Callum McGregor is like me and you, he loves Celtic too. And today McGregor will bring great pride to the Celtic family once more as he wins his 50th cap for Scotland in this afternoon’s Euro qualifier against Cyprus at Hampden.

It will have crossed the mind of many as to whether Callum would get the opportunity to lead out Scotland at Hampden to mark the occasion but Steve Clarke, who signed a new contract as Scotland boss this week, won’t be handing the captaincy, as per tradition, to McGregor, with Clarke, as reported in Scottish Daily Express, stating McGregor doesn’t need a captain’s armband to evidence his leadership qualities.

Callum McGregor of Celtic celebrates at the final whistle as Celtic beat theRangers 2-1 in the Viaplay League Cup Final at Hampden Park on February 26, 2023 (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

“He is the captain of Celtic but I don’t need to give him an armband with Scotland because we have so many good captains. He is a leader, a great professional.”

“It’s a great moment for him and his family, it’s well deserved. He’s had a lot of caps in a reasonably short space of time to get to his 50. “I am sure there are many, many more to come. It is a pleasure to be his head coach.”

Celtic v Livingston – Callum McGregor is presented with a framed shirt by manager Ange Postecoglou after making 400 appearances for Celtic before the cinch Premiership match at Celtic Park, Wednesday February 1, 2023. Photo Andrew Milligan

That’s quite fulsome praise from Steve Clarke who has regularly chosen Callum McGregor for his Scotland midfield where previous Scotland managers were, shall we say, more reluctant to do so. Indeed, McGregor was already 24 years old and already an established Celtic player with 100 appearances for the club, before he won the first of his fifty caps.

He made his Celtic debut in July 2014 and soon became an important member of the squad. 2017 however was the big year for Callum – he made his 100th appearance for Celtic in March, scored his first Champions League goal in October against Bayern Munich, and then he made his senior Scotland debut in a friendly against the Netherlands in November.

: Callum McGregor runs past Daniel Wass during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between Scotland and Denmark at Hampden Park on November 15, 2021.. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Now in less than six years Callum has made up for lost time – and the ridiculous decision to overlook him for so long – to win his 50th cap in short order.

And if anyone thinks we’re being somewhat presumptuous in assuming Callum will be selected for Scotland this afternoon, it is simply worth remembering, in the case of Callum McGregor, there is nobody better. Incidentally you can get a FREE copy of Callum McGregor’s official Celtic FC book, The Making of a Celtic Captain when you sign up to the Weekly Lottery on Celtic Pools (see below).

THE BOULD BHOYS! ‘GLORY TO THEIR NAME’ BY MATTHEW MARR IS OUT NOW ON CELTIC STAR BOOKS…

Matthew Marr’s outstanding debut as a published Celtic author is available now in hardback and also on Amazon kindle with links for both below. The Bould Bhoys! “Glory to their name” tells the story of Celtic’s first ever title success becoming Champions of Scotland for the first time 130 years ago. It’s a remarkable story and a brilliant achievement in Celtic’s unbroken history and it’s a superb debut from Matthew, who is of course also know as @hailhailhistory on social media.

Last night Matthew signed hundreds of books and all pre-ordered copies will be sent out this morning so expect your copy early next week if you have already ordered. If you would like a signed copy of this brilliant Celtic book in hardback then order from Celtic Star Books below. The book will also be on sale at Celtic stores from next week and we have also launched the book on Amazon kindle again with the link below.

Niall J