Callum McGregor’s International retirement announcement is a blow to Scotland, but it’s clearly great news for Celtic…
Callum McGregor yesterday announced his retirement from international football after representing his country 63 times.
That’s really bad news for Scotland, but fantastic news for Celtic who will now reap the benefit of some much needed rest for our skipper when the seemingly endless international fixtures come around.
Callum has played an extreme amount of football these past five or six years, at one time he was the most used player in European football, and that can eventually take its toll, even on the fittest of players.
The Celtic captain is rarely injured
The Celtic captain is rarely injured, but at the end of last season he was out for a number of weeks, and that could be a major factor in his decision to call it a day with the international team.
Quite rightly, Calmac wants to concentrate on his club career as he now enters his thirties. He wants to give his best to Celtic, and we should be glad that he came to this decision.
It’s a blow for Steve Clark and the national team, but club comes first and Callum has made the right choice.
In his statement published on the official Celtic FC website, the Celtic captain explained his decision to quit international football.
A difficult decision
“I have made a decision which was very difficult, of course, but a decision which I feel is the right one at the right time.
“It was very important I spoke to Steve and I did that this week to make him aware of my intentions. As I said to Steve, I just felt the time is right for me to move on from international football.
“It has been a huge honour to achieve 63 caps for my country, as appearing just once would have been a dream come true, so to achieve 63 and be inducted into the Roll of Honour at 50 caps is something I could only have dreamed of as a young kid.
“Throughout my career I wanted to make myself available for Scotland at all times and whenever selected, give the absolute maximum possible to help the country and represent the supporters with passion and pride.
Famous night in Serbia
“International football has been a really important part of my career where I have learned so much and achieved some incredible highs, that famous night in Serbia being one of the very best, and I have been blessed to share these experiences with some great people.
“Playing for Scotland always meant so much to me and reaching two major tournaments will always be a source of real pride, and scoring at Hampden in the Euros in front of our fantastic supporters will always be a special highlight for me.
“Of course, like many others I wish we could have gone further in these competitions but, nonetheless, it has been a privilege to have played for my country on such a stage and to have represented my country for such a long period.
I will always remember
“I have worked with some excellent managers, team-mates and staff and I thank them all for their incredible efforts during the time we have had together.
“I would like to wish Steve, the current Scotland players and all the players who follow me nothing but success for the future.
“I also want to give special and sincere thanks to the Scotland fans who have supported me so brilliantly during my time. The level of passion and commitment which our fans bring is second to none and something which I will always remember.”
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