Hickey Celebrates 24th Birthday at Scotland World Cup Camp


What better way to spend a 24th birthday than being at your country's first World Cup camp in 28 years, even if you don't get to taste the cake. Politely declining a sweet gift from FIFA announcer, Aaron Hickey admitted it was a dream come true to be here. Being part of the Scotland squad is a fantastic achievement for everyone, but perhaps feels even more meaningful for the defender who missed Euro 2024 through injury. He admitted there was a focus on “managing his minutes” at Brentford during an injury-strewn season, with a “bigger picture” in sight. “It definitely makes you stronger, mentally,” Hickey said of his experience with the injury. "Now I'm sitting here, remembering how difficult it was, there were very difficult times, but now I'm just happy to be here, trying not to focus on the past and focus on my football." Hickey has made just eight Premier League appearances in 2025-26, but he is first choice for Scotland boss Steve Clarke. The former Hearts and Bologna man certainly caught the eye in Saturday's warm-up win against Bolivia, collaborating well with Ben Gannon-Doak on the right. "It's exciting for me, playing with Doaky," he explained. "He's a smart young player. We're still getting to know each other, what we do and how we connect. It's good to get to know him better as a person and our connection is good, so we're looking forward to the next games." With the Scottish media keeping an eye on the untouched cake, a smiling Hickey left a message: "I wouldn't eat it, to be honest. Please help yourself, it smells amazing."