Celtic’s success has been unprecedented in domestic terms, but for Nir Bitton, there have been stages of it where there was more pain than joy.
The Israeli played a key part in ensuring Celtic made it 10 consecutive domestic trophies in-a-row on Sunday. He came on for the final 25 minutes against Rangers to help shore up the defence, and just like his outing at Ibrox back in September, he never put a foot wrong in a memorable Betfred Cup final.
However, it hasn’t always been like that for him. A cruel knee injury forced him out for 11 months before he returned back in January. The devastating blow led to him not playing a major part in the 2017 Scottish Cup and 2018 Betfred Cup campaigns. In both seasons, he was also only able to play a bit part in either Premiership title success.
Thankfully, he’s been right in the thick of it this time around. After appearing against Dunfermline and Rangers, Bitton more than earned his medal. Yet, Speaking in the Scottish Sun, he expressed the “hurt” he had at having to watch on in recent years.
“I think you do appreciate these moments. I’ve been out for too long and, I can’t lie, it hurt me when I saw the team out celebrating all these trophies.
“You always fear the worst when you suffer these kinds of injuries. There was a moment when I was down and saying to myself my career could be finished.
“You need to spend time with your kids, your family and friends to learn to appreciate every moment. My family drove me on and played a big part in me coming back. Hampden was the reward.”
Bitton a symbol of Celtic’s squad strength
Celtic already had defensive injuries coming into Hampden. Hatem Abd Elhamed and Jozo Simunovic were both sidelined, leaving us with only one piece of centre-back cover in Bitton.
However, even if Bitton is only our fifth-choice in the position, he’s still proved himself to be wholly reliable. It’s also fair to note that Rangers hardly created an opening after the big Israeli came on.
You couldn’t not feel happy for Nir either. If ever a player deserved to make an impact in that final when you consider his injury pain, it was him. Incredibly, it’s the first cup final Bitton has played a substantial role in for Celtic since the Betfred Cup final of 2016. Nir did come on for the final minute against Hearts in May’s Scottish Cup final, but he hardly had a role to play.
He can look at the medal he picked up on Sunday and know he fully earned it. Even if he didn’t play the full match or even a full half, he was essential to ensuring that the defence remained glued together at a key stage of the game.
Kicking on now, it’ll be interesting to see what role Bitton has in the squad. Becoming a regular starter still seems optimistic when you look at the options we have in both midfield and defence.
But what was proven at Hampden is what he can hang onto. He continues to be one of the most reliable members of our squad, and continues to seldom let us down. He most certainly earned his reward for what has been an impressive recovery from a long-term injury.
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