Kieran Tierney immediately pointed towards Callum McGregor after the final whistle as Celtic sealed the Premiership title with a dramatic comeback win over Hearts at Celtic Park.
The Celtic captain has spent much of this season hearing questions about his level, his future and whether the team had moved beyond him. By the end of Saturday afternoon he was lifting another league trophy after dragging Celtic through one of the wildest title races in years.
Tierney knows better than most what McGregor carries inside the dressing room.
The left-back returned to the club this season and has seen Celtic through the worst parts of the campaign alongside the captain. There were periods earlier in the season when the side looked broken after poor results, fan unrest and constant scrutiny around performances.
Even during the difficult weeks, McGregor remained central to everything Martin O’Neill tried to rebuild after returning to the club.
Saturday followed the same pattern as much of Celtic’s season. Hearts frustrated them for long spells and looked on course for the title themselves after Lawrence Shankland’s opener. Celtic stuck in the game though and eventually broke through late on with Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand sealing the comeback.
Tierney spoke moments after the final whistle while Celtic Park disappeared into chaos around him.
He said: (Sky Sports), “And our captain is absolutely brilliant. What he does for us, behind the scenes that nobody sees, is unbelievable.
“He’s kept this changing room together.
“And I’m so happy for everyone here, everyone involved, but Callum McGregor deserves every bit of this, man.
“We’ve been there, I don’t know how many times we’ve been there this season. We were there two days ago, and we never give up.
“And I think this team is the most mentally strong team I’ve ever been involved in, by far.
“We had everybody, everybody coming for us, everybody doubting us, slaughtering us, and we’re still here today.”
McGregor’s influence on this title probably will not be judged through numbers alone. Celtic needed somebody demanding the ball when performances became nervous and matches became stretched. They needed calmness when the pressure around the club intensified.
O’Neill trusted experienced players heavily during the run-in and nobody carried more responsibility than the captain. Tierney’s reaction after full-time made clear how highly McGregor’s role is valued inside the squad compared to the noise surrounding him outside it.
By the time Osmand scored the third goal in stoppage time, supporters were already pouring onto the pitch and McGregor was heading towards another title lift.
