Watching Callum McGregor look inconsolable after the Scottish Cup penalty shoot-out against Aberdeen will have pulled at the heartstrings of many Celtic supporters.
McGregor has never tasted defeat at Hampden at any level so Celtic’s defeat to Aberdeen was always going to sting.
After a 1-1 draw was played out over 120 minutes, the Scottish Cup was decided for the first time since Celtic beat Hearts in 2020 to win the Quadruple Treble.
But for the Celtic captain, this defeat was particularly tough to take. McGregor stepped up to take and miss the first penalty which set the tone for the rest of the shoot-out as Aberdeen held their nerve to lift the cup.
- READ MORE: What Kasper Schmeichel told his Celtic teammates after Scottish Cup final error vs Aberdeen
Brendan Rodgers ‘was just reminding’ Callum McGregor of his Celtic success
McGregor has shared what the Celtic boss said to him after the cup final was over and here, the Hoops gaffer explains what he told his captain at the end of the penalty shoot-out.
Rodgers told the assembled press conference, “Well, now he’s such a conscientious guy who’s given so much to this club, and obviously, as a skipper, he’s obviously so disappointed he hasn’t scored.
“But I was just reminding him what incredible leader he is for this club, and he’s given so much to this season and to all the seasons that I’ve ever known him.
“Such an amazing guy, and it was unfortunate the keeper makes the save. So, no, he’ll come back in the summer, stronger, fitter and ready to go again.”
The Celtic skipper has vowed to come back stronger next season and it appears that Rodgers’ words have helped take a little bit of the sting out of the defeat.
Callum McGregor’s incredible Scottish Cup record with Celtic
Celtic have lifted the Scottish Cup on 42 occasions over the course of the club’s unbroken history and McGregor’s record in the competition is exceptional.
The Celtic captain has lifted football’s oldest trophy six times in his career and twice as the skipper.
- 2017: Aberdeen 1 v 2 Celtic
- 2018: Motherwell 0 v 2 Celtic
- 2019: Hearts 1 v 2 Celtic
- 2020: Celtic 3 v 3 Hearts [Celtic win 4-3 on penalties]
- 2023: Celtic 3 v 1 Inverness
- 2024: Celtic 1 v 0 Rangers
Whilst the disappointment of yesterday’s result will still sit hard with McGregor, once that dissipates the Celtic captain can look back at his record in the competition with a sense of absolute pride.
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