Billy Gilmour Is Growing Into Scotland’s Next Leader, and the Betting Markets Should Take Notice

Billy Gilmour missed the World Cup. He got on a plane anyway, watched the games with his family, and somehow turned a nightmare into perspective. That tells you everything you need to know about where his head is at right now.

The 25-year-old Napoli midfielder is quietly becoming one of the most important players in the Scotland Men setup, and if you're looking at Scotland in any futures or tournament markets, Gilmour's evolution deserves serious attention.

The World Cup Miss That Didn't Break Him

Missing your country's first World Cup in a generation would finish some players mentally. Gilmour felt the hit, took a few days away, and then flew out to watch it unfold with his family in Miami and Boston. He was even invited onto the baseball field at the Miami Marlins to throw the ceremonial first pitch.

He jokes about being nervous it would bounce. That lightness matters. Players who carry bitterness into their next chapter tend to plateau. Gilmour didn't carry anything except the experience.

For Scotland Men backers, this is relevant. Form often follows mentality, and Gilmour's mentality is clearly in a strong place heading into the new era under Sebastien Pocognoli.

The Pocognoli Era Opens a New Role for Him

Under Steve Clarke, Gilmour was typically used as a deep-lying midfielder, disciplined and positionally tight. In the 0-0 draw in Slovenia, without Scott McTominay in the side, Gilmour pushed higher and looked more like his younger self, driving into spaces and getting involved in the attacking phase.

He admitted as much himself, saying he grew up preferring to play higher up the pitch, closer to the action. The absence of McTominay, who is recovering from a heart procedure, forced the issue and the result was one of the more encouraging individual performances Scotland have produced in recent memory.

If Pocognoli decides to build his system around a more press-heavy, dynamic midfield, Gilmour could be the engine of it. That makes Scotland Men a more interesting betting proposition in Nations League and qualifying markets than the odds might currently reflect.

A Senior Figure Before He Realised It

Gilmour turns 26 this year. Scotland's squad has genuine youth in it now, and without fully announcing it, Gilmour has slid into a senior role within that group. He's a Champions League-level club player, an experienced international, and someone who has come through genuine adversity without letting it define him.

He's been careful not to talk himself up as Robertson's successor with the armband, which is the right call. Robertson is still captain, still close to breaking Kenny Dalglish's caps record, and still one of the best left-backs Scotland has ever produced. Gilmour respects that, and he's smart enough not to push.

But when Robertson does eventually step back, and that moment will come, Gilmour is the obvious next name on the list. A Scotland captain at club or country is, by his own words, a dream he holds. We think he'll get there.

Our Read on Scotland's Betting Value

Scotland Men don't always get the respect they deserve in the markets, which is partly fair given their inconsistency, but also means value opportunities appear regularly. A fit Gilmour playing with creative freedom in midfield, combined with a fresh setup under Pocognoli, is worth monitoring.

The match against Switzerland at Hampden on Tuesday is a good early indicator of where this Scotland team is heading. Gilmour is expected to feature, and watching how Pocognoli deploys him will tell us plenty about the tactical direction Scotland are going in.

We're not saying go all in on Scotland to suddenly become a European force. What we are saying is that a settled, confident Gilmour anchoring or driving this midfield makes Scotland a harder team to predict and a more dangerous one to face. That's exactly the kind of angle the markets tend to undervalue.

Watch the Switzerland game closely. Gilmour might just be the player who makes Scotland worth a second look.