Callum McGregor says it’s amazing to be a Celtic Euro centurion
The proud captain hit the 100 mark for appearances in continental competition when leading the side against Dinamo Zagreb. McGregor admits he would have loved to have marked the occasion with a cherished away triumph. However, taking another valuable point on the road in the Croatian capital ensured the 31-year-old was still able to soak up the size of his achievement.
McGregor is now just 27 outings behind his old sidekick and club record-holder Scott Brown in the standings and beams at the ton-up effort as he looks to keep adding to his tally. He said: “It’s an amazing achievement with such an iconic club. I’m proud. It’s obviously a huge milestone and to play this many games for this club, especially in Europe, is tough to do.
“The only thing was, could we match it with a performance and a result. Maybe that was the only disappointing aspect. But we still took another point from the game and it keeps us moving in the right direction.
“The game model’s still there, controlling the ball, controlling the game and it was just maybe needing a bit more quality in the final third. It’s a big ask to play for this club and you have to have the temperament to do it. You also have to have the quality to do it too.
“To get 100 games in Europe for this club is obviously special. I just want to keep doing it and try to get as many appearances as I can.”
It’s been a decade since McGregor made his Euro bow and his efforts in Iceland set the tone for his Celtic career. Making a top-team club debut against Reykjavik, he scored the winner in a 1-0 success for Ronny Deila’s team.
McGregor featured alongside colleagues such as Virgil van Dijk and Fraser Forster on the night and said: “I still remember the game and, of course, it was a memorable one. There’s maybe a few in-between that are not so clear. Amazing achievement. The day that I made my debut and scored, that’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
McGregor could not have known back then he was going to add another 99 to his haul as he has progressed and matured into the club’s on-pitch leader and figurehead. When it was put to him it was a remarkable achievement, McGregor said: “It is, but the demand of this club is to be playing European football. But not only that, they want to try and be successful too.
“So, there’s a big expectation that comes with playing with this club and you have to manage it. You have to play into it, lean into it. If you don’t and you don’t enjoy it then you probably don’t get to where you have done. It’s a big challenge, but it’s something I love doing.”
McGregor’s drive is a major part of the reason for his longevity at a high level and also ensures he’ll keep looking forward as opposed to back. For all of the work, the midfield star wants to deliver in the elite competition and heading Celtic’s charge into the next stage of this term’s Champions League would be amongst the biggest moments.
Frustration campaigns and a lack of progress in the elite tournament could be buried by progression this time around as McGregor said: “It would be right up there. The last few years have not been great. But it’s a big competition and there are a lot of teams spending a lot of money.
“This is where the club wants to be and you’ve seen over the last couple of years we’ve made strides, which is good. To the point where you’re going to Zagreb and you’re a bit disappointed when you come off with a point. It shows the growth of the team and the squad and where the club wants to be. It’s a big challenge, but it’s something the players really do enjoy and want to keep getting better.”
For the first time since boss David Hay took an unbeaten run to four games in 1986, Rodgers’ boys are also now a quartet of matches without loss in the top-tier competition. Naturally, given it is 10 years since making that Euro debut, McGregor assessed where he thinks Celtic are as a club in Euro terms compared to his beginnings in 2014.
Gordon Strachan and Neil Lennon took sides beyond the initial group stage in the Champions League before the current captain arrived into the senior side and he said: “We’ve had some good results, we’ve had some not good results. But probably the gulf in finances has become just ridiculous, especially in this competition.
“We’ve obviously had some good spells, Gordon’s team and then Lenny’s team got through to the last 16. It’s probably been a bit up and down in the time I’ve been here. But it is a big challenge and we know where we sit in that kind of bracket of teams.
“The one thing we can do is try and play the right way and try to learn and develop to become a top team again. It takes time. We’ve had some good nights, we’ve had some not so good nights. But we seem to have a group now that’s relatively comfortable at this level, can we push and try and maximise what we’ve got and the opportunity we’ve got.”