"It's been absolutely incredible"; Carl Starfelt loving life at Celtic Park after debut season

By David Walton

May 16, 2022

Celtic centre-back Carl Starfelt has admitted that he’s loving life after an “absolutely incredible” debut season at Parkhead.

Starfelt has had to go through the wringer since signing in a £4m to join the Hoops in the summer [Scottish Sun]. The big Swedish international has been unfairly criticised throughout the campaign despite being a part of the strongest backline in the country.

He’s had to deal with constant negativity coming his way with the positive performances not being acknowledged widely enough by those happy to have a go at him for any mistake.

But even so, Starfelt has flourished at Celtic Park over the course of the campaign and appears to have enjoyed his first 12 months in Glasgow.

As quoted by the Scotsman, he said: “It has been absolutely incredible. I couldn’t have asked for a better first year of my Celtic career.

“It has been an incredible journey and we have enjoyed every moment of it. Also it was very nice after putting in all this hard work all year to be able to celebrate it in style with the fans. You can see how much it means to all the Celtic fans out there. It really is the best feeling.

“I knew that when you come to Celtic you have the demands on you and the goal will always be to become the champions. Obviously we had a bit of a rough start but we always kept believing in ourselves and in the team. I think that makes it even better. Everyone doubted us, a lot of people didn’t think it would be possible for us to stand here as champions but here we are today and it just makes it even better.”

Carl Starfelt has become an instant hero at Celtic Park

There’s a reason the Celtic supporters are a lot more appreciative of what Carl offers us than some in the media. We see him on a weekly basis and know exactly what he provides this football club. The same can’t be said for those who only seem to notice him when he misplaces a pass.

Starfelt has become a hero amongst the Celtic support at Parkhead. It’s not just built on the back of being a Hoops player either. It’s to do with solid performances against some of the best strikers in the country.

Starfelt has come up against the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Kemar Roofe, Kevin Nisbet, and Liam Boyce to name a few. He’s kept all of them quiet. Alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers, Celtic have been absolutely flawless at the back.

We’re now at the stage where it’s not even a debate as to whether he can cut it here or not. Again, anyone who’s seen Starfelt in action on a consistent basis will know the answer to that question.

Yes, Celtic should indeed move quickly to try and tie down a new centre-back this summer. We could certainly do with another body in there to compete with CCV and Starfelt.

But in terms of this season, Starfelt has bee one of the standout performers.

In other news, Nir Bitton discusses what he wants to do next after Celtic departure