The younger Souttar sibling appeared at the finals for the Socceroos in Qatar back in 2022
Scotland defender John Souttar(Image: SNS Group)
Four years ago John Souttar felt pride at watching brother Harry play in a World Cup for Australia.
But now he wants a piece of the action.
At Qatar 2022, his younger sibling played every minute of every game for the Socceroos as they reached the knock-out phase.
Harry went up against French superstar Kylian Mbappe, before the Aussies were eventually outdone by the genius of Lionel Messi whose Argentina side went on to lift the trophy.
The Souttar family all made it to the Middle East, while John was sat at home glued to the TV.
And now, the Scotland defender is just 180 minutes away from following in Harry’s footsteps.
The Rangers centre-back will be a key man for Steve Clarke’s side in Athens tonight as they try to get the point they need in Group C.
If that’s achieved, the Scots will tee up a winner-takes-all clash with Denmark at Hampden on Tuesday night – with a golden ticket to the USA, Canada and Mexico up for grabs.
Australia have already qualified, of course. And with Harry fighting his way back from injury at Leicester City, he’ll have his eye on a second World Cup appearance.
John is desperate to be there too, especially after missing out on Euro 2024.
And he’d love it if they both made it together this time.
As he prepared for the game in Athens, Souttar said: “Playing at the World Cup is the pinnacle for everyone.
“We’ve still got a long way to go to get there.
“Watching my brother do it a few years ago was amazing for me and my family to watch.
John and Harry Souttar in 2018(Image: SNS Group)
“Everyone dreams of doing it. Harry obviously loved it.
“All my family were over there and it was a proud moment for me watching him play in it, especially with how well he did.
“I didn’t make it over myself but the rest of the family was and it’s the pinnacle for any footballer.
“It’s what you dream about, going to a World Cup.
“I wouldn’t say there’s a competitive edge to myself and Harry’s relationship, not directly anyway.
“We’re both pretty supportive and really close, we’ve got a good relationship.
“But if he gets to a World Cup, I’d like to match it aye. I think anyone would.
“Of course, it would be special (to both make it). But there’s still a long way to go.
“We’ve got two massive games over the next few days, so my full focus is on that.”
Souttar was only TWO years old the last time Scotland reached a World Cup, at France ’98.
His family made that trip too and regaled him with stories about Craig Brown’s side taking on Brazil and the Tartan Army having a ball.
So with Clarke’s side potentially taking a huge step closer to the greatest show on earth, he knows how big it is for the country.
And after some of the setbacks he’s suffered so far in his career through injury – and that omission from the Euros last year – it would be a huge moment for him personally as well.
Souttar said: “My family went to the World Cup in 98. My older brother, my dad and my uncle.
“It was a really big thing and I was always really conscious of that growing up.
“There were loads of pictures of it actually. Loads of folk from Brechin and the surrounding area all travelled to France for it.
“You grow up with it. I’ve not experienced it in my lifetime in terms of seeing Scotland in a World Cup, but everyone knows how big a deal it is.
“We are all well aware of how big these games are but we can’t be too emotional about it.
“We need to be calm and stick to the game-plan the gaffer lays out for us.
“Every player has their individual stories, it’s the same for everyone in the squad here.
“But our motivation is just to get the country to a World Cup and we’ll be doing everything we possibly can to do it.”
At least a draw in Piraeus would give Scotland a shot at glory against the Danes on Tuesday night.
Souttar – who’s been a pivotal player at the back during the campaign – says that’s a scenario they’d have bitten your hand off for at the start.
Scotland’s John Souttar and Greece’s Vangelis Pavlidis battle for the ball
After a warm-weather training week in Turkey, he’s convinced Clarke’s side are ready to go and deliver and get the results they need in both games to qualify.
He said: “We’re excited, it’s a good spot for us to be in. Everyone’s looking forward to it.
“We’ve had a good week away, everyone together. We got a bit of sun, it was enjoyable – but we got a lot of work done.
“We’re ready to go tomorrow night.
“All our focus has to be on tomorrow.
“It’s a big chance for us so there’s no point looking back now.
“We’ll need to get a lot of things right because they’re a really good side.
“But I think we’re a good side as well.
“And if we bring the best version of ourselves, we’re more than capable of getting a result.
“Our motivation is high to get this result tomorrow.
“Would we have taken this position at the start of the group?
“Yeah, I think so. We have got two games to go to try and reach a World Cup.
“We would have taken that.”
