At just eighteen years old, with only 12 games and 332 minutes of senior football under his belt, and no league starts or play since December, Ben Doak has still landed a spot in Scotland's provisional squad for Euro 2024. This inclusion suggests he must be an exceptional talent.
The young player's rise to prominence gained momentum with his 2022 transfer to Liverpool, which led to involvement with the first team under Jurgen Klopp.
However, his ascent seemed to falter when a season-ending injury sidelined the Celtic academy graduate for the last five months of the 2023-2024 season.
Despite this setback, Doak's return to first-team training was sufficient for Steve Clarke to consider him for the 28-man national team, highlighting the Scotland head coach's confidence in the young player.
This article traces the swift ascent of the 18-year-old, who has been likened to the "Scottish Rooney". Doak's exceptional speed is immediately noticeable.
Having transferred to Liverpool for a nominal fee of £600,000, Doak was a standout at Celtic's academy. By age 14, he was playing with the Under-18s, and by 16, he had joined the B team.
An opportunity to train with the first team soon followed, where he earned the nickname 'Wazza', a nod to his resemblance to a young Wayne Rooney.
In a 2022 interview with BBC Scotland, Jackie McNamara, a former Celtic player and Doak's agent, described him as "a Scottish Rooney" and expressed that he had "never seen anything like Ben".
Ange Postecoglou, the manager at the time, was evidently impressed, promptly giving Doak his debut against Dundee United, making him the club's second-youngest player at 16 years and two months.
Recent headlines have highlighted Doak's unique qualities for the Scots, his call-up for the Euros, and the next steps for those named in the squad.
