This is a season no Celtic fan will forget.
In the end, it was the same old story, as Celtic lifted the trophies once more, Rangers went trophyless, and there was a new one, Hearts’ tears on the last day of the Premiership campaign.
Nonetheless, 67 Hail Hail has rated every Celtic player that featured this season in our player ratings, with the likes of Kieran Tierney and Daizen Maeda shining, while Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Reo Hatate should look away now.
- READ MORE: Simon Jordan defends Celtic boss Martin O’Neill after ‘heartbroken’ Hearts issue statement
Name Celtic’s best and worst player this season…🤔🤨🍀
Kasper Schmeichel – 3/10
Kasper Schmeichel’s season ended in March because of injury, which has now ruled him out for a year, and he won’t play for Celtic again.
That shoulder problem should have been dealt with a lot earlier, because it played a part in his error-prone performances, which nearly proved to be costly in Celtic missing out on winning the Premiership title.
| Schmeichel’s games in all comps this season | Goals conceded | Clean sheets |
| 39 | 49 | 14 |
Viljami Sinisalo – 7/10
There was a lot of pressure on Viljami Sinisalo when he finally took the main gloves following Schmeichel’s injury.
It will be interesting to see if Celtic pursue a new number one in the summer, because they should have faith in Sinisalo and allow him to prove his worth with a pre-season this summer, where he knows he will be number one.
Julian Araujo – 7/10
Another player whose season was cut short because of injury. Celtic’s recruitment was woeful this season, but Julian Araujo’s loan signing in January was one of the very few positives.
Given that Celtic won the title on the last day, his winning goal right at the death against Kilmarnock in February now looks beyond valuable.
Kieran Tierney – 9/10
Perhaps a contender for Celtic’s best player this season. Kieran Tierney needed time to get back into the groove of things, but when he did, nobody could stop him. What a player!
Auston Trusty – 5.5/10
It has been an up-and-down season for Auston Trusty. He didn’t take the centre-back spot like he should have done following Cameron Carter-Vickers’ injury.
But at the end of the day, he helped Celtic win the double, so that gives his rating a bit of a boost.
Liam Scales – 6.5/10
Out of all the centre-backs who played for Celtic this season, Liam Scales was probably the best performer.
Yes, he picks up needless yellow cards and his passing needs to improve. But being that pure defender and defending his own box, he performed better than Trusty and produced many good moments.
Marcelo Saracchi – 8/10
An underrated player for Celtic. Originally, he was going to get a rating of 7/10, but his cameo on the last day of the season against Hearts was very, very special.
With the season now done, it’s time for Celtic to sign Marcelo Saracchi permanently.
Colby Donovan – 6.5/10
A breakthrough campaign from Colby Donovan. Given his age, the mess around him and the lack of stability, he deserves his flowers for a very encouraging campaign.
A sign that Celtic need to use the academy a lot more.
Anthony Ralston – 5/10
The first half of the campaign was pretty poor from Anthony Ralston, but during the final few months, and especially during the post-split fixtures, he was outstanding and stepped up to the plate during big pressure moments.
Arne Engels – 6.5/10
Another mixed campaign from Arne Engels. Just like Ralston, you wanted more from the midfielder during the first half of the campaign.
But when the Belgian was injured, his stock rose, and he played a key role in Celtic dragging themselves over the line during the final few weeks of the season.
Pick one player to sell for ‘£20m’ this summer. Engels or Nygren?
Who you picking and why, Celtic fans…
Reo Hatate – 2/10
A sad end to Reo Hatate’s career. In the end, he couldn’t even make Celtic’s matchday squad, including for the Scottish Cup final.
But, for the most part, when Hatate has been on the pitch, bar a few strong performances against Rangers, he hasn’t been good enough, and he has lost that spark.
Time to move on, but he is still a cult hero at Parkhead.
Callum McGregor – 5.5/10
Celtic’s midfield was a big issue this season. Callum McGregor was a part of that. The continued reliance on him needs to be addressed for the next campaign.
But let’s be honest, this wasn’t vintage McGregor; it’s not all his own fault, but he needs more energy around him, so he can get back to his absolute best.
Luke McCowan – 4/10
Luke McCowan isn’t good enough to be a starter. That was proven by his performance against Rangers during the post-split fixtures.
But he can have those special moments, as he proved for the pass he made in the build-up to Hyunjun Yang’s equaliser.
Either way, it has been another campaign where you want McCowan to take a starting spot by the scruff of the neck, and he hasn’t done so.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 4/10
After an outstanding debut and a very crucial winning goal against Livingston, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain began to fade away.
He warmed the bench quite a lot during the post-split fixtures, and it’s probably the wise call for Celtic NOT to extend Oxlade-Chamberlain’s stay in Glasgow.
Would you extend Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s contract?
Benjamin Nygren – 7.5/10
Celtic’s enigma. The man who divides opinion. Yes, Benjamin Nygren should do more, but the fact of the matter is, he topped the goalscoring charts for Celtic this season.
When you take all of that into account, including that stunning goal against Motherwell at Fir Park, without those strikes, Celtic wouldn’t have won the title.
| Nygren’s Premiership games | Goals |
| 33 | 15 |
Daizen Maeda – 8/10
Several months ago, Maeda would have been lucky to get 5/10. That was the reality of his situation at the club.
But the reason why Celtic won every post-split fixture game was because of him. He went goal crazy and left his best until last.
| Maeda’s post-split games | Goals | Assists |
| 5 | 7 | 1 |
Sebastian Tounekti – 4/10
Sebastian Tounekti isn’t good enough to be a starter. He can carry the ball, looks technically sound and comfortable.
But the issue with the Tunisia star is his intent.
If Tounekti can get out of being an impact player to a regular starter, then Celtic will have a top, top player on their hands, but at best, this has been an average debut campaign from the winger.
Hyunjun Yang – 7/10
Celtic’s most improved players this season. To think that Yang could have left Celtic last summer, but ended the campaign as a regular starter, is a testament to the player himself.
Yang deserves his flowers for his performances this season. Some great, great goals, and now it’s about taking it to another level.
Kelechi Iheanacho – 7/10
Kelechi Iheanacho is only getting a strong rating because of his goals. At the end of the day, that’s his job.
But even for Celtic’s win over Dunfermline Athletic, he wasn’t fit enough to start, which is another bugging issue in his game and why he didn’t earn himself a higher rating.
- Others: Cameron Carter-Vickers (6/10), Alistair Johnston 8/10, James Forrest (5/10), Dane Murray 4/10), Benjamin Arthur (6/10), Paulo Bernardo (2/10), Joel Muvka (0/10), Junior Adamu (0/10), Michel-Ange Balikwisha (0/10), Tomáš Cvančara (3/10), Callum Osmand (7.5/10), Johnny Kenny (4/10), Jahmai Simpson-Pusey (2/10), Hayato Inamura (N/A), Shin Yamada (N/A), Stephen Welsh (N/A) and Adam Idah (4/10).
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