Snubbing the chance to play in a World Cup might come easy to someone who could boast three consecutive trips to football’s greatest show on earth by the time he was 33.
But Craig Gordon has waited a lifetime for an opportunity to take part just once.
And a few months short of his 40th birthday there’s no way the goalkeeper is going to pay any attention to Graeme Souness.
Not when the former Scotland captain - a veteran of Argentina 78, Spain 82 and Mexico 86 - says backing Ukraine to beat Scotland tonight and go on to reach the World Cup is the right thing to do.
Souness reckons a win for Oleksandr Petrakov’s side at Hampden would send a message of defiance to the war-torn nation’s aggressors in Russia.
The 54-times capped heart-on-sleeve skipper, turned coat this week and admitted he doesn’t know where his emotions would be if he was on the park at Hampden this evening.
But Gordon, who will win his 67th cap, has no such problem.
Not that he doesn’t have the greatest sympathy for the horrendous plight of tonight’s opponents. That goes without saying.
But in footballing terms there’s a job to be done.
Responding to Souness’ remarks, Gordon said: “It doesn’t really matter, he’s entitled to his opinion.
“I know the guys that go out on the pitch, the squad here, would desperately love to get to a World Cup.
“It’s maybe a bit different - he’s not playing now.
“For us players, these opportunities don’t come around very often.
"We desperately want to make this our time. We have a very difficult match to win just to get through to the next stage.
“So that’s all we are concentrating on. We want to go and try to win that and whoever anybody wants to support, that’s entirely up to them.
“At 39, you don’t know if there will be another one. It’s a huge opportunity but it’s still a very difficult game.
“We have a very motivated Ukraine team to try and beat and if we manage to do that we have still got to go to Wales and win.
“You just have to concentrate on the football, that’s what we’re trained to do. We can’t even imagine what’s going on. We have no clue really.
“We can’t understand exactly what all these players are going through, what each individual’s circumstances are. What we have to do is concentrate on football, be ready and make sure we are as prepared as we can be to try to win the match.
"Whatever is going on outside, whatever anyone thinks, it doesn’t filter through to the players."
Gordon is the sole survivor from the starting XI who last faced Ukraine in a 3-1 European Championship qualifying win at Hampden back in 2007.
Alex McLeish’s side won plaudits for a qualifying campaign that saw France beaten home and away and only end with a last gasp defeat to Italy in the final group game.
That was a side full of grit, midfield craft, and the magic of James McFadden.
But veteran keeper Gordon reckons the current crop of Scots is the best he’s had the privilege of playing behind.
He said: “Yeah, I think we’re pretty good.
“It’s hard to judge between different eras, football has developed as well. But certainly at the moment, I do feel as if we have the players that are capable of scoring goals, of hurting teams.
“We’re fully confident that if we get everything right and we play to the best of our abilities, that we can win.
“These opportunities don’t come along too often. I was lucky enough to be involved in the squad that got to the Euros and this is the next one.
“There’s not been too many of these types of games with Scotland in my time, and that’s been long! We have to be ready to take advantage.”
Clarke’s squad are eight games unbeaten going into tonight’s must-win semi-final with Wales lying in wait for the winner in Sunday’s final.
Six straight qualifying victories cemented second place behind Denmark and culminated in a thrilling 2-0 victory over the Danes at Hampden back in November.
Gordon reckons that performance proved this side is capable of producing levels that belong on the biggest stage.
He said: “That’s what we’ve been working towards. We want to do that more often.
“It’s not always easy at international level to be able to play in that way, but that’s what we have been trying to do.
“We do have technical players that are capable of handling the ball, and if we can get them in space and on the ball then the chances are they can hurt teams.
“That was a good performance that night. Hopefully if we can recreate that, and that intensity, then we’ll give ourselves a good chance.”
Fired-up by an electric Hampden crowd, where hopefully anyone who shares Souness’ views are sat among the travelling support, Clarke’s side have every chance.
Gordon said: “The atmospheres in the last few games at Hampden have been excellent, some of the best I can remember.
“If we can recreate that then we’ll definitely give us an even better chance.”
