122 caps. That’s the difference between one highly gifted playmaker coming to the end of a storied international career and another who’s only just getting started.
But while there’s a chasm the size of the Grand Canyon between Steven Davis and Ali McCann when it comes to experience on the international stage, that’s where the differences end.
Stylistically speaking, Northern Ireland’s 35-year-old captain shares a lot in common with the Edinburgh-born youngster who, at 15 years his junior, could soon be handed the considerable challenge of replacing him at the heart of a green-clad midfield.
McCann’s international career may have only begun this month but, while claiming those first two caps against Austria and Romania, the St Johnstone youngster showed a composed, classy streak reminiscent of Davis himself.
He is energetic and industrious but, like the Rangers veteran, also has the kind of quality in possession not always associated with midfielders from the other side of the Irish Sea.
“If I can have a career that gets anywhere near the likes of Steven Davis, I’ll be very happy,” McCann told the Courier.
Reports at the weekend claimed none other than Celtic had sent scout Tosh McKinlay to watch one of the Premiership’s rough diamonds in action against Motherwell.
But while stuttering Celtic have problems in their engine room, with Neil Lennon’s Hoops a pale imitation of the team that swept all before them under Brendan Rodgers, another Glasgow giant should cast its eyes towards McDiarmid Park.
After all, it’s not just Northern Ireland who need to start preparing for the post-Davis era.
The Ibrox veteran turns 36 in January and will be out of contract next year. But, with 16 appearances under his belt in 2020/21, a man who rolled back the years orchestrated Rangers’ Europa League clash with Benfica like a peak-era Michael Carrick and remains integral to Steven Gerrard’s plans.
Ryan Jack, Joe Aribo or Glen Kamara could be moulded into a deep-lying playmaker once Davis departs but are more comfortable in box-to-box roles. The same can be said about the adventurous, skilful Bongani Zungu.
So where better for Rangers to look for Davis’s replacement than the man who, in so many ways, looks every inch his protégé?
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, former Gers defender Gareth McAuley believes, it’s only a matter of time before Ali McCann takes a big leap up the footballing ladder.
But could it be Rangers rather than Celtic who win the race for the most exciting young midfielder outside the Old Firm?
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