Steve Clarke urges Ronaldo and co to stay on for Scotland swansong as boss roars 'I want them all'

Steve Clarke watched Scotland thrown in with Europe’s A listers here in Paris - then urged Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Robert Lewandowski not to duck out of a Hampden swan song.

Clarke’s side came out of the top pot in the Nations League in Group 1 and will now face six games in three months against Portugal, Croatia and Poland - on the back of spending the summer at Euro 2024. But he’s hoping old timers Ronaldo, Modric and Lewandowski don’t opt to hang up their boots after the finals in Germany.

He said: “I want them all, I want them all. I say that because you only have a short career and as a player myself I wanted to play against the best players. You want to be competitive against the top guys and test yourself against the best teams and the best players. So hopefully Lewandowski, Modric and Ronaldo hang on a little bit longer and decide to play in the Nations League.

“That would be great for everybody. I also think for the supporters going to Hampden they want to see those players. They want to watch them play.

“Croatia beat us in the last Euros and that was a disappointing night for everyone. But when you stand back, and watch the game again, you see the performance of Luka Modric and it was just outstanding. To see those players playing at their best is something people would treasure.”

Clarke admits that the draw could have been even more demanding for his players. But he dismissed any notion that Croatia, Portugal and Poland may now be entering a period of decline with the best years of their major stars now behind them.

He said: “It’s too simplistic to say they’re ageing teams. They all have fantastic talent coming through as these countries always do.”

Portugal boss Roberto Martinez then admitted he