St Mirren midfielder Ethan Erhahon got his first taste of World Cup action in Qatar as a fan. And the talented youngster is daring to dream of representing Scotland on the game’s biggest stage in the future.
Erhahon has represented his country from the under-17s all the way up to the under-21 side.
Having travelled to the Middle East during the break to see his dad Tevin and brother Lucas, who both live in Dubai, the 21-year-old took the opportunity to hop over to Doha to watch Wales’ 1-1 draw with USA.
After returning to training with the Buddies last week, Erhahon admits he’d love to take to the pitch at a World Cup wearing a Scotland shirt one day.
Erhahon said: “My dad and little brother live in Dubai so I was always going over during the break. It’s just a 45-minute flight from there to Doha and I was able to get my hands on tickets.
“It was a good experience, so different from watching it on TV. We went to the USA v Wales game. We’ve all heard a lot of stuff about this World Cup but it’s different when you’re actually in the country itself.
“The atmosphere was good and the transport was seamless. The weather was great but inside the stadium it was cool with the air conditioning on. I still wore a hoodie!
“I was in with the American fans who were quite rowdy. We went to the fans’ zone. We weren’t drinking but there was a 45 minute queue for beer, which was wild.
“I did think when I was there what it would be like to play in a World Cup. It was such an amazing atmosphere, so imagine playing in it.”
Erhahon doesn’t need to look too far for inspiration having watched his St Mirren midfield teammate Keanu Baccus tear it up against the best in the business with Australia.
He added: “We’ve had Baccus away at the World Cup which was amazing to see.
“You watch guys like Lionel Messi and think you couldn’t get near him, but then we saw Baccus doing it and it gives everyone here a bit of confidence.
“We play with Baccus week in, week out. Obviously he’s a top player. Why can’t we emulate what he’s just done for his country?”
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