Caldwell keen to add glory to honour

Graeme Macpherson
Football Writer

Gary Caldwell has little difficulty naming the highlight of his international career so far.

After all, there aren't many Scots who can claim to have scored a winning goal against France. On what constitutes the low point he is rather more coy. "Well, there have been a few," he smiles, declining to go into further detail.

His first appearance, however, would surely rank among them. Caldwell will earn his 50th cap at Hampden this afternoon – captaining his country against Serbia at the start of the World Cup qualifying campaign – but readily admits he was left wondering if his tally would ever reach two.

His debut was a fairly gruesome experience. Just 19 and in the second month of a loan spell at Hibernian from Newcastle United, Caldwell was thrust into the fray by Berti Vogts in the German's first game in charge and asked to try to nullify the threat of France on their own patch.

Reigning world and European champions at the time, they were at full strength and, against the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet, Scotland never stood a chance. It was 4-0 after 42 minutes, the only relief being that France eased off after the break, scoring just once more.

It was the kind of experience that could put a young player off international football for good but Caldwell's self-confidence never wavered. "I think in football if you doubt yourself, you're going to have plenty of other people doubting you," he said. "You have to be strong and believe in what you do, or it's going to be very difficult."

Now, as he stands on the brink of joining the pantheon of players to have made a half-century of Scotland appearances, the Wigan Athletic captain can joke about thinking at the time that his first appearance for his country might also be his last.

"Could I have envisaged winning 50 caps when I was in Paris that night? I couldn't envisage two caps. It was a big eye-opener for me. We played the best team in the world, one of the best teams that has probably ever been."

Vogts, though, stuck by his defender. A second cap came just a few weeks later against Nigeria, and a third and fourth followed against South Korea and South Africa a month after that.

Caldwell's reputation as a reliable figure has seen his club career follow an upward trajectory to the point that he is now an established figure in a league many consider to be the best in the world, and he has been similarly consistent for his country in the decade since that first tangle in Paris. He is 30 now and the caps continue to accrue at a steady rate.

His goal against France at Hampden in 2006 aside, Caldwell has never been a player for attracting headlines but one manager after another has appreciated his dedication and graft.

He will likely earn his 50th cap playing in a defensive midfield role that isn't his favoured position, but again there is a willingness to put the needs of the team ahead of his own. "I am a centre-half, that's my best position," Caldwell said. "But if the manager feels he needs to play me in midfield then I'll do whatever I can to help the team. I'll give it my all."

Caldwell is by nature a pragmatist, but can allow himself to dream, too. Optimism is always rife in the week leading up to a new qualifying campaign – everything is possible before the first ball is kicked – and the possibility of featuring in the World Cup finals in Brazil in two years' time is unsurprisingly appealing. "Getting to the hall of fame [for winning 50 caps] is an important thing but getting there and having played in a major finals would really mean something to me. That's the challenge to myself and everyone else in the squad.

"Brazil would be special. They are the one team in world football who have that aura about them. I remember watching the first game of France '98 against Brazil and that had such a big feel to it. A first game of a World Cup was a special thing for Scotland. To play in a finals in Brazil would be extra- special." Of course, there is only the small matter of navigating a passage through a group containing Belgium, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Wales to deal with before the Tartan Army can start thinking about digging out their Speedos and preparing to take over Copacabana beach. It seems a challenge to say the least, but Caldwell is confident Scotland can pose a threat as long as they make a strong start.

"Of all the campaigns I've been involved in the one that sticks out is the one that almost took us to Euro 2008," he said. "We got off to a terrific start, winning our first three games including that one against France. The momentum was incredible and you could feel the country get behind us.

"We seemed to ride along a wave and we kept getting result after result. We were very unfortunate not to qualify from the toughest group I've been involved in. We must get off to a winning start again and get that same belief behind us. I think the group is wide open, with no runaway winner. Every game is going to be important and we believe we can be the ones at the top at the end."

Taken from the Herald