If Scott McTominay’s spectacular second half free-kick against Spain in the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville last month had been allowed to stand it would instantly have become a goal for the ages.
The improbable strike from an impossible angle – which would almost certainly have sealed the national team’s qualification to the Euro 2024 finals in Germany next summer – would have been mentioned in the same breath as this country’s very best forevermore.
Like Denis Law’s opportunist opener against England in 1967, Joe Jordan’s diving header against Czechoslovakia in 1973, Kenny Dalglish’s glancing header against Wales in 1977, Archie Gemmill’s sublime solo effort against the Netherlands in 1978 or James McFadden’s long-range volley against France in 2007.
Alas, Dutch referee Serdar Gözübüyük decided, for reasons which are still not completely clear to aggrieved Tartan Army footsoldiers weeks later, to disallow McTominay’s worldie following a controversial VAR check.
Nobody inside the ground or watching on television back home was more devastated at what transpired on that balmy evening in Andalusia than McFadden – even though it would have left his famous moment in Paris firmly in the shade if it had not been chalked off.
But the former Scotland playmaker, who is now a knowledgeable pundit for the BBC and Sky Sports, believes the Manchester United midfielder will go on to comfortably surpass all of his finest achievements in a dark blue jersey in the future.
The man who never, despite making no fewer than 48 international appearances between 2002 and 2010, graced the finals of a major tournament is hopeful that even better is to come from the supporters’ favourite now that he is featuring more regularly at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag.
McTominay is the joint top scorer in Group A alongside Erling Haaland with six goals heading in to the final double header against Georgia in the Dinamo Arena in Tbilisi tomorrow evening and Norway at Hampden in Glasgow on Sunday night.
His compatriot feels it is a remarkable accomplishment given that the 45-times capped 6ft 4in 26-year-old has spent much of last season – when Steve Clarke’s men got their qualifying bid underway - and a large part of this campaign warming the bench at his club.
Ten Hag, the former Ajax manager who replaced Ralf Rangnick in 2022, has only recently started to give the versatile player, who was linked with a loan move to German giants Bayern Munich during the summer, a regular run out in his first team.
Former Motherwell, Everton, Birmingham City and Sunderland forward McFadden has been heartened to see his countryman get increased game time at the English giants in the past few weeks and also pitch in with vital goals in the Premier League games against Brentford at home and Sheffield United away.
He thinks that will have a positive impact on his performances for Scotland going forward and anticipates McTominay, who he worked with when he was a member of Alex McLeish’s backroom staff, becoming an even greater hero to fans in the months ahead.
“Scott has really stepped up and taken his game to another level during Euro 2024 qualifying,” said McFadden who is also an ambassador for McDonald’s and was on hand to help them and the SFA honour volunteers at the Grassroots Football awards at Hampden last month.
“He was a good player for his country before this campaign and has always done well, whether he has been played in defence, as he often was to begin with, or in his preferred berth in midfield. But he is now one of the country’s best players.
“The goals he has scored have been absolutely invaluable for them. Would Scotland be in the Euros at this early stage without him? It is doubtful. It is such a shame, though, that his goal against Spain was not allowed to stand.”
McFadden added: “If that had gone in it would not just have secured qualification for Scotland, I think it would have actually won us the group. It would have completely eclipsed anything that I did in my international career.
“We obviously beat Spain back in March and a draw or a win against them away would have put us ahead of them on points with two games to be played. I don’t think they would have caught us from that position, not with the momentum we had behind us and the feelgood factor.
“The disappointment of the goal being disallowed and Scotland losing the game will obviously be great for Scott. But I don’t think he needs any extra motivation. You can see that in his performances over the last year.
“He has not been playing in the Man United side, but he has still managed to score some brilliant goals, and big, important goals, for Scotland. He has managed to get himself back into the Man United starting line-up on the back of his Scotland form.
“But I think the way he has played, coupled with the role which Steve Clarke has found for him in the team, suggest that he will continue in the same vein in these games coming up, the friendlies before the Euros and then the Euros.
“But I actually think there will be even more to come from Scott McTominay. He has got steadily better the longer he has played for Scotland over the years.
“He is now back in the Manchester United team and has pitched in with some big goals there as well. That can only help his confidence and form. As I say, I think that there is more to come from Scott.”
McFadden knows from personal experience just how difficult a place Tbilisi is to get a result – he played there when Scotland crashed to a costly 2-0 reverse to an understrength Georgia side in a crucial Euro 2008 qualifier back in 2007.
But the 40-year-old is optimistic that Clarke’s charges can get back to winning ways after three straight defeats to England, Spain and France, keep applying the pressure on the section leaders and start to build up some much-needed momentum ahead of their trip to Euro 2024.
“Yes, the result on Thursday doesn’t really matter,” he said. “But I know Steve and his players will be keen to halt the run they have been on, albeit against three of the best sides in the world. Our last couple of results in Georgia have been disastrous. I think Scotland will show where they are now at in this game and how far they have come.”
