Munich Heartbreak Sparks Celtic’s Thirst for Glory C McGregor Reflects

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Celtic captain Callum McGregor has urged his teammates to draw inspiration from the club’s recent Champions League campaign and its “best-ever” performance against Bayern Munich, aiming for greater European success next season.

Brendan Rodgers’ side matched Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich blow-for-blow in their play-off match but fell short after Alphonso Davies scored a late goal, resulting in a 1-1 draw on the night and a 3-2 aggregate defeat. Despite this setback, McGregor is looking forward to what lies ahead for Celtic.

“The players can take huge amounts of belief from that experience,” he said. “We’ve accumulated valuable lessons over these ten games, and hopefully we’ll be even better next year.” He praised the team’s performances, especially mentioning young players who stepped up with maturity and personality in crucial moments.

McGregor added: “So if you can come here and play with that kind of personality and maturity, there aren’t many other stadiums where it will be tougher than this one. So, expect more to come from us.”

Bayern’s victory means they advance to the last 16 of the Champions League, setting up a tie against Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid. However, McGregor believes Celtic can target similar success in next season’s competition.

“When you’re knocked out of these competitions but play like we did tonight,” he said, “you come away feeling that yes, you are good players and your team is strong enough to have achieved more.” This sentiment has fueled a desire within the team for improvement and future success in big matches next year.

Former Celtic midfielder Peter Grant expressed admiration for Brendan Rodgers’ side’s performance against Bayern Munich, describing it as “remarkable” and beyond his expectations. He believes that this should boost players confidence heading into next seasons Champions League with its revised format of four home and four away games.

Grant also highlighted the need for Celtic to invest in younger talent due to potential financial constraints compared to larger clubs like Bayern, which paid 100 million near Harry Kane. He suggested that Celtic will have to allocate significant funds on developing young players who can perform at high levels.