For the second year in a row Scotland reached the semi-final stage of the prestigious Toulon tournament.
There was more to celebrate than that collective achievement as two of the squad’s breakout talents walked away with individual honours.
Billy Gilmour – the 16-year-old Chelsea playmaker – was named ‘Revelation of the Tournament’.
The award highlights the best young player in the tournament.
To Gilmour’s credit, his involvement this summer marked his first ever call-up to the Scotland Under-21 squad – a first for a Scottish FA JD Performance School graduate.
His goal against South Korea was the first to be scored by a Performance School graduate and he carved another little bit of history as the youngest to have scored for Scotland at Under-21 level.
After accepting the captain’s armband during the defeat to Turkey from Greg Taylor, he’s also the youngest to have done so for the Under-21s.
He said: “It’s a tremendous honour to have won Revelation of the Tournament and I’d like to thank those who voted for me.
“I’d also like to thank Scot Gemmill for showing the faith in me that he has – first of all to select me for the squad and then give me the chance to play.
“The same applies to my team-mates. It’s an individual honour but I wouldn’t have got anywhere without them on the pitch. Everything we did in France, we did together.
“This whole experience has been great for my confidence and I’m already looking forward to getting back in to training with Chelsea to try and push on again next season.
“I’ve had a lot to be grateful for between my time in the Performance School system and the opportunities I got initially at Rangers before moving to London.
“It’s nice to win the award but this is just the start. I really want to keep progressing and make my mark for Chelsea and Scotland.”
Michael Johnston – who scored a wonder-goal against England in the semi-final – came third in the Player of the Tournament category and the Celtic winger was proud of the accolade.
He said: “There were so many good young players in action at the Toulon tournament so it’s an honour to have been picked as one of the top three.
“I was obviously happy to have scored the goal against England and it’s one I’ve enjoyed watching back, but I’d like to think I offered more than just that to help the team over the course of the games.
“It’s been a great experience from start to finish, playing against teams that we wouldn’t normally come up against and I think I’ve look back and say it was important for my development.
“Now I have to use this to kick on when I go back to Celtic and make sure I stay in Scot Gemmill’s plans for the Under-21s.”
Scotland also picked up the Fair Play award, which was collected by Team Manager Kirsty Mullen.