Celtic right-back Hatem Abd Elhamed has issued a classy response when asked about his club compared to Rangers.
The Israeli defender has had a cracking start to the season with the Parkhead side. Celtic have won six of their eight games in the league so far this season, including a successful 2-0 win at Ibrox. In addition to that, we’ve also qualified for the Europa League and have managed four points from two games.
However, that didn’t stop Sheyi Ojo of Rangers coming out and claiming his side were the best in Scotland. This was at a time when Celtic were top of the league (Daily Record).
But speaking in the Daily Record, Elhamed issued a classy response when asked about where he views his own side in comparison to Rangers.
“I only want to focus on our games. I don’t want to compare us with another club, I just focus on Celtic.
“With Celtic you switch between league and European games very quickly but we are all professional and we need to deal with that.
“It’s about switching your mind and mentality. The games are not always the same, there are different stadiums and atmospheres all the time. But you always need to go and do your best.”
No arrogance, no boasting, and no delusion
Elhamed has always come across as an extremely down-to-earth player. There’s never been any sort of delusion from him about how well Celtic could do. He very much seems to live in the moment and looks only to the next game.
In the long run, that’s a mentality that’s going to breed success at Parkhead. We need all of our players pulling in that direction, and Elhamed has shown a tremendous attitude since joining the club.
At the same time, he’s showing Ojo how to come across in his interviews. Elhamed has taken the classy route here, whilst Ojo took the arrogant one. It was disappointing to see that from the Rangers man, but you wouldn’t expect anything different from Elhamed.
This is the kind of humble attitude that has led us to a treble-treble success. Meanwhile, our rivals’ constant boasts of grandeur have never truly come to pass. They’re without a major trophy since dropping down the divisions, as Celtic continue to mop up everything on offer.
We haven’t even denied that we’re in a battle this season. It’s clear Rangers have improved, but attitude goes a long way in football.
Elhamed is representative of a dressing room that has so much success but plenty of humility. Over at Ibrox? It appears to be the exact opposite.
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