As the Scotland international side declines it’s incredible to think that not so long ago World Cup Final appearances were taken for granted.
Every four years a player could look towards starring on what was the biggest stage of all until the Champions League changed the ground rules.
In 1973 there was genuine euphoria across the Scottish game when Willie Ormond’s side beat Czechoslovakia to reach the finals for the first time in 16 years. With Celtic on their way to 9-in-a-row the club was well represented in Ormand’s team.
For Kenny Dalglish it was to be the first of three appearances in the finals with only a fall-out with Alex Ferguson preventing him from a fourth appearance in Mexico 1986.
Through the eighties and into the nineties World Cup qualification was almost assumed, nothing much was ever achieved at the finals but at least the Tartan Army had something major to plan rather than friendly invasions of the outposts.
Unless there is a minor miracle at Wembley and over the next 18 months another batch of Celts will be watching the action in Russia from afar.
Here Video Celts takes a look at the Celtic players that reached the finals of the World Cup between 1974 and 1998- when will we see the likes again?
CLICK HERE to reveal the Celtic/Scotland XI gallery