List of Scotland national football team captains

This article lists all the captains of the Scotland national football team. As of 18 November 2020, Scotland have played 786 officially recognised international matches and have had 153 different team captains. George Young captained Scotland most often, with 48.[1] Only three other players, Billy Bremner, Darren Fletcher and Gary McAllister, have captained the team more than 30 times.[1]

Kenny Miller, playing for Scotland in a friendly against Brazil in March 2011. The yellow armband signifies that Miller was team captain.

The first captain of the Scotland team was Robert Gardner, who led the team in the first ever international match, against England on 30 November 1872. He went on to captain Scotland on just one further occasion, the second international match, on 8 March 1873, against the same opposition.

List of captains
Key
* Still active for the national team
Caps as captain Appearances made while captain
Total caps Total number of appearances made
As of Israel v Scotland, 18 November 2020
Andrew Watson (top centre) captained Scotland twice in his three appearances for the national team.
James Cowan captained Scotland just once, in April 1898. This was a common occurrence in his era, as Scotland only played three matches (in the British Home Championship) each season until 1928–29.
Scotland captain Billy Bremner (left) and Netherlands captain Johan Cruyff exchange pennants before an international match in 1971.
Roy Aitken captained Scotland 27 times, which included the 1990 FIFA World Cup campaign.
Christian Dailly captained Scotland in a match against the Hong Kong League XI on 20 May 2002.[2] Although the match is included by the Scottish Football Association in its statistical totals, it was not recognised as a full international by FIFA.[2][3]
Darren Fletcher became the youngest player to captain Scotland in over a century when he first led the team, in a friendly against Estonia in May 2004.[4]
Player Scotland career Caps as captain Total caps First captaincy Last captaincy
Robert Gardner1872–18782530 November 18728 March 1873
James J. Thomson1872–1874137 March 18747 March 1874
Joseph Taylor1872–1876266 March 18754 March 1876
Charles Campbell1874–188681325 March 187621 March 1885
Robert W. Neill1876–18802523 March 187813 March 1880
John McDougall1877–1879157 April 18797 April 1879
David Davidson1878–18811527 March 188027 March 1880
Andrew Watson1881–18822312 March 188114 March 1881
Archie Rowan1880–18821225 March 188225 March 1882
Andrew Holm1882–18832310 March 188312 March 1883
Walter Arnott1883–189331426 January 18844 April 1891
Michael Paton1883–18862529 March 188423 March 1885
John McPherson1879–18851814 March 188514 March 1885
John Lambie1886–18882320 March 188619 February 1887
William Semple18861110 April 188610 April 1886
James McAulay1882–18872919 March 188721 March 1887
Bob Smellie1887–18932610 March 188813 April 1889
Donald Gow18881117 March 188817 March 1888
Duncan Stewart18881124 March 188824 March 1888
Thomas Robertson1889–1892349 March 188919 March 1892
Andrew Thomson18891115 April 188915 April 1889
George Gillespie1880–18912722 March 189028 March 1891
John McLeod1888–18931529 March 189029 March 1890
James McLaren1888–1890135 April 18905 April 1890
John Hill1891–18921226 March 189226 March 1892
William Sellar1885–1893192 April 18922 April 1892
Donald Sillars1891–18952518 March 189323 March 1895
James Kelly1888–18964825 March 189328 March 1896
Robert Marshall1892–18941231 March 189431 March 1894
Dan Doyle1892–1898187 April 18947 April 1894
Jock Drummond1892–190341430 March 189521 March 1903
Jimmy Oswald1889–1897136 April 18956 April 1895
John Gillespie18961121 March 189621 March 1896
John L. Ritchie18971120 March 189720 March 1897
William Lambie1892–1897193 April 18973 April 1897
Matthew Scott18981119 March 189819 March 1898
Bob Kelso1885–18981726 March 189826 March 1898
James Cowan1896–1898132 April 18982 April 1898
Nicol Smith1897–190221218 March 18998 April 1899
David Storrier18991325 March 189925 March 1899
Robert Hamilton1899–19112113 February 190023 February 1901
Henry Marshall1899–1900123 March 19003 March 1900
John Tait Robertson1898–19055167 April 19009 April 1904
Albert Buick1902121 March 19021 March 1902
John Campbell1893–190311215 March 190215 March 1902
Andy Aitken1901–19112143 May 190218 March 1911
Alex Raisbeck1900–1907489 March 19036 April 1907
Jimmy Sharp1904–19091512 March 190412 March 1904
Tom Jackson1904–1907166 March 19056 March 1905
Neilly Gibson1895–190511418 March 190518 March 1905
Charles Bellany Thomson1904–191413211 April 19055 April 1913
James Stark19092215 March 19093 April 1909
Jimmy Hay1905–19143115 March 19101 April 1911
Peter McWilliam1905–1911186 March 19116 March 1911
Alec McNair1906–192051516 March 191210 April 1920
Donald Colman1911–19131415 March 191315 March 1913
Peter Nellies1913–19141228 February 191428 February 1914
Jimmy Gordon1912–19201104 April 19144 April 1914
