“It’s tough to look past Daizen, that goal record speaks for itself,” Alistair Johnston

Alistair Johnston spoke to the Scottish mainstream media this afternoon as Celtic signalled the launch of the club’s Player of the Year award…

Alistair Johnston in action. St Mirren v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, Saturday 1st March 2025. Photo: Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

AJ’s poor attempt at sitting on the fence

The Canadian right-back tried his best to sit on the fence when asked who will win it and then who he’s voting for but there hardly another candidate to challenge the clear favourite – even the hacks themselves with be desperately checking how many goals Lawrence Shankland scores in the bottom half fixtures before they commit to the inevitable. Through gritted teeth.

“I think it’s tough to look past Daizen, that goal record speaks for itself,” Johnston finally admitted after trying to make a case for the likes of Callum McGregor and Kasper Schmeichel. He was convincing no-one, not even himself.

Celtic players applaud the support — Auston Trusty, Adam Idah, Alistair Johnston, Arne Engels and Jeffrey Schlupp of Celtic acknowledge the fans following during the UEFA Champions League Knockout Play-off First Leg match between Celtic and Bayern München at Celtic Park on February 12, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Nicolas Kuhn was an early front-runner

Back in December Nicolas Kuhn was perhaps the front-runner but if it’s a runner you’re after then the only surprise is that Daizen never won the Grand National. For his part, his admiration for our Japanese talisman is off the scale. As it now is with the rest of us.

“You see the company he’s put himself into, some of the records he’s breaking and equalling, and some of the names he’s being compared to.

Daizen Maeda of Celtic is seen during the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Quarter-Final match between Celtic and Hibernian at Celtic Park on March 09, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

‘He’d be a very deserving winner’

“It’s pretty impressive, it’s tough to overlook. My guess is he is the frontrunner and he’d be a very deserving winner. Hopefully if it could be anyone, it would be Daizen – he definitely deserves it.”

The way I always do this is to select my best defender (including the goalkeeper), best midfielder and then best forward then rank them one to three. This year that Alistair Johnston, Callum McGregor and Daizen Maeda then I end up with the following choices..

Daizen Maeda of Celtic celebrates scoring to give Celtic a 2-0 lead. Celtic v Kilmarnock, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, Glasgow, 12 April 2025. IMAGO Photo Stuart Wallace Shutterstock

1. Daizen Maeda (by a mile)
2. Callum McGregor
3. Alistair Johnston

Here’s Alistair Johnston’s mainstream media conference from today…

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