Scotland hero makes ‘pick my moment’ promise to fans and backs 'good mate' to be World Cup memory maker

McLean, 34, earned his 57th international cap as Scotland came from one down to beat 10-man Curacao 4-1 on Saturday at Hampden Park, as a Lawrence Shankland brace, sandwiched in between strikes from Findlay Curtis and Ryan Christie, helped Steve Clarke’s men seal a comfortable win in their World Cup send-off game.

The Scotland squad will now jet off to the United States to continue their preparations for the tournament, with a final friendly clash against Bolivia scheduled for 6 June, before their World Cup campaign gets underway against Haiti on June 14. As the tournament edges closer, McLean has urged the squad to make it a summer like no other for the Tartan Army.

“I was only six when we last got to the World Cup in 1998,” said McLean. “I don’t remember much about it. I’ve watched the big moments at the other World Cups. There’s an interest there, but when Scotland are not involved, you’re not really invested. This is what we want to do, we want to give people memories and things to talk about. Hopefully we can do it [qualify] more often. We need to embrace it and make some memories for people.

“We don’t just want to rest on what we’ve done. We believe that we can be better than what’s come previously. We know we’ve got the quality, the squad and backroom team in place to take us where we want to be. We think we’ve got a good chance of getting out of the group. We go there with confidence and we’ll give it everything we’ve got - that’s all we can do. Everybody's excited for what’s to come in the next the next month or so. It was just good to get a better send-off today than previously.

The Norwich City captain heads into the tournament on the back of a memorable personal campaign. Named the Canaries’ player of the season for the second time, McLean became a Scotland cult hero after his halfway line strike in the 4-2 win over Denmark sealed the national team’s place at this summer and sparked wild scenes in Glasgow back in November.

Following his Hampden heroics, he has been urged to ‘shoot’ by Scotland fans whenever the ball lands at his feet in the games that have followed at the national stadium. After resisting the temptation for much of the game against Curacao, he almost bagged another stunning strike when he let fly with a left-foot drive in the closing stages of the clash.

While not a regular goal-getter at international level, there’s no doubting McLean has a knack for the spectacular. Coupled with his iconic lob over Kasper Schmeichel, his 89th-minute winner in a 2-1 away win over Norway during the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign remains one of the most memorable strikes in Scotland’s recent history.

“People keep talking to me about it [his goal vs Denmark],” smiled McLean. “Which is obviously a good thing because it meant to so much to everybody, and it gave so much to everybody what we’ve all done and achieved together, the fans included. A great moment for me personally and for every body, but it was all about the team qualifying that night. It’s just put everybody in better spirits.

“I try not to let people make my mind up. It’s encouraging more than anything [being told to shoot]. You can hear it but sometimes it might not be the right option to take. I did choose one time and it wasn’t a bad effort so I'll try and pick and choose my moments when it's right. Towards the end, I felt like every time the ball was coming and I thought I need to have a go at one point. I was closer than obviously all the other times, so I had a pop and the ‘keeper made a decent enough save.”

One player who did get himself on the scoresheet was McLean’s ex-Aberdeen teammate Shankland. The 30-year-old has enjoyed a stunning season with Hearts, and earned a move to boyhood club Rangers earlier this week. He celebrated by scoring twice against Curacao to stake a claim for a place in the Steve Clarke’s starting XI at the World Cup.

“He showed his clinical finishing,” said McLean. “It is what he’s always done. He was at a level that he was way better than for a long time. He’s done really well at Hearts and got his move to Rangers and I’m over the moon for him. He’s a friend, and a good mate of mine. I played with him during our time at Aberdeen, and he was similar to what he is like now.

“People who saw him at Ayr and Dundee United, he’s always been that person. You know what you’re getting from Lawrence. He’s got a great family. He showed what he’s all about [vs Curacao]. He’s so much more than goals, but that’s the bread and butter isn’t it? That’s what you want from your striker, and it’s two very good finishes. It is great for his confidence and for us.”

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