William Cringan1920–19233526 February 192014 April 1923
Kenny Campbell1920–19221812 February 192112 February 1921
Andrew Wilson1920–192311226 February 192126 February 1921
Jack Marshall[note 1]1921–1924279 April 19214 February 1922
Andy Cunningham1920–19271124 March 19224 March 1922
Jimmy Blair1920–1924388 April 192216 February 1924
Jock Hutton1923–19281101 March 19241 March 1924
Jimmy McMullan1920–192961612 April 192413 April 1929
David Morris1923–19253614 February 19254 April 1925
Tom Townsley19251131 October 192531 October 1925
Willie McStay1921–192851327 February 19262 April 1927
Tommy Muirhead1922–19291825 February 192825 February 1928
Tully Craig1927–19304826 May 192926 October 1929
David Meiklejohn1922–193361522 February 193029 November 1933
Jimmy Crapnell1929–19324918 May 193017 September 1932
Robert Gillespie1926–19333425 October 19301 April 1933
Alan Morton1920–193213121 February 193121 February 1931
Danny Blair1928–19321816 May 193116 May 1931
Jimmy McDougall19311220 May 193120 May 1931
John Johnstone1929–19321326 October 193226 October 1932
Peter McGonagle1933–19341616 September 193316 September 1933
Andrew Anderson1933–19384234 October 19337 December 1938
Alex Massie1931–193721814 April 193420 October 1934
Jimmy Simpson1934–1937131421 November 193410 November 1937
George Brown1930–19382199 April 193821 May 1938
Jimmy Carabine1938–1939138 October 19388 October 1938
Jimmy Dougal19391115 April 193915 April 1939
Jock Shaw1946–19476623 January 19464 October 1947
Jimmy Stephen1946–19471219 October 194619 October 1946
Davie Shaw1946–19481927 November 194627 November 1946
Willie Woodburn1947–195212412 November 194712 November 1947
George Young1946–1957485410 April 194819 May 1957
Sammy Cox1948–19541253 April 19543 April 1954
Tommy Docherty1951–19598255 May 195419 April 1958
Willie Cunningham1954–19555825 May 19542 April 1955
Gordon Smith1946–195721919 May 195529 May 1955
Tommy Younger1955–19584247 May 195811 June 1958
Bobby Evans1948–1960124815 June 19588 June 1960
Dave Mackay1957–196572218 October 195820 November 1963
Eric Caldow1957–1963154022 October 19606 April 1963
Denis Law1958–19745559 June 196326 April 1972
Billy McNeill1961–197282911 April 196413 October 1965
Jim Baxter1960–196743425 November 196410 May 1967
John Greig1964–197515447 December 196529 October 1975
Billy Bremner1965–1975395416 October 19683 September 1975
Frank McLintock1963–19711918 April 197018 April 1970
Bobby Moncur1968–197271611 November 19709 June 1971
Pat Stanton1966–197431614 June 197116 May 1973
David Hay1970–197422717 October 197327 March 1974
Sandy Jardine1970–197993830 October 197419 December 1979
Gordon McQueen1974–19811301 June 19751 June 1975
Martin Buchan1971–197823417 December 197518 June 1977
Tom Forsyth1971–19781227 April 19767 April 1976
Archie Gemmill1971–198123436 May 197625 March 1981
Kenny Dalglish1971–1986610227 April 197726 March 1986
Bruce Rioch1975–1978102428 May 197711 June 1978
Don Masson1976–19782177 September 197712 October 1977
Danny McGrain1973–1982106228 May 198015 June 1982
Asa Hartford1972–198235016 May 198118 November 1981
Graeme Souness1974–1986275424 May 19828 June 1986
Paul Hegarty1979–19831824 May 198324 May 1983
Willie Miller1975–1989116512 June 198319 October 1988
Roy Aitken1979–1991275715 October 198620 June 1990
Alex McLeish1980–19938772 December 198717 February 1993
Jim Leighton1982–199849130 May 19897 June 1995
Paul McStay1983–199777612 September 199012 October 1994
Maurice Malpas1984–199225514 November 19903 June 1992
Richard Gough1983–19938616 February 199128 April 1993
Gordon Strachan1980–19925501 May 199125 March 1992
Craig Levein1990–199411624 March 199324 March 1993
Gary McAllister1990–199932578 September 199331 March 1999
Ally McCoist1986–199816127 March 199627 March 1996
Colin Hendry1993–2001225126 May 199628 March 2001
Tom Boyd1990–200167212 November 199725 April 2001
Paul Lambert1995–200317409 October 199910 September 2003
Kevin Gallacher1988–20011537 October 20007 October 2000
Craig Burley1995–20031466 October 20016 October 2001
Christian Dailly1997–2008126616 May 200212 November 2005
Barry Ferguson1998–200928456 September 200328 March 2009
Darren Fletcher2004–2017348027 May 20048 October 2017
Steven Pressley2000–200613230 May 200430 May 2004
Jackie McNamara1996–200513317 November 200417 November 2004
David Weir1997–201046811 May 20066 September 2006
Stephen McManus2006–201082626 March 200814 November 2009
Kenny Miller2001–20135679 February 201110 August 2011
Gary Caldwell2002–201375529 February 201226 March 2013
Scott Brown2005–201725556 February 20134 September 2017
James Morrison2008–20171467 June 20137 June 2013
Kieran Tierney*2016–1169 November 20179 November 2017
Charlie Mulgrew2012–201944423 March 201811 June 2019
Scott McKenna*2018–1182 June 20182 June 2018
Andrew Robertson*2014–18407 September 201818 November 2020
Callum McGregor*2017–12621 March 201921 March 2019
Steven Naismith2007–201925116 November 201919 November 2019
John McGinn*2016–22914 October 202015 November 2020

