Erin Cuthbert: Scotland and Chelsea midfielder "desperate" to get back to World Cup

Erin Cuthbert received an Honorary Doctorate at the University of the West of Scotland earlier this month - and had completed a business degree

Erin Cuthbert has scored at a World Cup for Scotland, lifted the WSL title with Chelsea, and featured in a Champions League semi-final. But gaining her degree in business, and pursuing a Masters, is of equal pride. And she's just 24 years old.

From moving to London as a teenager, playing in front of a packed out Wembley and being on the brink of reaching 60 caps for her country, the midfield maestro is fearless. Or foolish.

While in Scotland camp for this double-header of friendlies, the Irvine native has been scurrying off after training to immerse herself in 150-page articles as she writes her own thesis.

"Your football career is so short, there will always be time for studying but equally, I feel like I can do both, but it isn't for everyone. The balance is tough," she explained.

"I've never been naturally gifted academically, whereas football maybe I have been, so that's maybe why I am so proud of it because it actually has taken a lot of hard work."

• Scotland 'have to qualify' for next Euros - Corsie

• Listen: Cuthbert on Behind the Goals podcast

'I have no idea where my ceiling is'

With a ball at her feet, Cuthbert makes it all look so easy, and she's got the silverware to support it. Since joining Chelsea aged 18, she's won six league titles, three doubles and a treble. Before that move, she won two titles with Glasgow City and a Scottish treble in 2015.

She scored against Portugal in Euro 2017 and against Argentina two years later in the World Cup. Cuthbert has always been a big-moment player, but as she grows off the field, she does on it too. Maturing into a leadership role, the former Rangers youth player is admittedly "less rash" and revels in being a figurehead for the next generation.

"I can step outside my bubble and consider different things when I'm making decisions," she said on the Behind the Goals podcast.

"I can guide the younger players coming in whereas when I was younger, I was just trying to find my way and form.

"Now, it's me helping others find that and also consolidate my own performance because I also know I have so much to learn, I'm so young. I have no idea where my ceiling is yet and I want to do everything I can to at least get to that and know what I'm capable of."

Cuthbert celebrating as she sent Scotland 3-0 up against Argentina in the Parc de Princes

Doing it again on the biggest international stage would not go amiss, either and that's something Cuthbert is "desperate" to do.

While many of her Chelsea team-mates - including England captain Millie Bright - are on the other side of the globe, preparing for the upcoming World Cup, which begins this week with their respective nations. Despite missing out this time, though, the crafty midfielder who has seen it all with Scotland is combusting with optimism.

"I've never, ever felt like our time was up," the 59-cap international said.

"I feel like something is building and when you don't achieve something, you want it even more, so badly.

"There have now been two campaigns where we have not been at a major tournament and I think there will be a lot of pent up frustration that the girls have been looking to take out on different teams and we will be looking to take it out in the Nations League games.

"I've felt the ups and downs - I know what it feels like to get there and to not qualify so I am desperate to get Scotland to another major tournament because I know what it does to the game."

'What an honour… despite not knowing how it works'

Perhaps when the next big one - European Championships in Switzerland in 2025 - rolls around, Cuthbert will not have her head in the books, either.

Earlier this month, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of the West of Scotland. And despite admitting it's a "pretty cool" accolade to receive, she is not quite sure what it means.

"It's a pretty proud moment because excelling academically is very important for me, I love studying," the Masters of Business Administration student explained.

"A lot of deadlines last year fell when I had Champions League games and that was really difficult to manage."

It appears that Cuthbert is as laid back - albeit overwhelmingly committed - about her studies as she is her football, though, as she adds the end-goal thesis is still to be written.

"I've got a couple of months to write the whole thing," she adds. "25,000 words... We'll worry about that later."