STRACHAN’S BEST PLAYER IS... SHORT
GORDON STRACHAN’S votes for FIFA’s No 1 player award made for curious reading considering his recent comments bemoaning the height of the Scotland side. The 60-year-old, who left his role as the national team manager earlier this month after failing to qualify for next summer’s World Cup, selected Luka Modric, N’Golo Kante and Lionel Messi as his three picks. Real Madrid’s Modric, Strachan’s first choice, is the tallest, at 1.74m (5ft 7in). His second pick Kante is 1.68m (5ft 5in) and Messi, in third, is 1.7m (5ft 6in). Earlier this month, after a 2-2 draw in Slovenia ended Scotland’s chances of qualifying for a first major tournament since 1998, Strachan blamed the continued struggles on the lack of height in his team. ‘Genetically we are behind,’ Strachan said at the time. ‘In the last campaign, we were the second smallest, apart from Spain. We had to pick a team to combat the height and strength at set-plays (of Slovenia). ‘We have to work at things, maybe we get big women and men together and see what we can do. ‘But it is a problem for us because we have to fight harder for every ball and jump higher than anyone else. ‘Nobody can tell me their technique, apart from one player, is better than any of ours. ‘But physically we have a problem. We seem to be able to battle it and get through just with determination and skill and work rate. And that takes a lot out of you.’ Cristiano Ronaldo won FIFA’s No 1 player award, beating Messi and Neymar to the gong.