Kenny Dalglish on Scotland heroics against Spain as history maker offers major caveat to Steve Clarke repeat

It is one of the most famous Scotland goals of all time. And it’s also at the top of the pile for Sir Kenny Dalglish.

The Tartan Army legend’s sensational strike against Spain in 1984 has gone down in history along with the likes of Archie Gemmill’s mazy against the Dutch and David Narey’s Brazil toe poke. King Kenny against the Spanish. The throw in from the right. The little lay off from Davie Cooper. The dash inside and the left foot curler into the top corner.

It’s one of those goals Scotland fans watch over and over again. Dalglish described it in his autobiography as his best ever – but not because it was a wonder strike. King Kenny admitted it was a magical moment for so many reasons – and none of them because of the quality of the strike. The wonder goal was crucial in firing Scotland to a 3-1 win over Spain to set us on the way to Mexico '86. It also blasted Dalglish level with Denis Law as the nation’s all time leading goalscorer.

But – more importantly – the sublime effort was right in front of sir Kenny’s dad Bill, who was celebrating with the Tartan Army. The memory has been stirred up again ahead of Scotland’s clash with Spain on Tuesday and the goal has gone down as one of the best ever.

But Sir Kenny said: “I remember it for another reason. My old man was in the front row of the stand. How he got there I do not know. But he was there. I only saw him when I turned to go back after scoring.

"The look on his face was the same as mine, overjoyed. So that makes it a wee bit special. And as a parent it makes you understand how your dad must have felt, because my son Paul did it for the Under 21s at Airdrie.

“So that for me was more important. And second on the list of importance, it meant we won the game