SUCCESSION: WHO WILL BE CELTIC'S NEXT CAPTAIN?
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- Apr 4
- 3 min read
Callum McGregor, as Celtic captain, exemplifies everything that’s good about our club. He grew up a supporter, has been with the club since his youth, and now he’s living the dream as our leader on the park.
However, there will come a time in the next few years when his captaincy will end. Hopefully its still several years away, but in football, we never know.
So, I ask today, of all the players we currently have at our disposal, who could fill the captain’s shoes if and when he does quit in a few years’ time?
Let’s assess a few candidates.
CELTIC ARE A TEAM OF LEADERS BUT WHO STANDS OUT THE MOST?
First up let’s consider Cameron Carter-Vickers.
He has deputized for McGregor on occasion and, as a no-nonsense, physically imposing centre-back he fits the Roy Aitken archetype of a big, powerful and uncompromising Celtic captain, who leads by example.
However, for me personally, at the moment, he doesn’t quite command respect in the way I want a Celtic captain to.
That doesn’t just mean shouting, pointing and marshalling other players, it means being the one to lead in times of adversity.
It means being the one who speaks out and makes his feelings known when others aren’t pulling their weight.
The big man is undoubtedly our best defender at the moment, and an incredible physical presence, but he’s a bit too quiet to be a captain in my opinion.
But then again, I said the same about Callum McGregor when Scott Brown left Celtic, so he could easily step up and prove me wrong again.
Staying with the defence, how about Alistair Johnston?
Now, I’ll admit to a bit of personal bias here.
Aside from the living legend that is Daizen Maeda, Johnston is probably my favorite Celtic player at the moment. I just love his attitude, his aggression and his straightforward approach to the game.
He also likes dishing out a meaty tackle here and there, probably a side effect of a youth spent playing ice hockey in Canada.
My dad once described Johnston as a “smiling assassin”. He’s the sort of guy who will rip you in half with a scything tackle and then laugh as if nothing’s happened.
I like that about him. There’s something to be said for a captain who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty when necessary.
In ice hockey, they call it the enforcer role. I don’t know how you would describe the footballing equivalent of such a player, but for me, It’s Johnston.
I don’t know how long we’ll be able to hold onto a player of his obvious class. However, as he himself has said, he, his good lady, and most importantly, his dog, are quite happy where they are and in no hurry to leave.
If Johnston does stay for the long term, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s a future Celtic captain.
Lastly, I’m going to throw out a wild one here. I expect a lot of comments along the lines of “Really? Already? Are you aff yer heid?”
Just hear me out on this one.
From the very limited game time he’s had so far, someone I think has the potential to be a future captain, is our current goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo.
Yes, he’s only 23 years old. He’s not even a first team regular yet, but I see qualities in him that suggest to me he’s a born leader.
I can’t recall ever seeing a young goalkeeper come into a Celtic team for his league debut and play with such confidence, swagger and, dare I say it, arrogance as Sinisalo did last week.
When I say arrogance, I don’t mean it in a negative sense, I mean the guy was not at all phased by the task ahead of him. He did not hesitate to order around the far older and more experienced defenders in front of him.
His post-match interview sounded like something we would hear from a veteran of a number of years, not someone playing only his second competitive match for Celtic.
He made some decent saves too.
He's young, he’s still relatively inexperienced at Celtic, but this is a player already in his 8th season of professional football, despite only being 23.
And as a goalkeeper, he could easily play at the top level for another 15 years, maybe even longer.
Time is on Sinisalo's side, and he has all the qualities I look for in a captain.
He’s definitely one to watch out for in the future, again assuming he stays around.
