Anthony Ralston
The talented full-back has been on an incredible journey with Celtic which has taken him from ball boy to facing the elite of Europe in the UEFA Champions League.
At just 18-years-old, Anthony featured regularly in the first-team squad at the begining of the Hoops' 2017/18 Double Treble season and started the home match against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League Group Stage, impressing in his task of marking Neymar, who at that time was the most expensive player in the world. His progress has however been hampered by injury since then and with game time at a premium he has had loan spells at Dundee United and St Johnstone having previously being on loan at Queen's Park prior to his Hoops debut.
Following a period of injury he went out on loan to Dundee United for the final part of the 2017/18 season before moving to St Johnstone in September 2019 for a season long loan.
After signing a contract extension at the start of the 2021/22 season he became a crucial part of the Celtic defence, scoring some important goals which then saw him earn a deserved long-term contract until 2025.
One of Ralston’s Celtic career highlights was scoring a 97th minute winner against Ross County in a vital 2022/23 SPFL match after the Hoops had been reduced to 10 men, keeping the club close to rivals Rangers in the league.
In August 2017, he admitted it was a dream come true when he opened his goalscoring account for his boyhood heroes during a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Kilmarnock in a League Cup tie at Celtic Park.
“It was a dream come true for me as somone who has grown up supporting Celtic. It was an unbelievable feeling, to score at Celtic Park.”
Country Bhoy
After a great start to the 2021 season Ralston was called up to the Scotland senior squad against Denmark, where he made his debut, coming on for former Celt Kieran Tierney. He has since been called up for a number of other qualifying matches including Armenia in June 2022 where he scored his first international goal. This adds to his other appearances for Scotland at various age groups.
