Billy Gilmour has set his sights on leading Scotland to the 2030 World Cup after a knee injury cruelly ruled him out of the 2026 finals. The Napoli midfielder was forced to stay home when Steve Clarke's side flew to North America last summer, and he has described the setback as the lowest point of his career.
Injury heartbreak before the flight
Gilmour picked up the injury in a warm-up game against Curacao at Hampden the day before the squad was due to travel. The 25-year-old was devastated to miss the tournament, but Clarke urged him to make sure he reached the next one in 2030, which will be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
Speaking ahead of what will be his 50th cap for Scotland in the Nations League match against Slovenia, Gilmour recalled the moment Clarke broke the news. "I was in the car with Steve after he told me the news and I was upset," he said. "That's probably my lowest moment in football. And hopefully it stays like that. It was a bit emotional, but he was really good with me."
Steve Clarke's message
Gilmour revealed that Clarke offered him the chance to travel with the squad despite the injury. "He told me in the car: 'Look, you can't come to the World Cup, but you're more than welcome to come with the squad and still be part of it because you've got us here'," Gilmour said. "Credit to him because that helped me. Basically the message from him was: 'I'm gutted for you, but OK, you miss this one - but make sure you go to the next one.'"
He added: "And of course, when you miss something that's as big a dream as that, it puts things in perspective. Just about how difficult it was and how I just wanted it. That was the dream, to go to a World Cup. I'd been at the Euros but I wanted a World Cup, to go and play."
Home town honour
Gilmour also spoke of his pride after his hometown club, Ardrossan Winton Rovers, renamed their stadium after him. His father and uncle both played for the seventh-tier side, while his younger brother Harvey is currently on their books.
"Yeah, it's my hometown club, Ardrossan Winton Rovers," he said. "My dad played there, along with my uncle - and my little brother plays there now. They came up with the idea to re-name the stadium and asked if we could use my name. I'm proud. I'm from Ardrossan and it's good for the kids because everyone sees it."
Gilmour revealed he was present to watch his brother score at the weekend, though the result was not what the family hoped for. "He actually scored at the weekend in the first game. He scored the first goal but then they got beat 2-1 - so that wasn't ideal!"
