The international break is upon us once again and over the years there have been a list of players who have enjoyed plenty of success at club level without ever being given the honour of representing their country.
That was the bizarre reality for some of Scotland’s most talented footballers throughout the 20th century, with the purpose of this not to belittle those who did win caps but to remember those who were not so fortunate.
Many could count themselves unlucky to play in eras when the national team had a multitude of great players for near enough every position.
It has always been viewed that if you played for one of the two Old Firm giants, the likelihood of you earning Scotland recognition was pretty high. However, that’s not always been the case.
There are many worthy candidates who feature in the ‘Uncapped Hall of Fame’. Here, GlasgowWorld takes a closer look at 10 of the best former Celtic and Rangers stars who surprisingly never made a senior international appearance:
1. John Brown - Rangers (1979-1997)
A battle-hardened and hugely versatile footballer, who was equally at home at full-back, central defence or in midfield. Starred for Dundee across four seasons in the early 1980s before becoming an integral part of Rangers’ nine-in-a-row squad. Brough to Ibrox by Graeme Souness, Brown was a regular in Rangers treble-winning 1992/93 season and many believe he should've been capped alongside club team-mate Richard Gough for the national team. Overlooked by both Andy Roxburgh and Craig Brown. | SNS Group
2. Billy Stark - Celtic (1975-1994)
Stark was a precious commodity – a goal-scoring midfielder who started out with local club St Mirren after impressing then-manager Sir Alex Ferguson while on trail. Under-appreciated by many in Paisley, he bagged 84 goals in nine seasons before starring for Aberdeen and Celtic, where he won a league and cup double under Billy McNeill. Photo: Ross MacDonald - SNS Group / SFA
3. Gordon Smith - Rangers (1972-1988)
Famously scored 27 goals as part of Rangers treble-winning 1977/78 team and scored the winning goal in the League Cup final against Celtic, but was never selected for the national team by then-boss Ally McLeod, despite being capped at Under-21 and Under-23 level. Appointed chief executive of the SFA in 2007 and had a short stint as Rangers director of football during the 2011/12 season, assisting manager Ally McCoist. Also worked as a pundit for BBC Scotland. | SNS Group
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4. Harry Hood - Celtic (1962-1978)
Having racked up an impressive 96 goals as an inside forward with Clyde, Hood was snapped up by Jock Stein in 1969 for only £40,000 in 1969. In seven seasons he scored 120 times for the hoops. His golden years at Parkhead coincided with a time when fellow Scottish forwards with Kenny Dalglish, Denis Law, Joe Jordan, Joe Harper, Colin Stein were at the peak of their powers and starring for the full international side. His only senior involvement was in an unofficial Scotland XI world tour, but never got handed a cap. | SNS Group