Former Rangers star Billy Gilmour has broken his silence after being ruled out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup due to an injury.
Scotland beat Curacao 4-1 in their final warm-up game on Saturday before boarding the flight to the United States last weekend.
Gilmour, who was supposed to be on the flight, started that game, but was forced off the pitch towards the end of the first half after a tussle with former Rangers midfielder Juninho Bacuna.
The Napoli midfielder was thus ruled out of the World Cup, forcing Scotland to leave him at home, as the rest of the squad boarded the flight on Sunday.
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Nicolas Raskin reacts as Gilmour breaks silence on 2026 FIFA World Cup heartbreak
It has been over 48 hours since the devastating news, and Gilmour has now broken his silence on the situation.
Taking to Instagram, the former Ibrox starlet admitted that he has been struggling to accept that he will not be participating in the World Cup.
Gilmour extended his gratitude towards his fans for their support as he begins work to recover and regain full fitness, while also wishing his Scotland teammates the best.
He wrote: “I haven’t got the words to describe how I’m feeling right now. Being so close to a childhood dream of mine, to play in a World Cup, and now it has been taken away from me with an injury.
“It’s been a tough one to get my head around.
“Your support and kind messages over the last few days mean the world to me and haven’t gone unnoticed, so thank you so much.
“I’ll see you all back doing what I love again soon, but until then, let’s get behind the team and cheer them on. Come on, Scotland!”
With tributes quickly pouring in, Nicolas Raskin was among those who reacted to Gilmour’s message, posting a praying emoji alongside a teary-eyed emoji and a heart.
New Rangers signing Lawrence Shankland also extended his support towards the midfielder, sharing a blue heart emoji.
Ally McCoist wrote: “Top man, while Mason Mount had more words of encouragement to share.
The Manchester United star commented: “Keep your head up, mate, more to come!”
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Six Rangers players at the World Cup
It is worth noting that Gilmour’s injury briefly opened the door for Connor Barron to earn an unexpected last-minute call-up to the Scotland squad, but that was not to be, as Steve Clarke chose Tyler Fletcher instead.
Nevertheless, Rangers are set to have six players at this year’s World Cup, with four of them representing Scotland.
Apart from Shankland, Gers players John Souttar, Findlay Curtis, and Liam Kelly are also in Clarke’s squad.
Raskin has been named in Rudi Garcia’s Belgium squad, while Thelo Aasgard will represent Norway.
