Celtic captain Scott Brown may have played his last game for Scotland, but the Hoops have a storied history of players who have represented the club’s home country with honor and distinction, despite perceptions that those running the national team have historically been biased against players wearing the Hoops.
With the current international break winding down, here is a list of some of the greatest-ever Celts to represent Scotland on the world stage, with photo and video highlights:
Craig Gordon
Many of the Hoops greatest keepers have come from outside the country (think: Ireland’s Packie Bonner), so Gordon has little if any competition between the sticks. Still, he’s been capped 44 times for Scotland since 2004.
Tom Boyd
Boyd is the former Celtic captain who “stopped the 10,” but he also served Scotland well, making 72 appearances for his country between 1990 and 2001.
Danny McGrain
“Big Danny” famously signed for Celtic after his boyhood heroes, Rangers, mistakenly thought he was Catholic, because of his surname. Between 1973 and 1982, the big central defender, viewed widely as the best backline player in Celtic history, was capped 62 times.
Gary Caldwell
Caldwell is hardly a Celtic legend, by most measures, but he was a solid defender for the club for many years, even serving as vice-captain for the Hoops. He also made 55 appearances for Scotland between 2002 and 2013.
Bobby Evans
Evans is perhaps best known for being the first Celtic captain to lift the League Cup, in 1956. However, he also played 48 times for Scotland over a 12-year period in the 1940s and 1950s.
Roy Aitken
Known as “The Bear” around Parkhead, Aitken also represented Scotland 57 times, making his debut for the national team in 1979. He made nearly 500 appearances for Celtic, scoring an astounding 40 goals from the back line (though he also lined up in the midfield at times).
Jimmy Johnstone
A list of Celtic greats of any stripe has to include “Wee Jinky,” the midfield genius who wore the Hoops 515 times, and scored 129 goals for the club. Johnstone’s Scotland career wasn’t quite as successful, and it was marked by stories of drunken debauchery. He was capped a total of only 23 times between 1964 and 1974, and scored only four goals.
John Collins
A fan favorite at Celtic Park as a player, though not so much as a coach, Collins represented Scotland 58 times between 1988 and 1999, scoring 12 goals.
Paul McStay
“The Maestro” is also a mainstay of Celtic “best of” lists. McStay made 76 appearances for Scotland in the 1980s and 1990s, and scored nine goals for his country.
Jimmy McGrory
McGrory was prolific for Celtic, scoring an astounding 395 in 378 appearances for his club in the 1920s and 1930s. The sample size is much smaller at the international level. He made only seven appearances for the national side, and scored six goals.
Kenny Dalglish
Known as “The King,” Dalglish is on the short list of greats for both club and country. He achieved the hallowed century mark for Scotland, making 102 appearances for the national team and scoring 30 goals over that span, between 1971 and 1986. That he is beloved at both Celtic Park and Liverpool’s Anfield goes without saying.
