Legendary striker Alan Shearer says Celtic can be very proud of their efforts in the Champions League this season.
Brendan Rodgers' men narrowly exited the competition midweek at the hands of German giants Bayern Munich.
Alphonso Davies' late strike sent them packing, although the Parkhead side showed several green shoots of progress throughout their most recent European campaign.
Shearer, who covered Celtic's game on Tuesday with Amazon Prime, was particularly impressed by their display: "It was great to be there to watch Celtic up close again and watch their heroic performance," he said (Betfair).
"But they will have been hurting like hell on Tuesday evening.
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"I didn’t see them going there and doing what they did. I didn’t see them opening Bayern up as much as they did. They had three or four great chances in the first-half, which they should have scored.
"I was confident, even at half-time, when it was 0-0 that they would still get another few good chances. Whether they could take them or not was the big question - they got one chance and they took it brilliantly.
"Then they had to defend. Kasper Schmeichel was brilliant - he made three or four fantastic saves, including one in the last minute.
"They can be really proud of their efforts and they can look forward to being back at Europe’s top table in the elite competition."
The 2024/25 Champions League campaign was Celtic's best in recent memory.
The new league phase, in which they finished 21st out of 36 teams, seems to have greatly benefitted them.
Shearer reckons the setup served Celtic well: "I think that the new format helps them," he said (Betfair).
"It suits them with the League Phase not playing home and away - Celtic will be a match for anyone at home with the atmosphere that they create.
"If they can add a couple of quality additions in the summer, which they should be able to do, then I think they can have another run at it next season.
"They’ve had a taste of it, in terms of going to Bayern Munich in the Play-Off. The least they deserved out of that game was the chance to go into extra time and go head-to-head with Bayern once again.
"They can be very proud of their efforts."
The focus for Celtic now turns back to the domestic scene.
They travel to face Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership this weekend, aiming to maintain their 13-point lead at the top of the table.
