Lewis Ferguson gives daughter unique birthday gift as Scotland reach World Cup

A proud Lewis Ferguson delivered a unique present to his daughter in the form of a Scotland World Cup celebration after missing her third birthday party.

The Bologna midfielder was joined by daughter Lake on the Hampden pitch after helping Scotland to a 4-2 win over Denmark, which ended a 28-year absence from the World Cup.

The 26-year-old missed spending the day with his girl as he prepared for the game but was able to give her an experience that few children will ever encounter.

“It was her third birthday,” Ferguson said. “I was a wee bit gutted that I never got to spend it with her, but it was all worth it in the end to be there to see her at the end and spend a wee bit of time with her. I was just so happy and so proud.

“That birthday will probably be remembered for the rest of her life now, just such a special occasion. It was probably just meant to be.

“Obviously we were travelling as well the last few days and it was her birthday party and I never got to make it. It was all worth it in the end for that.

“Family is such a massive part of it and you want to make your family proud and they’re with you through thick and thin, no matter what.

“I was just so happy to see their faces as well at the end and I’m sure they’ll enjoy the trip next year.”

The former Hamilton and Aberdeen man is well placed to understand how significant an achievement qualification is.

His father, Derek, won two Scotland caps in 1988 but fell out of the international reckoning before the 1990 World Cup.

His uncle, Barry, followed his older brother in breaking into the Rangers midfield and made his Scotland debut in September 1998, a little over two months after Scotland last featured in the World Cup, and went on to win 43 caps and captain his country.

The Scotland midfielder said: “My generation’s never seen Scotland in a major tournament until the last few years, never seen them in the World Cup.

“We’ve always watched World Cups and seen other teams going and taking part. I’m just so proud and happy to be part of the team that’s done it after 27 years. It’s such a long time.

“A country’s dream was on our shoulders and we turned up, we performed, everyone to a man, and I’m just so proud of them.

“So many good players over the past 27 years that haven’t been able to do it and haven’t had that chance to go and perform at a World Cup. It just shows you how good this team is as well.

“A lot was said about this campaign and there was a lot of negativity as well throughout performances, some of that justified, of course. But we were drawn as a pot three team and we’ve topped the group. We deserve massive, massive credit for that.”