'I'll get emotional for son's international debut'

The mother of Luis Binks, who has been called up to the senior men's Scotland football team for the first time, says she will be "extremely emotional" seeing her son make his international debut.

Kent-born Binks is currently captain of Danish side Brondby and the defender is eligible to play for Scotland through his mother's father.

His mother, Jo Binks, said: "I will be extremely proud and also to know that the connection is my dad who isn't here means something as well."

Talking about his call-up, Binks told the BBC: "I was just buzzing and the phone call was a bit of a blur. After that I came off the phone call thinking: 'Did I hear that right?'"

The former Coventry City player, who grew up in Gillingham, said when he called his parents to tell them the news "my mum was screaming".

"Luis and my dad were very close. My dad would always take Luis to Tottenham to his training, to watch his match. He was really proud of him," Jo said.

"Unfortunately, my dad's not here to see that now."

Binks, now 25, started his career at Tottenham Hotspur's academy before moving to Canada to play for Montreal Impact.

He subsequently played for Bologna and Como in Italy, and Coventry City in England before moving to Danish side Brondby, where he was made captain at the start of this season.

Jo said: "Don't get me wrong, he's not David Beckham, but people [go]: 'Oh Luis Binks."

"And I think: 'He's only my son. He's only Luis Binks.'"

Binks says he has a "soft spot" for his local club, Gillingham FC, as his mother has worked in the club's offices for more than 30 years.

"For as long as I remember I've always been down there and had season tickets and it's always been in my life," he said.

Binks' connection to football in the county runs deep as his father also played for Chatham Town.

Alison Mulrooney, who taught Binks at The Howard School in Rainham when he was in Year 8, said he was "disciplined" as a child.

"He did his football and he did his school," she said.

"He was a very regulated young man, very well-liked among his peers and a very decent chap and I think you look back at it now and you can kind of see there was a leader there."

The teacher, who still works at the school, says she believes Binks is their first ex-pupil to play senior international football.

Mulrooney said: "I think it's quite a big deal. I think a lot of the boys are quite excited.

"The fact I will be able to use him in lessons and reference him for years to come now, quite frankly, is amazing."

The teacher said she would be tuning in to Scotland's match in Slovenia on Saturday to try and watch the school's "legend" play for his country.

The Slovenia v Scotland UEFA League match is available on BBC One (BBC Two in Wales) on Saturday, starting at 13:45 BST.

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