They copied his haircut, his clothes, his shoes, even his music. For Harry and John Souttar, their older brother Aaron was more than a role model — he was the standard against which everything else was measured.

This summer, the two brothers will represent different nations at the World Cup: John wearing the navy of Scotland, Harry pulling on the gold of Australia. At the heart of both journeys is the memory of Aaron, who died in July 2022 at the age of 42 following a long battle with motor neurone disease.

A second father figure

Aaron was 18 years older than Harry, who describes him in simple, reverent terms. "I had him on a pedestal. He was the cool one," the Leicester City defender says. "He was like a second dad."

As a talented golfer and committed football supporter, Aaron attended as many matches as he could. Harry — eligible for the Socceroos through his Australian-born mother, Heather — recalls scanning the touchline for his big brother's face before kick-off. "Playing and looking at the side and seeing him there, I was always trying to impress him," the 27-year-old says.

Aaron's absence will hang over the tournament. Harry imagines what his brother would have done had he been here: "He would be over here with his pals in a pub, drinking all day and playing a bit of golf."

Tattoos and dedications

Both brothers will carry permanent tributes on their skin — tattoos honouring Aaron — as they compete on the world stage.

For John, 29, those tributes began before Aaron's passing. The centre-back has endured serious injury setbacks throughout a career that has moved from Dundee United to Hearts and on to Rangers. When he returned from one lengthy layoff and scored his first Scotland goal in a World Cup qualifier against Denmark in November 2021, he pointed the moment directly at his brother. "My brother Aaron, he's at home," John said at the time. "He couldn't make it tonight, but that was for him because he helped me a lot during my rehab."

How grief brought them closer

Harry, who spent last season on loan at Sheffield United, acknowledges that Aaron's illness — and ultimately his death — reshaped the relationship between the two younger brothers.

"When Aaron became ill, it did bring me and John a lot closer together, certainly after his passing as well," Harry says. Distance had kept them apart: Harry based in England, John playing in Scotland, with not enough phone calls between them. Grief changed that.

"The one good thing to come from it, if you could say it's a good thing, would be that it's brought me and John closer," Harry adds. Texts and calls are now a regular part of life — even if it is just to "talk about random things."

A family united at the World Cup

Both brothers open their World Cup campaigns on Sunday, with Scotland facing Haiti before Australia take on Turkey. The family will be split across venues in the United States and Canada, but their pride is shared.

"It's just great that we're both here," Harry says. "I know John missed out on the Euros a few years ago, which he was absolutely gutted about. I'm absolutely over the moon that he's here. And it's one that the family are all filled with pride with. For me, I'm proud of him as well."