The Scotsman who leveled up Brazil’s beautiful game | CNN
In Scotland’s return to the World Cup after 28 years, it faces an adversary also in need of a comeback: Brazil. The five-time champion may have charmed the world over the decades, but now finds itself in a bit of a dry spell, thirsty for a sixth victory.
Caught in the middle is Malcolm McLean, 77, a physical representation of the sporting connection between the nations.
“My standard uniform is my Brazil top and my kilt,” he said.
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Malcolm McLean wears a Brazil jersey and a Scottish kilt while watching a match at a pub in Brazil.
McLean’s love for the Beautiful Game is divided between the two nations by blood: His grandfather was responsible for introducing Brazilians to the short, quick-passing game for which they would come to be famous.
McLean was on the phone from São Paulo, where he’s been watching the games with Scotland fans who’ve been packing pubs and chanting “no Scotland, no party” – the unofficial anthem of a fanbase that has spent this World Cup drinking Boston dry and showing Miami how to party.
A mechanic with the textile company J&P Coats, his grandfather Archie McLean was sent to Brazil in 1912 to help open a factory. Originally, he was supposed to stay for six months, but the country had other plans.
“He stayed for nearly 40 years,” Malcolm said. “He loved it here, and he got heavily into playing football.”
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 15: Casemiro of Brazil celebrates scoring his team's second goal with teammates Vinicius Junior and Gabriel Magalhaes during the International Friendly between Brazil and Senegal at Emirates Stadium on November 15, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
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9 min readA team photo from August 1914 shows him lining up alongside Arthur Friedenreich, one of the first great legends of the Brazilian game.
But his most lasting contribution came through a partnership described in history books.
“Hard though it is today to imagine Brazilians blootering the ball from back to front,” that was exactly what Archie found when he arrived, Scottish broadcaster Billy Kay wrote in his history of the Scottish diaspora, “The Scottish World.”
Archie McLean poses for a portrait in Paisley, Scotland, in his later years.
According to Kay, Archie recalled that when he arrived in Brazil, players were competing to see who could kick the ball the highest and the furthest across the field. He and Hopkins then “mesmerized opponents” with their “high speed, short passing interplay,” as Kay describes, very much in the Scottish tradition, but innovative to Brazilians at the time.
“As we know now, they were quick and devastating learners,” Kay wrote.
Brazilians, famously, ran with it.
In 1949, Brazilian soccer historian Tomás Mazzoni wrote that “McLean was an artist, a worthy exponent of the Scottish school.” The Brazilians recognized it as something new and called it tabelinha, Portuguese for “the chart” or, with unintentional irony, sistema inglês: the English system.
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2:33Archie retired back to Paisley, Scotland in 1949, his story largely unknown in his home country. But in 1964, at 72, he made a nostalgic return to Brazil and attended a match at São Paulo’s Pacaembu stadium. On being introduced to the crowd before the game, his grandson said, he received a standing ovation. He died five years later.
His grandson inherited the divided loyalties.
“They’re both close to my heart,” he said. “My dream would be that Scotland can beat Brazil – but Brazil win the World Cup.”
Malcolm was born in Brazil and moved to Scotland at age 10. He has followed Scotland to World Cups since 1974, when he watched them exit at the group stage in Germany without losing a game – still, he says, their best-ever performance.
Scotland and Brazil fans pose for a selfie during a World Cup march.
He had tickets for Spain in 1982 but gave them away when his wife had a difficult pregnancy. He was in Paris in 1998 for the opening game, when Scotland lost to Brazil 2-1.
This time, he extended a family wedding trip in Rio de Janeiro into a longer stay to watch the games with a Scottish expat group his grandfather helped found, the St. Andrew’s Society.
“Scotland fans and Brazil fans always get on really well together at the World Cups I’ve been at,” Malcolm said. “The Brazilians are usually drumming. And the Scots fans are playing bagpipes.”
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
