Final Curtain: Craig Levein's last Scotland cap, 16 November 1994 v Russia

Published on Friday 18 December 2009 23:24

WHILE injury may have cruelly robbed Craig Levein of a lengthy cap career with the national side, the former Hearts defender did cram more landmarks into his 16 Scotland appearances than many would manage in 66 these days.

On his debut in 1990, for example, Levein and his team-mates found themselves crowned (albeit somewhat tenuously) unofficial world champions after a Stewart McKimmie strike had brought an unlikely 1-0 victory over an Argentina side about to launch a defence of their trophy at Italia '90.

Scotland, of course, were also bound for Italy and it was there that Levein played his part in the nation's last-ever victory at a World Cup finals, a 2-1 success over Sweden in Genoa.

There was an eight year wait for another World Cup finals appearance and sadly for both Scotland and Hearts, that time would come too late for Levein who had been forced to retire in 1997 after failing to recover from a second serious injury to his knee ligaments.

While that setback has paved the way for a managerial career so successful that Scotland have come calling again – in the form of interest in appointing him national coach – there is little doubt Levein would swap all that to go back in time and have a crack at Brazil, as his Scotland team-mates did, in the opening game of the 1998 World Cup in Paris.

Levein's final Scotland appearance came under the charge of Craig Brown in the Scots ultimately successful European Championship qualifying campaign ahead of England '96. In a sombre reminder of how fleeting a life it can be at the top for professional footballers, Levein's partner in central defence against the Russians at Hampden that night was his old Hearts team-mate, Alan McLaren, who himself succumbed to injury in 1999 aged just 27.

The night started sprightly enough with Scott Booth giving Scotland an early advantage. That 18th-minute lead was only to last six minutes however as Dmitri Radchenko equalised for the visitors who went on to top the qualifying group.

A League Cup tie the following season against Dunfermline, on the occasion of his 398th competitive appearance for Hearts, was to prove Levein's last ever.