Oli McBurnie is back in the Scotland squad after five years away, recalled by new head coach Sebastien Pocognoli. The 30-year-old striker has 16 caps and no goals for his country, and he arrives with a point to prove. Scotland are preparing for Nations League matches against Slovenia twice, Switzerland and North Macedonia, starting with Slovenia in Ljubljana on Saturday, 26 September (14:00 BST). McBurnie is favourite to lead the line in that first game.
When McBurnie sits down to talk, one of the first things you notice is a large tattoo on his left arm depicting Al Pacino in Scarface. He says it is his favourite film. He liked certain things about Tony Montana’s personality. ‘He knew exactly what he wanted. He’s a psycho. I don’t condone a lot of his methods, but he knew what he wanted and he did anything to get it.’
He says the chance has come after times when he thought it never would. ‘There were times when it looked like I was never going to come back,’ he says. ‘The older I’ve got and the more mature I’ve got, you really appreciate these times a lot more.’ He admitted he took his earlier opportunities for granted and did not play well enough for Scotland. ‘I didn’t give the best representation of me as a player or as a person and that’s something that I’m here to change,’ he says. ‘I’m just so thankful that I’ve been given the opportunity to do that. I’ll be eternally grateful to the manager for giving me the chance. I’m more determined to go out there and prove why I belong here.’
The road back was shaped by Steve Clarke, the former Scotland head coach who found it easy to ignore McBurnie’s form. Before naming his World Cup squad, Clarke received a call from McBurnie, who wanted to know if he was in contention. He was not. McBurnie then spoke publicly about the conversation, which Clarke did not like. McBurnie describes the exchange diplomatically: Clarke explained his reasons and there were no sour notes. ‘I was gutted,’ he says. ‘I felt like I had something to add to the Scotland team. The pinnacle of football to me is representing your country and representing your country at a World Cup is as good as it gets. So, yeah, completely gutted.’
At club level, McBurnie’s case has been strong. Last season with Hull City he scored 19 goals, the pick being a 95th-minute play-off winner against Middlesbrough that took Hull to the Premier League. He has not scored this season, but Hull are going well and his performances have been strong. That form has been rewarded by Pocognoli, in contrast to the Clarke era.
There is also a perception battle. McBurnie has been depicted as a negative force in the Scotland squad, a claim that has never been substantiated by anyone in the know. Those inside the camp describe a livewire with a big personality, a good lad. McBurnie says the problem comes from outside. ‘It was people on the outside putting two and two together without any substance,’ he says. ‘If you ask anyone I’ve ever worked with in the national set-up or at club level, I’d like to think that they’d tell you that the one thing I try and be is a very good team-mate whether I’m playing or not playing.’
Part of that perception stems from a 2019 video. While a Sheffield United player, McBurnie was caught on camera talking to fellow Scot John Fleck and said he hoped he would not get called up by Scotland because things were not good. He has since explained the context. ‘The video was from a behind-the-scenes thing,’ he says. ‘Me being the person I am, I like to say a lot of things for reactions, stuff that you don’t mean, funny things. I say things almost to protect myself from insecurities.’ He adds that he should not have said it and did not expect it to go public. He rang Clarke straight away to apologise. Clarke told him he understood but that he would have to apologise to all the lads. McBurnie says that was done and dusted, and he went on to play games for Clarke, but the clip still gets brought up.
McBurnie says he has changed since then. He was maybe 23 and an insecure kid. Now he is more confident and content. Since his last cap he has had two children, has a fiancee, and lived in Spain for a year while at Las Palmas. ‘I’m a different person, 100%,’ he says. ‘I still have the edge but the most common phrase I get told when meeting fans on the street is that I’m actually all right and they thought I was a so-and-so.’ He does not mind opposition fans disliking him. ‘I don’t necessarily want you to like me when I’m playing, especially if you’re an opposition fan. I want you to dislike me. It means I’ve been a nuisance in the game.’ His priorities have shifted. Every decision now has his children and fiancee at the forefront, he says, and he is happier and playing better football.
The one thing missing is a Scotland goal. McBurnie has waited a long time, and the drought has weighed on him. ‘It’s got to me at times,’ he says. ‘It’s been hard to deal with. My job is to score goals and it didn’t happen so a one-yard tap-in or one that goes in off my backside – anything to get me off the mark with my country would be incredible.’ He also recalls scoring the winner at Wembley as one of the greatest moments of his life, like something out of a movie. Breaking his Scotland duck would be a massive moment. Pocognoli has given him the chance he has craved. The rest, as McBurnie knows, is up to him.