As much as he’d rather expunge it from his memory, Lewis Ferguson recalls every detail of the fateful moments which cost him a place at the last European Championships.
The date was April 13, 2024. Monza were the visitors to Bologna’s Renato Dall’Ara Stadium.
A nondescript Serie A match was heading for a stalemate as the hour mark approached. In the middle of the pitch, the Scot took an awkward touch to invite a tackle from an opponent.
With his right leg bearing his full weight, he felt an impact but not one he hadn’t felt before. He played on for a few moments, spraying passes and making runs, oblivious to the damage his limb had sustained.
Belatedly taken off, he hobbled up the tunnel towards the medical room still not overly concerned. It was to be the sound of silence which made his heart sink.
‘It wasn’t a bad tackle,’ the 26-year-old recalled. ‘It happened so quickly. That’s why I thought it was nothing seriously wrong.
Lewis Ferguson celebrates scoring his first Scotland goal against Greece at Hampden last year
‘But when I went inside and they did the tests, I could see the look on the faces of the physios and the doctor.
‘That told me it was serious even before having the scan the next day.
‘I still tried to be positive and hope it wasn’t going to be as serious as they thought.’
They knew, though. And deep down, he did, too.
When confirmation of the extent of the damage to his cruciate ligament was duly confirmed, the physical pain the midfielder felt was nothing compared with the mental anguish.
‘The first thing I asked was: “Does this mean I’m missing the Euros?” and they said yes,’ he recalled.
‘That was a difficult moment. I can remember leaving the training ground with my girlfriend. She drove us home and when she went inside the house I just sat in the car myself in silence.
‘I never do that. I’m not an emotional guy, but I just sat there thinking that was my chance to play in a major tournament and it was gone. It had been something I’d always dreamt about, so it was difficult.’
The Bologna midfielder was disconsolate after injury denied him the chance to play at Euro 24
At a push, he could still have gone to the camp in a supporting role, as Lyndon Dykes did, but he thought better of painting on a smile.
‘The manager actually phoned me right after I got injured and then after I had my surgery,’ Ferguson said.
‘He said that if I wanted to go and watch any of the games there were tickets there for me.
‘He said I could go into the camp too, but I didn’t feel up to it. I didn’t want to go because I was in a moment where I felt quite down and didn’t want to take that into the squad.
‘I preferred to stay in Italy doing my rehab. That was my way of getting through it.’
After a gruelling summer, it took nearly seven months for him to come out the other side when he was afforded the final eight minutes of a league match against Lecce.
If there was a slither of comfort to be taken from what happened, it was the knowledge that nothing that the game could now throw at him could possibly be as challenging.
‘I’ve had that moment in my career and I’ve taken it on,’ he reflected.
‘It was just a case of going in every day and working to get back.
‘You then come out the other side and get back out on the pitch and you feel mentally stronger.
‘It takes time to feel physically strong again. But you get there.
Ferguson has come back better than ever and continues to skipper Serie A outfit Bologna
‘The most important thing about it, though, is that you know you can deal with major set-backs. You come out the other side a lot, lot stronger.’
Given he hadn’t been born when Scotland last played in a World Cup, Ferguson had good reason to fear that the ship for major international tournaments had sailed.
With the experience of back-to-back Euros behind them, though, Steve Clarke’s squad attacked the qualifiers at the back end of last year like a bull going after a red rag.
Ferguson played in five of those six defining matches which culminated in such wondrous scenes of celebration.
If it’s possible to have a heightened sense of anticipation about what lies in wait this summer, then the cruel hand he was dealt two years back has given him it.
‘I know the Euros is a massive tournament, but we’re talking about the World Cup. It’s something special,’ he smiled.
‘I grew up watching it but have never seen Scotland there. It’s such a proud thing to be able to say that I’m potentially going to be playing in one.’
There’s enough stardust sprinkled throughout the squad to suggest that, this time around, Clarke’s men might be more competitors than merely participants.
‘The quality we’ve got in the team, and the level of player we have, is really high,’ Ferguson said.
‘We have players playing in the English Premier League with (John) McGinn and (Andy) Robertson.
Ferguson rejected the chance to be part of the wider squad for the tournament in Germany
‘Scotty (McTominay) out in Italy has been absolutely fantastic, the best player in the league last season and he’s continued that form.
‘But the most important thing, and the thing that pleases me most about the Scotland squad, is the type of guys they all are.
‘Everyone looks forward to meeting up. We have such a good time together.
‘We work hard, but the feeling within the group is so positive and so good.
‘When we played Napoli in December, I saw Scotty before the game and the first thing he said to me was that he couldn’t wait to meet up in March and that was three months away.
‘So, that shows you the feeling there. It ultimately comes down to the culture the manager has created.
‘You’d need to ask him how he’s done that, he’s got all the secrets.
‘The Denmark game pretty much summed that up in terms of fighting for each other with that will and desire to win. It’s just a special squad to be part of. The squad is just littered with good people.’
Present for every minute of that never-to-be-forgotten night back in November, Ferguson’s rehabilitation — in every sense — was complete.
From being on the outside looking in when Germany came around, he should be one of the first names in Clarke’s 26-man squad for the USA.
Irrespective of how it all unfolds, a group which has gone where none in dark blue has managed for 28 years should serve as an inspiration to those who will look to walk in their footsteps one day.
Ferguson led Bologna to the Coppa Italia last season and now the Europa League quarter-finals
‘You do feel it,’ added Ferguson. ‘It’s real pride you feel when you’re that guy that someone young looks up to.
‘I often get requests for videos to send out to young kids and I always try and do them.
‘It’s an easy thing to do but it can be so important to someone, just to give them little bit of advice or words of wisdom to the younger generation.
‘Because ultimately when this Scotland squad comes to an end, with people getting older, the next group will come through.
‘And there will be thousands of kids throughout Scotland with the talent and ability to go and make it as a professional footballer and then do something special.
‘So, being part of the squad now that these young kids look up to is special.’
