Benjamin Arthur on his late call-up to start for Celtic

Benjamin Arthur has reflected on a dramatic introduction to Celtic’s starting line-up after being told he was starting just 10 minutes before kick-off in last night’s 2-1 victory over Aberdeen…

Benjamin Arthur. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

The Brentford loanee had originally been named among the substitutes but was called to the starting side roughly 10 minutes before kick-off when Dane Murray suffered a thigh issue during the warm-up.

Making his first appearance from the start, Arthur completed the full 90 minutes at centre-back and delivered an impressive performance, earning man-of-the-match as Celtic secured a vital three points at Pittodrie.

Post-match, the 20-year-old spoke with Sky Sports and was asked whether he had enjoyed the experience.

He said: “Yeah, I did. I was not expecting a start but thought as soon as I found out I was starting, just switched on and got in 90 minutes, got the win, that’s all that matters.”

🗣️ “Always be prepared for anything”
🗣️ “It’s a special club to play for, I’m sure the big man realised that today”

Celtic’s Benjamin Arthur on making an unexpected first start, and Viljami Sinisalo on the “massive” win at Aberdeen ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/nU3NyoZpZc

— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) March 4, 2026

When questioned when he was told he was starting the game, Arthur responded: “10 minutes before kick-off. I was just warming up, I was on the bench and stuff and then saw Dane came down, straight away in just like that, so quickly football can change.”

“You never know what’s going to happen out there on the pitch, so you got to be mentally prepared for anything and I felt like I was that today and performance hopefully showed that as well.”

Viljami Sinisalo made his third consecutive appearance between the sticks with Kasper Schmeichel still unavailable due to a mystery illness.

Alongside Arthur in his post-match interview, Sinisalo highlighted the significance of Arthur stepping in at short notice and being prepared to take his opportunity.

The Hoops goalkeeper said: “No, it’s massive. Listen, it’s not easy at all when that happens. It’s happened to me once in my career and it’s not easy.”

“So full credit to him, he’s done unbelievable and listen, he’s defended the box like an absolute lion there today. So yeah, brilliant, well done.”

Conor Spence