Sir Bobby's secret Ronaldo plan - reliving Brazil v Scotland 1998

It will not beryllium nan World Cup opener for Scotland connected Friday. It is only a European Championship curtain-raiser.

Brazil, therefore, will not beryllium nan opposition, and Paris is not nan venue. Instead, it is conscionable big federation Germany, successful Munich.

There is nary Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Cafu aliases Roberto Carlos to interest about, only Toni Kroos, Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala and Joshua Kimmich.

All things considered for Steve Clarke's broadside then, possibly Friday's crippled will not rather deed nan aforesaid heights arsenic nan glamour of opening nan 1998 World Cup against nan reigning champions. But, my goodness, it is not acold off.

Twenty-six years connected from their past awesome finals connected overseas soil, nan Scots will person a world assemblage watching them erstwhile again erstwhile they footwear disconnected Euro 2024 pinch Germany astatine Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena.

But what - if thing - tin Clarke's existent harvest study from nan acquisition of Craig Brown's men much than a 4th of a period ago?

Here, we revisit an iconic time successful Scottish shot history, told by nan precocious Brown and members of nan squad he led to France.

All quotes are from erstwhile BBC Scotland interviews and Mr Brown's Boys

Brown, who died successful June past year, guided nan federation to a 2nd consecutive awesome tourney aft Euro 1996, pinch nan Scots drawn successful Group A pinch reigning world champions Brazil, Norway and Morocco.

Any Brazil broadside would airs a formidable trial for immoderate Scotland team, but this squad was other special. Spearheaded by Inter Milan superstar Ronaldo, Brown called 1 of nan striker's erstwhile managers for a spot of advice.

That accusation formulated a Scotland scheme that was predicted pre-match by Brazil icon Pele...

Craig Brown: "I said to Bobby Robson, who had Ronaldo astatine Barcelona. I asked really we extremity him and he said: 'You don't, conscionable don't fto him get nan ball'.

"Most of his passes came from Cafu astatine right-back, truthful I told Christian Dailly: 'If you fto Cafu transverse nan halfway statement and walk to Ronaldo, you'll beryllium sitting beside maine connected nan bench'.

Pele, speaking to BBC Scotland successful 1998: "Brazil, arsenic everybody knows, person nan champion players successful nan world, but we don't person nan squad activity yet. Scotland are a squad who people very well, play defensively and connected nan antagonistic attack.

"Brazil should set successful this game. I deliberation nan shape of nan game, nan schoolhouse of nan Scots game, is much defensive. Brazil are schooled offensively. We will effort to play our shot but beryllium observant astir nan counter."

With nan pre-match tactical activity complete, Scotland headed for Saint-Denis decked retired successful kilts. That's not wherever nan abnormal activity ended.

The opening ceremonial meant Brown’s men warmed up successful a mini room wrong nan stadium, pinch Tom Boyd and Colin Calderwood getting beingness to get hyped up, earlier nan cool and composed Brazilians - looking immaculate and smelling fantastic, according to 1 erstwhile Scotland subordinate - took to nan transportation holding hands arsenic Sean Connery, and 80,000 others, watched on.

Darren Jackson: "There are things that instrumentality retired during nan game, but stepping retired onto nan transportation pre-match was 1 of nan champion reactions I’ve ever known.

"Tom [Boyd] and Colin [Calderwood] utilized to punch themselves to get themselves going, really hitting themselves. It was unthinkable to watch.

"Colin was successful different world. I ever liked being past connected to nan pitch, I don't cognize why, truthful I saw Colin shouting and bawling, but he turned correct alternatively of near to spell retired connected to nan pitch."

Jim Leighton: "We couldn't get retired for immoderate benignant of warm-up. There was a mini room 22 of america had to spell in. I deliberation I conscionable had my pants connected if I retrieve that.

"You don't deliberation astir really galore group are successful nan stadium. You don't deliberation astir really galore group are watching connected TV. You conscionable spell into crippled mode."

John Collins: "You spot nan yellowish strips, nan guys you spot connected nan television; Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Rivaldo. World-famous names. We knew if we switched disconnected they would trim america open."

Paul Lambert: "We were successful nan passageway and you could smell this superb fragrance coming over. They didn't person a hairsbreadth retired of place, looked great, smelled great. And we've sewage large Jim Leighton pinch nae teeth."

Craig Brown: "[Holding hands] was a regular nan Brazilians had developed. That became their trademark. 'They've sewage to clasp hands to play us', I retrieve telling nan players.

"I tried to usage that to relax nan boys a bit, but they scored successful 4 minutes."

After warming up successful underwear and catching their first whiff of nan pristine Brazilians, location was a crippled to play.

The pre-match connection of 'keep it tight, lads' lasted an full 4 minutes, earlier Cesar Sampaio headed successful from a corner.

But nan Scots responded admirably and levelled pinch a John Collins penalty, only to autumn to a gut-wrenching conclusion erstwhile Boyd's comical own-goal resulted successful an all-too-typical hard-luck communicative for Scotland.

Craig Brown: "I was rather worried astir [getting humiliated]. At 1-0 aft 4 minutes I thought: 'We're nether unit here'. I was looking for a spread successful that moving way to jump into because it could person been a spot of a thumping.

"You're playing nan champion squad successful nan world pinch nan champion players successful nan world, and successful peculiar Ronaldo. But nan players did everything we asked of them."

Colin Hendry: "There was nary hiding place. You conscionable had to get retired location and do your stuff. We sewage ourselves backmost into it and we did alright. But we sewage hit by a area footwear and an ain extremity - that was ne'er successful nan script."

Tom Boyd: "I cognize we talk astir it and person a wee spot of a laughter astir my goal, getting nan victor for Brazil, but it was still a awesome time.

"The only redeeming grace was there's not a batch I could person done astir it. Jim [Leighton] came retired for nan transverse for nan first time, I deliberation I was opinionated location successful shock, but it's conscionable nan measurement it bounced disconnected me.

"I was hoping personification had gait that could spell clear it disconnected nan line, but it wasn't to beryllium and sadly we mislaid nan game. We did a emblematic Scotland - doing good against Brazil but unlucky to lose."