Callum McGregor’s retirement from international football came as a bit of a surprise to many Celtic fans this weekend.
The Celtic captain had released a statement at the end of last week detailing his reasons for stepping aside from Scotland duty after having a meeting with Steve Clarke stating that the ‘time was right’ to move on from the international set-up.
McGregor had been a mainstay for Clarke ever since the Scotland boss got the national job in 2019 and helped guide the country to two major finals by making back-to-back Euros in 2020 and 2024.
And now that he has hung up his Scotland boots, McGregor marked the occasion in style with a superb goal against Hibs on Sunday afternoon.
SPFL pay tribute to Callum McGregor
And to mark that goal, the SPFL tweeted the footage of the fine striker with a message that all Celtic fans are likely to agree upon:
Scotland’s loss is absolutely Celtic’s gain as now the Hoops captain can enjoy a well-earned rest whenever the international breaks kick in.
Callum McGregor’s Scotland highlights
With 63 caps to his name, the last meaningful game McGregor missed for Scotland was back in November 2020 in a 1-0 defeat to Slovakia in the Nations League Group B.
Since then the Hoops captain has helped Scotland get promoted to group A after impressive wins against the likes of Spain, Norway and Denmark.
McGregor was also close to helping Scotland qualify for the 2022 World Cup after scoring in the 3-1 defeat to Ukraine at Hampden in the semi-final playoff game.
The Celtic captain is also the last Scotland player to score in major finals after his goal against Croatia in Euro 2020.
Callum McGregor has had a great Scotland career and now that it’s over, the Celtic fans will be looking forward to their captain extending his playing career as long as he possibly can now that he doesn’t have the rigours of international football to deal with.
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