Kris Boyd Names the One Celtic Player Who Truly Earned the Right to Lift the Title — and This Time, Nobody’s Disagreeing
There are not many moments in Scottish football where Kris Boyd says something about Celtic and the response is a collective nod. This was one of them.
Boyd appeared on Sky Sports ahead of the title decider, previewing what had become one of the most dramatic final days in year. Celtic and Hearts, separated by a single point, heading into a straight shootout at Celtic Park. Boyd acknowledged it plainly: “Celtic, they’ve never went away and they’ve just kept on going. What an opportunity they’ve got to deliver a fifth league title.”
But it was what Boyd said about Callum McGregor that cut through the noise.
Earlier in the season, Boyd had publicly questioned McGregor’s impact, pointing to signs of regression and suggesting the captain no longer controlled games the way he once had. Those comments were not well received at Celtic Park, and fairly so. But by the time the season reached its closing chapter, even Boyd could not ignore what the man had done.
Because the truth is, McGregor had spent the 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.
Kieran Tierney put it best after the final whistle: “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.”
That is the part the numbers do not capture. Celtic this season were not the dominant, stylish side of previous campaigns. Boyd himself admitted that much on Sky Sports, saying people have had “a clouded judgement on Celtic winning games of football, because they might not be doing it in the style that they’ve been used to doing it, but they’re still winning.” For Boyd to say that about Celtic — even in the backhanded way he delivered it — was its own kind of headline.
That acknowledgement coming from Boyd added another surreal layer to what was already a surreal season. It is a season that nearly fell apart several times. A season that required a 99th-minute penalty at Fir Park. Kelechi Iheanacho’s controversial stoppage-time spot-kick sealed a 3-2 win at Motherwell and sent the title race to a final-day shootout. Boyd was furious about the decision. Boyd could not accept it. Yet Celtic were still standing.
And through all of it, McGregor never stopped. Even during the difficult weeks, McGregor remained central to everything Martin O’Neill tried to rebuild. Celtic needed somebody demanding the ball when performances became nervous and matches became stretched. They needed calmness when the pressure around the club intensified.
When Maeda drilled home in the 87th minute to put Celtic 2-1 ahead against Hearts on the final day, and a substitute buried the third deep into stoppage time from McGregor’s pass to settle any remaining nerves, the story was complete.
McGregor led Celtic through one of the most mentally demanding title races the club had seen in years, with everybody doubting them, slaughtering them — and they were still there at the end.
Even Boyd could see it. And when Kris Boyd tips his hat to a Celtic player, you know that player has done something truly special.
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