Sprawled in the team hotel in uptown Charlotte, Ryan Christie did what millions of football fans did on Tuesday evening — he sat back and marvelled at Lionel Messi. The Bournemouth and Scotland midfielder watched Messi's hat-trick against Algeria and, for a moment, forgot he was a professional footballer himself.

"When you chill out a bit, you turn back into a spectator," Christie said. "Watching Messi and stuff like that, it's incredible to watch that happen. It's immense and pretty surreal, to be honest. When I was younger, I idolised Messi, so to think you're playing on the same kind of stage as him now is pretty cool, especially the age he's at."

Tuesday was a statement evening at the World Cup. Messi bagged a treble, while Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland each scored twice — the tournament's biggest names announcing themselves with force. The competition felt as though it had shifted up a gear.

A dream Christie never dared to have

For Christie, the notion of appearing at a World Cup once seemed like pure fantasy. Growing up, he set his sights on representing Scotland — that was ambition enough. A Euros felt out of reach; a World Cup did not even register.

"I never, ever envisioned playing at a Euros, never mind the World Cup," he admitted. "I didn't watch Scotland in a major tournament, so in my head that just wasn't really a possibility — and probably why, all those years down the line, when we had that night in Serbia, it hit home so much."

Christie was famously overcome with emotion after Scotland qualified for their first major tournament in a generation under Steve Clarke. "The tears were because it felt so out of reach for me and a few of the other boys," he said. "So, to be doing this here is incredible. Everybody has that feeling that you're playing on a stage that literally all the eyes across the globe are watching you."

Morocco stand between Scotland and history

Having made a substitute appearance in Scotland's opener against Haiti, Christie could be handed a starting role when they face Morocco in Boston on Friday. Scotland enter as clear underdogs, and there is no hiding from the scale of the challenge — Morocco are one of the most dangerous sides in the tournament.

Christie, 31, has no illusions about what awaits. He knows Scotland will not dominate the ball or shut Morocco out completely. "We need to keep those numbers as low as possible and then do our bit when we do get the chance to hurt them," he said. Yet he insists a Scotland victory is not beyond imagination. "Absolutely. I think we've got to think like that — especially after the first result against Haiti."

A single point would effectively secure Scotland's place in the knockout rounds. A win would make them history-makers.

Christie building for the long term

Off the pitch, Christie recently signed a contract extension with Bournemouth that keeps him at the club until 2029. He is settled and playing with confidence — and Messi's brilliance at 38 serves as a reminder that Christie's first World Cup need not be his last.

He has observed players in England continuing to perform at the highest level deep into their 30s. "Some are pushing for the high-30s and still churning out unbelievable performances week in, week out," he noted.

Clarke has consistently emphasised that every squad member has a part to play, whether that means three minutes or 90. Christie has embraced that philosophy. "Everybody's taking that on and doing their bit so far," he said.

"It's a dream come true to even play in a World Cup, but you have to quickly adjust your targets and adjust your mindset," Christie added. "The manager has kept the foot to the floor." One dream has been realised. In Boston on Friday, Christie goes in pursuit of another.