Kris Boyd - International Career

International Career

Boyd was a regular in the Scotland under-21 team, winning eight caps and scoring once.

On 11 May 2006, he made his debut for the Scotland national team and scored twice in a 5–1 win over Bulgaria in the Kirin Cup. Boyd extended his fine international form into European Championship qualifying, scoring twice against the Faroe Islands in a 6–0 win and also against Georgia in a 2–1 win, his fifth goal in six games.

On 11 October 2008, Boyd stated that he would not play international football again under manager George Burley. His decision came after Burley had left Boyd on the substitute bench in a 0–0 World Cup qualifying match against Norway, opting to bring on debutant Chris Iwelumo instead. When asked about the decision, Burley stated that Boyd had "to establish himself in the Rangers team, which he hasn't done". After hearing those comments, Boyd contacted Burley to inform him of his decision, and confirmed his decision with Gordon Smith, the chief executive of the Scottish Football Association. At a press conference on 13 October 2008, Burley hinted that the door might not be closed should Boyd reconsider, stating that Boyd, rather than he, had "made the decision", and that "...if is totally committed, that's what the country needs". It was reported on 1 January 2009 that Burley would welcome Boyd back into the Scotland setup if he was willing to return. On 16 November 2009, Burley was sacked as manager of Scotland after winning just three out of fourteen games as manager.

After Craig Levein was appointed manager of Scotland, Boyd stated that he was "ready and willing" to play for Scotland again. He was called up to the Scotland squad on 22 February 2010 to play against the Czech Republic in a friendly on 3 March and received his sixteenth cap in the second half of the game. His most recent appearance was in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Liechenstein in 2010.