The 20-year-old who starred in Scotland's return to the World Cup

In the 54th minute of the match, Ben Gannon-Doke let out a scream, clenched his fist and raised his arm as he cleared the ball out of bounds for Scotland's goal. The winger celebrated the moment as if he had just scored the decisive goal at the World Cup. For many it was a finale as it was Scotland's first World Cup game in 28 years.

That evening, in a Boston stadium filled with fans, his sincere and passionate outburst of emotion galvanized the Tartan Army, who may have been worried about what was happening in their first match of the tournament against Haiti. But Gannon-Doke understood what this meant for many Scots who came to Massachusetts. He personified them.

Scott McTominay, having recovered from a stomach upset, started in Scotland's first World Cup match in 28 years. Match winner John Maquinn also earned a place in the starting line-up. Laurence Shankland, the goal machine, led the attack. But the show was stolen by a 20-year-old player who wasn't even born the last time Scotland played in football's biggest tournament.

Gannon-Doke was a surprise choice in Steve Clarke's Euro 2024 squad two years ago but was unable to travel to Germany due to injury. "The Euros probably came too early for me, but I don't think I would have played even if I had gotten there," he recently told Sky Sports. "I understand that if I had played, I would not have performed as well as I could have."

This time there was no doubt.Energetic and exciting on the international stage, the Bournemouth winger showed why so many Scottish fans were disappointed when he left the field injured against Denmark after assisting McTominay's overhead kick in the final qualifying match in November. The injury, his second in three years, left him with a suspended muscle.


On his major finals debut, however, he was in full attention. Being in the spotlight is nothing new for Gannon-Doke. At 16, he left Celtic for the glittering lights of the Premier League with Liverpool. The move was far from easy as the North Ayrshire lad discovered that football can be a lonely place when you're injured and away from home. Then he found God. Raised Catholic, Gannon-Doke admits he "drew away from it" but then "heard God calling me, wanting to get back into it."

"I just felt God calling me," the 20-year-old told BBC Scotland. “I started to feel better and stronger and started to cope better and I thought, ‘Oh, this is not a coincidence.’ I think that’s how it happened for me."

With God on his side, Gannon-Doke, who received a Bible from his grandmother, feels "strong and confident," but it's something he practices in private. “I pray before games, I read the Bible alone - I don’t do that in the dressing room because there are a lot of different beliefs in football. It's better to do it in private so you can concentrate. The dressing room can be quite chaotic at times, but that's at the root of everything, including my football."

Although he "doesn't pray for hat-tricks", many might have asked the aforementioned for help as Scotland prepared for their first World Cup win in 36 years. From the opening minutes of the match against Haiti, it was obvious that if anything was to happen, Gannon-Doke would be at the center of the action. Keeping it simple, when he received the ball from the right, he looked for opportunities to attack. This was something that pleased the Scottish fans as it had been a rare occurrence in recent times.

When McTominay hit the post it was after another brilliant run from Gannon-Doke. He soon assisted Chi Adams, whose attempt was parried straight at the feet of Maquinn, who celebrated seconds later as Scotland scored their first World Cup goal since 1998. For 83 minutes, Gannon-Doke was the youngest player to appear at a World Cup for Scotland. That was until his 19-year-old friend Findlay Curtis came on as a substitute.

They play carefree. They don't carry the weight of missed qualifications or recent Euro disappointments. And it shows.Gannon-Doke left the field with 15 minutes remaining in the match against Haiti. A collective sigh was heard. "He had a great game today," former Scotland winger Pat Nevin told BBC Sportsound. "He's exactly what a Scottish player should be," added former captain Scott Brown on BBC One. Like no one else, Gannon-Doke makes you believe in yourself. Hope. Like all of his generation, we grew up with the belief that "hope kills," but with this 20-year-old leading the team, it's hard not to believe.

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