Anthony Ralston has shared the special moment he wore the Celtic captain armband in what has been a stunning career turnaround.
The Scotland international was handed a fresh start under Ange Postecoglou following his summer arrival last season and he has more than grabbed the opportunity as he impressed both the Aussie boss and the Hoops faithful with his consistent displays at full-back. His form earned him a new long-term deal with the club and international honours in a remarkable year for the 23-year-old.
He made a major contribution to Celtic winning back the Premiership title from Rangers with a last-gasp winner against Ross County part of his five goals last term. He also provided a further nine assists with overlapping runs down the channels. Josip Juranovic will provide serious competition at right-back with Alexandro Bernabei now in the door to compete with Greg Taylor for the left-back role.
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Celtic also lifted the Premier Sports Cup and secured automatic Champions League group stage qualification this season after their league triumph and just as he thought his year couldn't get any better, Ralston had a special moment of his own during the pre-season clash with Banik Ostrava.
Following Callum McGregor's withdrawal from the friendly encounter he handed the armband to the full-back, in a moment he will cherish forever.
He took to social media to share an image of him in action with the band on with the caption: "Pre season trip" with a green tick and football emoji.
Next up is Blackburn Rovers at home with Postecoglou 'buzzing' for a return to Parkhead.
They then face Legia Warsaw and Norwich Ciity before the Premiership opener with Aberdeen on July 31 as the quest for back-to-back league titles begins.
On the pre-season trip, the Hoops gaffer told Celtic TV : "It’s been good. The key thing is we’ve got some good training into the guys, and most of the guys have got some decent match-minutes, and we’ve got no significant injuries out of it, so from that point of view it’s been a really good camp.
“For the players in general, they’ve come back in, had a good attitude and environment, and the dressing room still feels like it’s got a lot of energy which is great.”
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