Harry Souttar hoping for second World Cup magic trick

Former Stoke City defender Harry Souttar has pulled himself back from serious injury again to play on football’s biggest stage

Harry Souttar must roll his eyes when anyone talks about the ideal preparation for a World Cup.

The 27-year-old former Stoke City centre-back was in the form of his life in late 2021 when he suffered a cruciate ligament injury while on international duty with Australia. He managed to play just one game for Stoke as he won a race to get back before the start of the World Cup 12 months later.

His form in Qatar in 2022 was extraordinary and won him a £15m move to the Premier League to join Leicester City in January.

It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for anyone at Leicester since then and Souttar joined Sheffield United on loan to get game time – and ruptured his Achilles tendon in December 2024.

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This time the recovery was even longer and he finally got back playing in April this year, coincidentally just before another World Cup. He made two appearances for Leicester – and played well enough that there is a convincing theory they would have stayed up if he had only been available a few weeks sooner.

He has been called up for Australia again and captained the team in their final warm-up friendly, a 1-1 draw with Switzerland in San Diego last Saturday. Now he is expected to start against Turkey in the first group game (Sunday, 5am UK time) before clashes with hosts United States and Paraguay.

“I wish I was fit for longer than I have been with injuries, that would be my number one thing,” he told the Australian media out in North America. “I know how hard I’ve worked to get back here, twice as well.

“So like I’ve done it before, I knew going into the injury what I had to do to get back to this level. So with the amount of work that I put in now it doesn’t surprise me.”

Souttar’s Australia centre-back partner Cameron Burgess, the Swansea defender, had claimed he hadn’t known anyone else who had bounced back to their top level so quickly after serious injury.

Souttar replied: “True, but then I’ve never met anyone that’s played every minute of the Championship – 46 games – so I could say the same thing back about him! I’d love to be in his position.”

The big man is not the only Souttar the World Cup as brother John has been named in the Scotland squad. The Souttar family is out to watch them both.

Dad Jack told the BBC: “It’s a big thing, I suppose. We want to support both kids and both countries. Then the ball’s in the air for the rest of it.

“They’re fairly close brothers, though there was a bit of scrapping when they were younger. They’re always talking to each other about games. They’re always looking out for each other, that’s for certain.

“We’re just so proud – as any parent would be – for their kids doing well. In any sport or any walk of life.”

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