There have been some incredible names to have represented the Tartan Army throughout the years. Kenny Dalglish, Denis Law and Graeme Souness are among the greatest to have put on the famous blue jersey. And given the fact that Scotland is a relatively small nation, one would imagine that it would be a necessity for all their best players to be selected for international duty in order to give them the best chance of being competitive.
That is, of course, a very simplistic view on the matter though, as more often than not, that isn't the case. Injuries, suspensions and sometimes footballing politics may stand in a player's way. And that is the case for one star who, according to themselves, should’ve reached a double century of caps for his country.
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Duncan Ferguson on Scotland Career
The former Everton striker believed he never featured as regularly as he should've
Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, former Everton and Newcastle frontman Duncan Ferguson spoke about his international career and discussed how many caps he believed he should've won. The notorious hardman made just seven appearances for Scotland during his career, with his final appearance coming in 1997 despite the fact that he finished his career in 2006.
Explaining why he wasn't selected more often, Ferguson explained it was due to his troubling past in Scottish football while playing for Rangers.
"It breaks my heart. Seven caps, no goals. When I went to prison, I was finished with Scotland. Because the people who gave me a 12-game ban were all still there going 'good luck Dunc, all the best.' They wanted me to serve that ban again. It was a wee bit unfair.
"Nobody was better than me at that period of time. I should've played 200 times for Scotland.
Ferguson did reveal that he was asked to reconsider his international retirement by several managers, but turned them down. And in a separate interview with talkSPORT, he explained why he did this and admitted to regretting his choice.
"I had seven caps. I never scored for my country. I've scored the most goals in Premier League history as a Scottish player. But yet, I never scored one for my country. It makes me really sad to be honest, and upset," the 53-year-old stated.
"I decided to retire. I refused to go back for all the years. In fact, you actually, you tried to get me back. Look, obviously, going to prison is not a good experience, is it? It was terrible for me. And I was blaming everybody.
"I blamed everybody for it. I blamed the SFA. I blamed the press up there. I blamed everybody. I was young. And of course, I believe I was right, in a way, on my stance. I wish I could just go back, but you can't go back. As you get older, you get a bit wiser. When you're younger, you're a bit stupid.
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All statistics courtesy of the Premier League - accurate as of 23/05/2025.