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.
5. Bobby Russell - Rangers (1977-1997)
One of the most-skilled footballers of his generation, Russell was often lauded for his outstanding vision and creativity during his decade-long spell at Rangers. A key member of the 1977/78 treble-winning side and scored what is still considered as one of the club's greatest European goals against PSV Eindhoven the following season during their European Cup campaign. Only ever capped, however, at under-21 level, but is still remembered fondly by the Light Blues fanbase. | SNS Group
6. Roddie MacDonald - Celtic (1971-1994)
A trusted centre-back for Jock Stein, who was attempting to follow in the footsteps of club legend Billy McNeil. It was never going to be easy to replace 'Cesar', but MacDonald was almost unbeatable in the air and won three league titles, two Scottish Cups and one League Cup. Named in the provisional Scotland squad for the 1974 World Cup but never made the final cut. Often found the likes of Gordon McQueen and Alan Hansen ahead of him in the pecking order. After hanging up his boots, he went on to become a police officer. | SNS Group
7. Scott Arfield - Rangers (2007-present)
A hugely talented operator, who despite his raw talent and eye for a goal, was effectively overlooked by the national team boss Gordon Strachan that led the midfielder to eventually switching his allegiance to Canada back in 2016 after admitting his desire to play international football was unlikely to be fulfilled with Scotland. A regular at Under-19 and Under-21 level, Arfield made a huge impact at Ibrox over a five-year spell which included winning the 2020/21 Premiership title under Steven Gerrard. 'Mr Saturday Night' is now back playing for the club he began his professional career at, Falkirk. | Getty Images
8. Charlie Shaw - Celtic (1906-1925)
One of the earliest omissions, Shaw was regarded as one of Celtic's best ever goalkeepers. Standing at 5ft 6in, he joined the Hoops from QPR in 1913 and kept 26 clean sheets in his debut season. His most remarkable record was for setting out on the longest period of time without conceding a goal - totalling 1287 minutes of football. Remained a British record for over 100 years until Edwin van der Sar broke it. | SNS Group