Luis Binks is on such a high playing for Scotland, it's no wonder he feels like he's on cloud nine. The defender finally got to sample what it's like to pull on a dark blue shirt in the Nations League games against Switzerland and North Macedonia. And now the Brondby star is hooked.
Saturday night's win in Skopje gave him his first taste of victory with Sebastien Pocognoli's new-look squad. Binks excelled at the back in a comfortable 2-0 win that sets the Scots up for a clash with Slovenia at Hampden on Tuesday night.
The 25-year-old will surely keep his place, especially since fellow centre-back Scott McKenna is suspended after his late red card at the Todor Proeski Arena.
Chasing Robertson's record
Binks had to bide his time for a call-up and then to earn his first couple of caps for Scotland. But now that he's done it? He just wants more and more of it. He joked that he's now chasing skipper Andy Robertson who hit the 100-cap mark in Skopje.
But his own performance against North Macedonia suggests that Binks might now be a fixture in Pocognoli's side for years to come. As he looked ahead to the Slovenians' visit to Glasgow, he said: "I'm only 98 off him (Robertson) now, I'm closing in!"
"It has made it a lot easier for me having him beside me. When you play with better players, you become better yourself. To play with Robertson is great because I can learn so much off him. But also McKenna as well, who's an experienced player and has a lot of caps. If I can get anywhere close to those two, I'll have done alright."
Addictive international football
"This is a bit like a drug, you just want more. Once you have your first, it's addictive. You want to keep singing that anthem because it's a buzz especially at Hampden. You want to win games, keep clean sheets and eventually go to tournaments. I'm always a player who is chasing that next high. That means playing as many games as possible and hopefully one day reaching a tournament."
"Tuesday is the next one and we have to build on Saturday. Being at home, we owe the supporters a performance at Hampden. It would be nice to end the camp on a high by winning the game."
If Scotland do pick up another three points, there will be nobody more proud inside Hampden than Binks or his family. He qualifies through his Scottish grandpa on his mum Jo's side. But it was his dad, Tom, who made the long trek to North Macedonia at the weekend to see his boy pick up his first victory in a Scotland jersey.
Family pride and system fit
Binks is loving the whole experience of international football - especially the support from the Tartan Army. He said: "It's been brilliant, a bit of a whirlwind for me. When you get the call-up you never know if you're going to play or how you're going to fit in. But it's been pretty seamless. The squad is a very easy squad to come into."
"There's a lot of experience but a lot of new faces as well. I'm just buzzing to play two games on the bounce. My family are over the moon, especially my mum because it's through her side of the family. My grandad isn't with us any more so she's very emotional about it all. Against Switzerland, when we started singing the anthem, it brought a tear to her eye. Then my dad travelled to Macedonia, the middle of nowhere, on Saturday night as well, so he was buzzing. He went on his own. I asked him how he found it and he said there were so many Scots about, it was easy. I told him we'd probably play a game on the moon and there would be Scottish fans there!"
Binks' debut came in a 3-0 home defeat to Switzerland but Pocognoli's side were hamstrung early on when Jack Hendry was red-carded. Against North Macedonia, he was superb on the left of Scotland's back three. Whether it was defending or stepping out to start our attacks, Binks looked like a regular performer at this level.
And he's adamant that Pocognoli's 3-4-2-1 formation can bring the best out of him. He said: "The Switzerland game was difficult with 10 men but I felt for what I could do, I did alright. On Saturday night I was able to show a bit more, especially on the ball. But I know there's a lot more to come. Hopefully I can play more games to show the Scotland fans what I'm all about."
"The system suits me. I can play on the left or in the middle so there's two options. If it's a back four, I can only really play on the left, being left-footed. So the system suits me perfectly. I like being on the left because it gives me licence to go in. There was a run in the first half where I could have had an assist if Kieron Bowie had helped me out by scoring! But yeah, that gives me the chance to go and make those passes."
"A big part of my game is stepping in. When I talk about showing off a bit, that's a part of the game where I can show it. There was a bit more of that against Macedonia and hopefully it continues. The manager has been brilliant for me. He's given me confidence to go and play my game. He's a young manager but he played the game and has managed at some top clubs so he can relate to us. He also knows my position as well, which really helps."
