‘I Learned How Strong I Was’: Scotland’s Billy Gilmour on Managing Setbacks and Backing Yourself

Even the most patriotic of England fans can acknowledge a very special performance in one of the greatest 0-0 victories that a Scottish team have ever enjoyed at Wembley.

Billy Gilmour, just 20 years old and on his first Scotland start, delivered a midfield masterclass against the Auld Enemy, orchestrating his teammates like a 100-cap veteran. That night, he also claimed the scalp of an opponent with a glittering future who plied his trade for a club on the other side of London.

Two years later, in a friendly fixture, Declan Rice and his England colleagues exacted revenge on Billy and his teammates on Scottish soil with a thumping 3-1 victory at Hampden Park. The Three Lions had 60% possession, thanks to a commanding performance from Billy’s nemesis from The Big Smoke. Bragging rights were back ‘in the pipe’ as Declan put it in his Men’s Health interview. ‘He’s a good guy, Deccers,’ Billy admits with a twinkle in his eye. ‘Every time we’ve played against each other we’ve been in each other’s ears, but it’s out of respect. He’s some player.’

(Declan, for the record, repaid the compliment. ‘He’s one of my good mates, Bill. I get on really well with him. He’s a top player. He’s like [former Spanish midfielder] Iniesta – he moves the ball so well and has vision.’)

While the pair are always rivals on the pitch, it’s fair to say their careers have diverged. Declan is England’s equal most expensive footballer, thanks to his eye-watering transfer fee and reported £250k per week wage. Billy’s exponential rise, meanwhile, has been less straightforward.

Since his Wembley showing, he’s found himself out on loan at Norwich in a struggling team before returning to a Chelsea in turmoil. He secured a move to Brighton & Hove Albion with an exciting young manager, Graham Potter, who departed suddenly to take over at Chelsea, where Billy had just cleared his locker. It was unsettling, to say the least.

This season, he’s been a regular starter under the highly respected Roberto De Zerbi, a manager tipped for the top. A great run of form, including European football, has been the perfect platform for Billy – still only 22 – to tee up a career-defining experience in Germany this summer.

‘I learned how strong I was. I put a smile on my face, even though I was hurting’

The team’s legion of fans – aka the Tartan Army – are desperate for manager, and former Chelsea player, Steve Clarke to hand the young man a starting place in the competition’s curtain-raiser at Munich’s Allianz Arena on 14 June. Whether that happens or not, Wembley during that summer of 2021 will always remain a massive moment.

That summer, he says, was a dream come true. ‘Wembley vs England in a Euros! All of my friends and family managed to be there, despite the restrictions, and it was the top of the top for me.

‘I remember telling myself to keep the ball moving and not to get caught in possession. Do nothing stupid, and I settled in quickly. We had good chances and we proved to them we were a top team and we challenged them that night.’

While that might have been a high point, Billy says he’s learned just as much from the years that followed, too. ‘Things had been going so well and then I went on loan to Norwich, which I thought would be good for me,’ he says. ‘It turned out to be a fight, a battle. I learned a lot. At the time, I didn’t enjoy it on the pitch. It didn’t look like I was going back to play at Chelsea – when I was getting picked for Scotland, I wasn’t playing either – so I was just a young kid and it was a low time for me. I had great people around me like Kenny McLean and Grant Hanley who really helped me through.

‘I learned how strong I was. I put a smile on my face, even though I was hurting, especially when I was living on my own in Norwich. Some nights I’d be sitting there thinking “this is crap”, but that’s where my family helped me. You can only learn from that.’

His career is back on track with an outstanding season at Brighton & Hove Albion – with strong performances in Europe, earning plenty of individual praise for his efforts.

‘I’m a kid at heart and I still properly buzz off football,’ he says. ‘It doesn’t matter if it’s Premier League, Champions League, Championship, League One, Scotland – I’ll watch anything.’

Model Behaviour

There’s a huge affection for Billy wherever he goes. His family have done a great job bringing him up as a humble and hard-working young man. On the shoot, Billy befriends the editor-in-chief ’s 12-year-old son, football fanatic Zak. The two of them kick a ball about and Billy even asks the lad about his own team, the Winchester City Reds, who won their Sunday league the day before.

In the venue’s beer garden, he impresses onlookers with his mastery of the football – even when dressed for the Paris catwalk. Phones are whipped out to film him as soon as the punters realise who he is. And he doesn’t mind at all.

The manager at Broadwater Working Men’s Club is a lifelong Brighton & Hove season ticket holder. Billy answers all his questions about the squad and manager before posing for pics with the bar staff and signing shirts. He’s a model professional, staying long past the agreed time.

