Billy Gilmour on his Wembley high, World Cup low and new role leading Scotland’s next generation

“I was sh****ing myself,” he recalls. “The day before I remember doing the shape in training and I found out I was in the team. I could feel nerves, but I was excited as well.”

Those nerves did not show. Scotland held the Auld Enemy to a goalless draw at the delayed Euro 2020 tournament, Gilmour was named Man of the Match and a new Scottish football hero was born. It was, he remembers, the experience of “just a kid buzzing to go and play football”.

But international football has a habit of delivering its lessons quickly. Gilmour’s next great challenge came when COVID forced him out of the squad. His disappointment only intensified his desire to return to the fold.

“I wanted to stay and play but it just made me hungrier to come back, get called up again, and try to play as many games as possible,” he says.

The years since have brought a sense of perspective. Gilmour was once the youngster being looked after by the senior players. Now he finds himself looking across the dressing room at new members of the squad and recognising the same mixture of excitement and apprehension.

“You have nerves, excitement, a bit of unknown,” he says. “You just want to be there and help them and try to give them good encouragement. Everyone’s been in that situation.”

Gilmour relives World Cup heartbreak

It is a role that feels particularly appropriate after the most painful episode of his international career. Gilmour’s World Cup dream was shattered due to a knee injury sustained 24 hours before Steve Clarke and his squad flew out to North America. He was within touching distance of realising a lifetime goal when the reality of what had happened began to sink in.

“It’s probably my lowest in football and hopefully it stays at that,” he admits.

Gilmour recalls the car journey with Clarke on route back to the team hotel from hospital. He remembers the emotion coursing through him, but also Clarke’s kindness after learning that he could still travel with the team and remain part of the experience.

“I knew I still wanted to go. It didn’t cross my mind not to go,” Gilmour smiles.

Instead, he went to America with family and friends and discovered another side of Scotland’s football culture: the parades, the gatherings, the supporters and the sheer scale of what following the national team means.

“Of course you want to be on the pitch playing, but it was a great experience,” he states. “It just makes you think when you put on the shirt how much it means to the fans.” The experience has not diminished his ambition. If anything, it has sharpened it. “That was my dream to go to a World Cup,” he says. “It’s something I still want to do.”

Now, working under Sebastien Pocognoli, the 25-year-old is expected to lead the way. He is enjoying greater responsibility and a more advanced role on the pitch. Gilmour once operated primarily as a controller but now has licence to attack, reflecting the freedom he enjoyed as a youngster.

“For me, I’ll go out on the pitch and try my best in any position,” he says. “But it is nice to be a bit further forward and trying to be up there in amongst the goals and assists.”