cup and hopefully make history and get out of the groups.” For Scotland, the return ends almost three decades away from the tournament and gives a generation of supporters a first chance to watch them on football’s biggest stage.
