“That’s part of the Celtic DNA. You come here to win trophies,” Alistair Johnston

‘Every single time you are out there, you know it matters’

“When you play for a football club like Celtic, every single time you are out there, you know it matters. And it’s not only when you are on the pitch. You could be doing anything like walking around Glasgow or wherever you are, you feel like you’re representing the club and doing something meaningful.

“You can change a little kid’s day at the bottom of the hill if you sign an autograph or have a photo taken with them. That’s something we probably take for granted a little bit but I know I won’t be here forever – whether I make it here until the end of my career or not. But even after that, I won’t live here.

“It’s about understanding that this fish bowl is not forever”

“So it’s about understanding that this fish bowl is not forever. Just enjoy the pros and the cons of it because it’s amazing,” the Celtic star said.

And he also noted that making it work at Celtic for players coming in is not just about having the football ability that Celtic had already identified. There’s much more to it than that.

“At a club like this you need to have the personality to embrace it because otherwise it can overwhelm you”

“As much as football talent, that gives you staying power at a club like Celtic. At a club like this you need to have the personality to embrace it because otherwise it can overwhelm you,” he explained.  “It can wear you down and exhaust you, even when you are at home. So you really need to fully embrace it. You need to understand, ‘What are my escapes and how am I going to embrace it when I’m out there in the public eye?’.

“You need to realise it’s not going to last forever but at the same time, it’s pretty cool. You’re walking out there and some 80-year-old nan is coming up to you and giving it to you about how you played at the weekend – it’s weird!

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