Gordon Ramsay says Scotland’s game against Brazil was ‘soul-destroying’

By Lauren Del Fabbro, Press Association Entertainment Reporter

Chef Gordon Ramsay has said Scotland’s performance against Brazil during the World Cup was “soul-destroying”.

The Michelin-starred chef reflected on the team’s final World Cup group game in Miami on Wednesday night, which resulted in a 3-0 defeat.

Speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, he said the game was “heartbreaking”.

He went on to describe the first goal, which was scored by Vinicius Junior within the first seven minutes of the match, as “soul-destroying”.

He added: “And also just that tempo, right? And so early on, when you think going to halftime with a draw, it’s a great boost.”

Despite the team’s performance, the Tartan Army fan base have made a great impression in the US, particularly in Boston, which Ramsay quipped may soon become a “sea of ginger”.

He said: “Absolute sweethearts.

“We had a bad reputation, especially some of the England-Scotland games were awful.

“So to see the way they’re being received over here, I mean, every girl has fallen in love with them in Boston.

“I think every CVS has run out of pregnancy tests over the last 24 hours as well. It’s been a busy two weeks. I’m dying to see that sea of ginger. It’ll be like, make America ginger again!”

Scotland will have to wait until the last group games conclude to see whether they make it to the knockout stage with only the top eight teams who placed third in their group advancing.

The men’s team currently sit at number seven out of 12 on the third-place table and will need to wait a few days to see how other teams fare.

Speaking about what it would mean for Scotland to make it through to the knockout stage, Ramsay said: “We are a population less than five million.

“It would mean lot.”

“I am more concerned about this delay and even more shops running out of alcohol,” he joked.

Asked if he will wear a kilt if Scotland make it through, Ramsay said: “F*** no. You can’t put my legs in a kilt.”

Ramsay was born in Scotland and aspired to be a professional footballer, training for the Glasgow Rangers youth teams until an injury ended his dreams on the pitch.

He went on to study a course in hotel management before becoming one of the world’s most famous chefs.