Sullivan’s route into the squad still feels wonderfully old-school. Then a Wimbledon goalkeeper, he recalled a promotional event where a chat with a reporter drifted onto family roots. That detail travelled, Brown got wind of it, and the Scotland manager acted.
It was an unusual beginning, but not an undeserved one. Sullivan was a reliable Premier League goalkeeper at a time when Scotland still had real depth between the posts, and his calmness clearly made an impression.
For many Scotland players, 1998 still carries a special charge. Sullivan called it a “brilliant summer”, and that rings true even now. Scotland’s opening game against Brazil gave the squad a stage unlike any other, even if Sullivan began the tournament as third-choice behind Jim Leighton and Andy Gorham.
He remembered the mood before the opener as “pure excitement”, a simple phrase that captures what World Cup football does to players from nations that do not treat qualification as routine. Sullivan did not dominate that tournament, but he said being there let him “soak up the atmosphere” - and that, in itself, became part of his international identity.
What followed mattered too. Sullivan later became a regular through the Euro 2000 and 2002 World Cup qualifying campaigns, proving his Scotland story was far more than a quirky anecdote.
These memories land at a time when Scotland are starting a new chapter again, with other reports suggesting Sebastien Pocognoli has taken charge after Steve Clarke’s departure. That makes Sullivan’s recollections feel timely: every era needs its own belief, and Scotland’s next squad will hope to create a summer worth remembering.