Oli McBurnie returns to Scotland squad amid scoring drought
The Guardian Sport • 1 min read • Latest: Oct 7, 2026, 7:00 AM
Last updated Oct 7, 2026

Oli McBurnie has been called up to the Scotland squad following his recent lack of goals. He has made 20 appearances for the national team without scoring, mentioning in an interview that he would welcome a fortunate goal, whether it’s a tap-in or one that deflects off him. The discussion around players ending goal droughts often evokes anecdotes of goals scored in unconventional ways. However, no specific instances of such occurrences have been documented.
- •Oli McBurnie is back in the Scotland squad.
- •He has 20 appearances and zero goals for Scotland.
- •Discussions include the charm of goals scored off players' backsides.
- •No recorded examples of ending a drought via such a goal.
- 7:00 AMThe Guardian Sport — Which footballers have ended scoring droughts with a goal off their backside? | The Knowledge
"Plus: two political leaders at the same club game, a very long-term suspension and extremely quick equalisers Mail us with all of your questions and answers “Oli McBurnie is back in the Scotland squad,” noted John Cant last week. “With his record of 16 appearances [now 20] and zero goals, he said in a recent interview, ‘a tap-in on Saturday or one that goes in off my backside would be lovely’. The backside comes up often when players talk of breaking a goal drought – but has it ever actually happened?” We dreamed of a perfect answer to this question: a usually prolific striker enduring a barren run that ends when an errant clearance ricochets off their derriere and dribbles over the line at 0.00001mph. Alas, no such examples were forthcoming – but all backside goals have a certain earthy charm, so let’s get stuck in. Continue reading...
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