Every football fan in Scotland heard his name when he was coming through the ranks. I’ll never forget getting a call from my friend Atif Sharif, who was a VIP fixer for Burberry. He rang and asked if I was aware of this wonderkid, a young footballer at Chelsea, ‘Billy something?’ Apparently, Christopher Bailey, the chief creative officer at the time, was a fan and wanted to cast the teenage Billy as one of the faces in a global advertising campaign. So I put them in touch with Billy’s agent and the rest is history. And no, I never even got a scarf as thanks.

And Billy loves it, clearly enjoying his Men’s Health shoot, as stylists present him with outfit options. ‘Some of the clothes that were selected for modelling, I’ll take a deep breath and go “woah”. But they are the stylists and they know what they’re doing. It’s different – you might not see me wearing it in Brighton, but I really enjoy it.

‘I remember getting the phone call about Burberry and immediately thinking it was a wind-up. It was something I really liked – top people in fashion styling you, getting make-up done. I’m from the west coast of Scotland – it wasn’t what I was used to.

‘It took my mind off football and, weirdly, I found it relaxing – like doing this for Men’s Health. It’s something completely different.’

The trappings of Premier League football are well documented, but Billy’s got his feet on the ground. His best pal, he tells me, is Buddy, his blue staffy, ‘named after Buddy The Elf’. He may own a classic Mercedes-Benz G-Class, but few would begrudge him the luxury he has earned with honest, hard work.

‘Back in the day, when I got my first pay packet at Chelsea, it was great getting into town, going to Selfridges and buying a hoodie. But my mum and dad always say I have too many clothes, so my brother Harvey comes to see me with an empty suitcase and leaves with a full one.’

‘I might be small, but I’ve learned how to look after myself. You need to be smart’

Harvey plays for Scottish Junior (semi-pro) side Glenafton. It’s a far cry from the riches of Billy’s opponents, but somewhere he feels at home having grown up in those dressing rooms, hearing the industrial language from his ferocious father and teammates.

‘My dad played Junior football in Scotland and I used to love being around the dressing room. They would be swearing at each other, it was some environment – to be around men’s football and see what it was really like,’ he says. ‘I might be small, but watching that, I learned how to look after myself and protect myself. You need to be smart. Because I’m never going to be the biggest or the strongest.’

A lot was made of Billy’s stature (he’s 5ft 7in) when he was coming through, but height has never hindered other footballing greats, such as Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi or Luka Modrić. And Billy’s aware of that.

‘I’m definitely not growing any more,’ he jokes easily. ‘I think I’ve hit my ceiling. I’m the smallest in my family.’

Right now, however, Billy’s feeling strong and confident of his way forwards. ‘I feel really good. I love running. In the off season, I look forward to a 5K or a 10K. I’m a player who needs to do my gym work – I know it’s not my game and I have to keep myself strong because I’m up against strong, powerful players like Deccers, who also happen to be great with the ball.’

The Premier League is a fast game, he says. Putting in extra work – ‘working on passing and shooting, with right and left foot, even just ball control and keepie-ups’ – keeps him one step ahead.

‘For a little guy with little legs, I can run all day,’ he says. ‘My stamina is a big strength. If someone wants to man mark me, I’ll just keep running – you’ll have to catch me. I can run all day.’

One Step Ahead

Hungry boxers always make the best fighters, and I ask Billy if having more money has changed his appetite for the game. ‘It’s funny,’ he says, ‘that wage is different now, but I live alone, so I have to think about all the bills I have to pay – I can’t just spend everything. I’m quite independent – I’ve lived away since I was 16. On my days off, I like going to a restaurant on my own in Brighton and just people-watch.’

Like Declan, Billy will never shake off the joy of some comfort food, which reminds him of home. ‘Whenever my mum and dad or grandad drive down to Brighton, my freezer ends up stocked with slice [a square sausage] and tattie scones. I’ve always got it there if I need to feel close to home.

‘I’ll have the odd Nando’s or Wagamama, but the nutritionists and chefs at Brighton are fantastic. They always give you the best food for your body. I’ve had blood tests to see what works best for me, and I do focus on what I eat because it will just make me feel better,’ he says. ‘Don’t get me wrong, a cheat day is always going to be fine. But nutrition is a massive part of a modern-day professional player and how you perform.’

Looking ahead to Germany, you can sense Billy’s excitement at the prospect of Scotland’s showpiece match opening the competition. ‘Playing in the opening game, a curtain-raiser, is something every player wants to do in a major tournament,’ he says. ‘I’m really, really excited to represent the country – we believe in ourselves and we can go far.

‘When you win, there is no better feeling – celebrating, being happy, it means a lot. I definitely love winning more than I hate losing. Losing is part of life; it just makes the happy moments more special.’

Expectations may be high, but Billy knows how to appreciate the good times while he’s in them. ‘I’m loving my football, and I’m loving my life at the moment.’ And he has every right to be. The future’s looking bright for Billy Gilmour.

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