Scotland midfielder Ryan Christie has spoken of his admiration for Lionel Messi after watching the Argentina captain score a hat-trick from his hotel in Charlotte.
The Bournemouth player, relaxing with his Scotland team-mates, described the experience of watching Messi as “pretty surreal” for someone who grew up idolising the all-time great.
“When you chill out a bit, you turn back into a spectator,” said Christie, reflecting on the mood within the Scotland camp following Messi’s display.
“Watching Messi and stuff like that, it’s incredible to watch that happen. It’s immense and pretty surreal, to be honest.”
Christie admitted that featuring at a World Cup was something he could never have imagined during his younger years, describing the prospect as virtually “non-existent” in his own mind.
“I had aspirations of playing for Scotland when I was growing up – that was my pinnacle – but you didn’t ever think further than that. I never, ever envisioned playing at a Euros, never mind the World Cup.”
The 31-year-old pointed to the famous qualifying victory in Serbia, which secured Scotland’s place at a first major tournament under Steve Clarke, as the moment that made everything feel real.
“[The tears] were because it felt so out of reach for me and a few of the other boys,” he admitted, recalling the emotion of that historic night.
Christie came off the bench against Haiti in Scotland’s opening World Cup fixture and could be handed a starting role when Steve Clarke’s side face Morocco in Boston on Friday evening.
Scotland enter the match as clear underdogs against a strong Moroccan side, but Christie insisted that his team have the ability to compete, pointing to recent experience against comparable opposition.
“We need to keep those numbers as low as possible and then do our bit when we do get the chance to hurt them,” he explained, setting out how Scotland intend to approach the game.
Christie also expressed full belief that Scotland are capable of causing an upset, drawing confidence from the momentum generated by their opening result against Haiti.
“Absolutely. I think we’ve got to think like that. Especially after the first result against Haiti. We’re trying not to get too ahead of ourselves, but at the same time, you’ve got to draw confidence from that and ride the wave a little bit.”
Having recently signed a new contract that will keep him at Bournemouth until 2029, Christie arrives at this World Cup in excellent personal form and full of confidence about what lies ahead.
Messi’s continued brilliance at the age of 38, turning 39 this month, has given Christie encouragement that this tournament does not necessarily need to be his last appearance on the world stage.
Head coach Clarke has stressed throughout the tournament that every squad member has a vital role to play, whether starting or providing an impact from the bench late in games.
“He’s making everybody realise that every single person in our squad is going to be needed at some point,” Christie said, reflecting the unity of purpose within the Scotland dressing room.
A positive result against Morocco on Friday would put Scotland in a commanding position to reach the knockout rounds for the first time in their history as a footballing nation.
“It’s a dream come true to even play in a World Cup, but you have to quickly adjust your targets and adjust your mindset,” Christie added, with his sights now firmly set on making history.
