A brave Scot was at Hampden Park yesterday cheering on the Tartan Army for the first time since having a heart attack supporting his country in Moscow.
Pensioner Jim Steel has followed Scotland across the world for 63 years.
Our Euro 2020 opener against the Czech Republic on Monday afternoon was the first time the 75-year-old had made it to a game since his heart failed while watching us get hammered against Russia in 2019.
Jim spent three nights in a Russian hotel before making it home where doctors discovered he had had a heart attack.
But after making a full recovery Jim watched on as his country played in their first major tournament in 23 years - and he declared: "It's good to be back - and it's good to be alive.
"This is my first game since I had a heart attack in October 2019 when we got beat 4-0 in Moscow in the Euro qualifiers.
"I was stuck ill in my hotel room for three days, and then I got to the airport and when I got back I got a proper diagnosis and they realised I'd had a heart attack. I still have a pacemaker."
Jim, who now lives in Leicester, was buzzing to be back at Hampden Park on Monday.
He said: "I live in England but I travel, I've even gone up to Aberdeen for a friendly match against Egypt.
"It's just something in your blood.
"When you are away from home you feel like a bit of a traitor living down south. But this is my link to the country, the people.
"It's everybody together from all around the country. That's what it means to me."
Jim recalls watching the Tartan Army play England at Hampden away back in 1958.
He said: "My father took me into the north stand, which was up on stilts away high up in the ground.
"That was the first game I ever saw, a 4-0 reverse against England.
"Bobby Charlton scored on his debut I think and the Scottish goalkeeper Tommy Younger ran up half the length of the park to shake his hand to say well done."
And after more than six decades of following the Tartan Army, Jim insists a little stumble in our Euro 2020 opener doesn't worry him.
He's got his ticket for the crunch match with England on Friday, and he'll be shooting straight back up for the Croatia tie just days later.
He said: "I've seen so many games throughout the years, I'm still optimistic.
"When the tournament was announced and they said it was going to be in Glasgow I had a chance to put an application in.
"I did that, I got two tickets - then one was cancelled. But I applied to the SFA when Scotland qualified and because I had enough points I got two more tickets, so I'm seeing all three games including the one at Wembley.
"I'm travelling back down to Leicester on Tuesday and then I'm going to Wembley on Friday, then I'll be back up for the Croatia game on Tuesday.
"Since my first match in 1958 there's been many great victories. Let's see what happens."
