Kasper Schmeichel believes you have to relish the pressure of not just expecting to win at Celtic, but knowing that you must be near perfect every time you step out on the pitch.
And it's something that the Hoops goalkeeper says he's taken in his stride since arriving at the club last summer.
Schmeichel was influential by pulling off multiple saves during Celtic's UEFA Champions League tie against BSC Young Boys on Wednesday night.
Celtic had three goals chalked off and missed a first half penalty, so it may have felt that luck wasn't going to be on their side as they chased all-three league-phase points.
After taking the lead with four minutes remaining, thanks to an own goal by Young Boys captain Loris Benito, Celtic were reduced to ten men when Daizen Maeda was shown a red card. Moments later, Schmeichel made a crucial, match-winning save to secure the victory.
And he made sure Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers breathed an enormous sigh of relief in the process by denying what would’ve been a last-grasp equaliser from close range.
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The experienced Dane's heroics ensured that Celtic progressed into the Champions League knockout stage for the first time in 12 years, which had the iconic Glasgow stadium rocking.
Asked on the Official Celtic FC Podcast whether he feels the pressure to deliver each time he wears the Hoops jersey, the 38-year-old replied: “I think you can’t play for a club like without loving that kind of pressure.
“The pressure of playing for Celtic is probably higher than most places that I’ve experienced in my career in the sense that you are not only looking to win, because winning here is just part of the deal. But you also have to be as close to perfect as possible.
“You have to strive for perfection every single time and that’s a massive change because you know that you are never going to be perfect. You’ve got to aim to be as close as possible to that, and that’s a big challenge for anybody.
“I always like saying that pressure is a privilege and with experience you learn that. You’ve got really relish and enjoy these experiences. Particularly nights like against Young Boys, they don’t come around very often so if you can’t enjoy them and enjoy the pressure of that then you are at the wrong club.”
Reflecting on his new contract extension, which ties him to the runaway Scottish Premiership leaders until summer 2026, he said: “It was probably the easiest contract extension that I’ve ever signed.
“We had a conversation and it was done within a day or two. I’ve loved my time here up until now, everyone’s been great with me, I’ve been welcomed with open arms.
“I know that I had some big footsteps to fill in terms of Joe [Hart] but in that sense having followed Joe all those years that he was here, I knew what there was to live up to. And also if you do things right and you represent the club right the you also get that back in bucket loads. I feel that’s been the case.
“So, the decision to stay was very, very easy.
“In terms of being in football for many years, you know Celtic, and having played here for a different team many years ago, you know the size of the club.
“So, for me, I’ve always said when you get to a certain stage in your life and your career, you understand that opportunities to play for clubs of this stature and this size don’t come around very often. So, to have that opportunity to represent a club like this is the kind of thing that you’ve just got to grab with both hands when that chance comes.
“It’s definitely not something that I take for granted. I understand the responsibility that it is to wear that shirt and walk across the legends of this club. It’s a big, big honour, and something that I’m proud of.”