Statistics include official FIFA recognised matches, and a match against a Hong Kong League XI played on 23 May 2002 that the Scottish Football Association includes in its statistical totals.[2][5]

Unofficial games

The above list considers captains selected for games officially recognised by FIFA and the Scottish Football Association. In addition to these, there have been a number of games played by Scotland teams on an unofficial basis, for example the "wartime internationals" during the Second World War. Some of the captains selected for these unofficial games are listed below.

Notes
  1. Jack Marshall also represented the United States.

References
  1. "Scotland Captains by Total Games as Captain". www.londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  2. "Hong Kong v Scotland". www.scottishfa.co.uk. Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  3. Morrison, Neil (2 February 2005). "2002 INTERNATIONAL MATCHES". www.rsssf.com. RSSSF. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  4. Roberts, Chris (14 December 2011). "Darren Fletcher has the courage and strength to beat illness, says ex-Man Utd mate Henning Berg". Daily Record. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  5. "Gordon Strachan". www.scottishfa.co.uk. Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  6. "Scotland Unofficial Matches 1902-1919". RSSSF. 8 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  7. Morrison, Neil (15 November 2012). "1921 TOUR OF CANADA AND USA BY "THIRD LANARK'S SCOTLAND XI"". www.rsssf.com. RSSSF. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  8. "Sat 18 Apr 1942 Scotland 5 England 4". www.londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  9. "Sat 10 Oct 1942 England 0 Scotland 0". www.londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  10. "Sat 17 Apr 1943 Scotland 0 England 4". www.londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  11. "Sat 16 Oct 1943 England 8 Scotland 0". www.londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  12. "Sat 02 Feb 1946 Northern Ireland 2 Scotland 3". www.londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  13. Morrison, Neil (15 November 2012). "1949 TOUR OF CANADA AND USA BY THE SCOTTISH FA". www.rsssf.com. RSSSF. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  14. Bell, Stephen; Zlotkowski, Andre (6 June 2008). "Scotland XI Tour of Asia and Oceania 1967". www.rsssf.com. RSSSF. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  15. "Tour games in 1967 that the Aussies count and we don't". The Scotsman. Johnston Publishing. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
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