With the World Cup currently taking place in Qatar, all eyes of football supporters have been on international football.
It is fair to say that watching countries from all over the world isn’t always everyone’s cup of tea, with supporters desperate to see their clubs back in action.
The 2022 World Cup has been an unprecedented event, taking place in the winter for the first time in its history.
This has impacted the schedules of leagues all over the world, including Scotland, with the top flight currently halted.
Despite not having our usual fix of Celtic in November and the beginning of December, supporters have been closely watching members of Ange Postecoglou’s squad in action.
Cameron Carter-Vickers, Aaron Mooy, Daizen Maeda and Josip Juranovic have all enjoyed some success at the tournament, reaching the knockout stages in Qatar.
Although some sections of the Parkhead faithful will enjoy seeing these players being successful on the biggest stage, they would much rather see them turning out in the green and white Hoops.
That being said, playing for your country is regarded as one of the best achievements you can attain, being just one of 11 players to be chosen to represent your entire nation.
So, for many of the current crop at Parkhead, featuring for their nation will be an extremely important factor during their time at the club.
Celtic’s international presence continues to grow stronger.
Playing for a club like Celtic allows players to play in front of one of the most passionate fan bases in world football and the chance to perform on the biggest stages, such as the Champions League.
So, with those benefits, the chance to play for your international side could arise, and that is certainly the case for much of Ange Postecoglou’s squad.
In the first half of the campaign, 20 out of the 26 senior members of the first-team squad have all turned out for their nation at least once.
And that number continues to grow, with Canadian international Alistair Johnston taking the tally to 21 after arriving at the club in the January window.
Whilst there are some members of Postecoglou’s side who are yet to play for their countries at senior level, there is very much a high possibility they will further down the line.
Key performers such as Matt O’Riley and Jota could easily be regarded as future prospects for their countries. Whilst another new addition, Yuki Kobayashi, will be hoping his move to Glasgow will increase his chances at a Japan call-up.
Although it may not be as good as seeing them turning out for Celtic, it is still great to see so members of the first team squad featuring for their nations.
Not only will it impact the current players at Celtic, but seeing these players performing on the international stage whilst at Parkhead could also affect the club’s future.
It shows any future transfer targets that playing for the Hoops gives you just as much of an opportunity of an international call-up as anywhere else does.
That can only be a positive thing, with Ange Postecoglou likely to be eying up more quality in the transfer window later down the line.
Here’s hoping we can continue to see that impressive number growing and even more Celtic stars featuring on the biggest international stage.
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