This is a list of players who have played international football for the Scotland national football team and who were born outside Scotland. For the purposes of international football, the global governing body FIFA considers Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland to be distinct and individual countries. This has happened since the early days of international football, as Arthur Kinnaird, 11th Lord Kinnaird (born in England) and Henry Renny-Tailyour represented Scotland in the 1870s. The first black international football player, Andrew Watson, was born in British Guiana and represented Scotland during the 1880s.

The majority of these players were born in England. In a friendly match against Cyprus in November 2011, five of the sixteen players used by Scotland were born in England. The rules of selection were quite strict until 1971, when national teams were allowed to pick players if one of their parents were born in that country. This was later relaxed to allowing selection for one grandparent being born in Scotland, although it was temporarily tightened again, which prevented Nigel Spackman from playing for Scotland. The Home Nations have since made an agreement that also allows players who have been educated for at least five years in the relevant country to be selected by its national team. Jordan Rhodes was selected on this basis.

List of players + Modern day countries of birthCountryTotal563222111111

Key *Still active for the national team§Still active in professional football

+ Scotland national football team players born outside of ScotlandPlayerPlace of BirthCapsGoalsDebutLast or most recent matchCity CountryDate OpponentDate Opponent*Leicester5013Coventry400§Walthamstow10Salford130Cape Town10*Gillingham20Royal Tunbridge Wells60Chatham20Reading20§Halifax80§Nottingham20Mansfield122*Taunton80§Kingston upon Hull190Aldershot20Birmingham100Workington61*Gold Coast5310Wandsworth181Shrewsbury3310*Manchester20Winsford40Goderich54Melbourne20Oswestry10Rochdale30Bury430Paddington20Stockholm616Harrogate20*Norwich280Leeds160Pretoria192*Sheffield101Gateshead266London81*Middlesbrough40§Newport Pagnell10Point St. Charles, Montreal10Kensington10Calgary10Watford71Newry20Leeds401Miri477Dorking92Beccles173Brighton290§Leeds160Liverpool30*Lancaster7315Darlington463Saltburn40§Worksop80§London170§Aylesbury161Southwark141Mussoorie11Oldham143Aldershot246Gosport163Hackney50§Oldham10Redcar50Sutton280*Douglas582When the SFA decided Berwick was in Scotland - the strange case of Jimmy Wardhaugh, Andy Mitchell, Scottish Sport History, 24 August 2021Berwick-upon-Tweed20Detroit10Demerara30Chesterfield20Bangalore10

Only played in England A large number of Scottish internationals born in Scotland never played senior club football in that country, either due to the circumstances of their upbringing; for example Alex Donaldson, Jimmy Nelson (raised in Belfast rather than England, settled in Wales after playing for Cardiff City), Tommy Lawrence, Scot Gemmill, Dominic Matteo, Richard Hughes, Ikechi Anya (who also played in the Spanish leagues) and Dominic Hyam, or being scouted by clubs in England at a young age and remaining in the English football league system or abroad throughout their career; this includes several who reached the landmark of 25 caps such as Billy Liddell, Denis Law, Billy Bremner, Willie Donachie, Asa Hartford, Frank Gray, John Robertson, John Wark, Colin Calderwood, Darren Fletcher, Barry Bannan and Billy Gilmour.The Global Sports Arena: Athletic Talent Migration in an Interpendent World (page 83), John Bale, Joseph Maguire, Routledge, 2013,

Conversely, Joe Baker had only played in the Scottish football league system when he was capped by his birthplace England in 1959 – he was the first player to be in that situation. His elder brother Gerry Baker was also raised in Scotland but had been born in the United States and later appeared for their national team.

Played for a different national team + Countries with Scottish born playersCountryTotal56473410107522111111 Various players born in Scotland have played for a different national team.

Notes

See also Australia players born in Scotland England players born in Scotland Republic of Ireland players born in Scotland United States players born in Scotland Wales players born in Scotland

References