Liam Cooper has endured a bit of a difficult few months after leaving Leeds United and ending his 10-year stint with the club, having clocked up the best part of 300 games for The Whites.
The defender’s contract came to an end at Leeds in June and he left Elland Road without signing a new deal. That is despite Cooper making it clear that he would love to sign on at Leeds, at the club’s awards.
Cooper held talks with Blackburn, and Tom Cleverley’s Watford showed interest. But Cooper made the shock decision to move to Bulgarian giants CSKA Sofia, who used a Mini Cooper to announce his arrival.
The Scotland star had to wait for his debut with CSKA Sofia making a really poor start to the season, given the size of the club. The left-footed defender then picked up a back injury after a couple of matches.
Liam Cooper wears captain armband on Thursday in fourth game
Leeds fans will only remember images or moments of Cooper with the armband. It is difficult to think of a moment of Cooper in a Leeds shirt without the armband, having joined the club way back in June 2014.
Cooper actually returned to Thorp Arch during the international break to sort out his back problem. But, on Thursday, Cooper picked up his first win at CSKA Sofia against Botev Vratsa on Thursday afternoon.
The defend’s side won 2-0 thanks to a goal in each half, from Goduine Koyalipou and Matthias Phaeton. Indeed, Cooper saw out the entire 90 minutes and wore the armband in what was his fourth game.
Liam Cooper will have eye on Scotland’s 2026 World Cup progress
The defender was in the squad under Steve Clarke for the Euro 2024 tournament last summer. But after becoming a free agent and making a slow start due to injury in Bulgaria, he has not played for Scotland.
But Scotland are in good form and will be hopeful of reaching the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. Whether or not Clarke rates Cooper playing at CSKA Sofia and if that is good enough, remains to be seen.
The defender has signed a two-year contract in Bulgaria and will be hopeful that over the course of the next 45-ish months, he can regain his place in the Scotland side ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
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