Everything Celtic right-back Alistair Johnston had to say in his first press conference since signing for the Scottish champions.

What has life been like since it was announced you were signing for Celtic?

It has been hectic. I tweeted about it a couple of times but the Celtic fans almost broke my phone. The outpouring of love has been pretty crazy. That doubled up with playing at a World Cup at the same time was a pretty crazy time in my life. I am excited to get here. Even in the town centre just walking around I’ve had people coming up and saying ‘congratulations- you’ve signed for the biggest club in the world' – it’s been a pretty unique and special welcome. 

As things stand you are the third international right-back at the club. What have you been told so far about how you will fit in?

I know that nothing is going to be given and everything is going to be earned. That’s something that all young aspiring footballers always want – an opportunity. And that’s something that this coaching staff has been very strong about. They want to play a certain way, they want young talented players who have an edge to them. I think I fit that mould and the other two right-backs do as well so I’ll have to fight for my place and hopefully earn some minutes. 

You played against Josip Juranovic at the World Cup. Did you get a chance to speak to him?

I did actually talk with him a little bit afterwards. I just said hello and he was really good about going out of his way to sure he came and found me even after a big 4-1 win for them. He’s a great player. He was one of the best players on the pitch and he’s been showing that the whole World Cup. Let’s hope Croatia keep doing what they are doing as potentially they could lift the World Cup. 

When did you first hear about Celtic's interest and what attracted you to come to the club?

Celtic probably came up about two months ago. It is funny because I was still at Montreal and I brought it up to Victor Wanyama and he said 'there is nothing quite like Celtic' and everywhere he goes fans still speak about his time here. He said 'the fans are unbelievable, the club is known all over the world and it is a place you want to be'. When I heard that glowing recommendation, my mind was pretty set on Celtic.

You are not fearful of the pressure that comes with that, are you?

If you are a professional athlete you want to be put under that pressure as then you really find out who you are. Talking to the manager he said, 'go and enjoy the World Cup, enjoy being out there. Once you get a taste for that, it’s hard to ever go back to something less than that'. He said that’s why he thinks Celtic is such a good fit for me as it’s 60,000 fans every week and the pressure is there constantly but that I’d relish that. Once you get a little bit of a craving for it, you can’t get enough of it. So that was a big thing for me as well. 

Does the style of play suit you?

Celtic’s style is to my liking. It’s exactly how I like to play the game. Obviously it’s very attacking here and the Scottish Premiership is a good fit for me as well. It’s a physical league. Growing up in a sort of British household has prepared me for it. It’s something that my family is super excited for and so I am. It feels like a match made in heaven for me. When Celtic came calling it was a pretty easy decision. 

How big a draw was the manager in coming to Celtic?

Massive to be honest. For myself, you want to make sure you aren’t going somewhere where you are just going for the name. You want to go somewhere where you are truly wanted and are in their plans. Just by talking to him, we seem to have similar pasts, even though they are different. He’s had a different pathway to most managers and he understood what it’s like playing in a. Bit more of an obscure league – the way the MLS is for Europeans. He’s also been in the J League. I could see how much he knew about the game. How much he cared for giving young players an opportunity. And also how he’s done with his recruiting. He’s gone into those smaller leagues from all around the world and found players that no one has heard of necessarily like myself. Hopefully I can be another one in that long line of players who he’s brought over that have shown – not just Scotland but the whole of Europe – that they can play. 

How was the World Cup?

Really good. It is the first time in 36 years that Canada has qualified for the World Cup. So it was great to see that passion back again. The growth of the game in Canada over the last two years is night and day. I have been with the national team for about 18 months when we were playing in front of zero fans during covid to a packed stadium at the end of the qualifying campaign. Canada is so multicultural that the passion for football is there but so often you cheer for your country of heritage rather than Canada. It was cool to see how much it meant to the people back home for us to be on the biggest stage. It was important for myself to show we belonged on that world stage against the best. We did that against Belgium. It was disappointing to come out with zero points but when you see the teams, it was a really solid group. I think it is a great launch pad for the 2026 World Cup.

Celtic Way:

How far does your relationship with Scottish Football go?

My dad’s side is English and Scottish. My mum is from Northern Ireland so growing up football was our main sport We played a little bit of hockey in the winter which brought a little bit of grit. My entire childhood was waking up and watching the Premier League and the Champions League and of course seeing Celtic on some of those big nights. For me it’s always been one of those clubs that I’ve been drawn to. I always look at it like this, if there’s a full slate of games going on in the Champions League and Celtic’s playing, I want to watch the Celtic match no matter who they are playing – just to see the atmosphere. You can just tell how much more it means to this fanbase. We’ve had a couple of players with the national team who have played in Scotland and they’ve said the league’s a blast. And obviously Celtic is the cream of the crop. It’s cool to live out that childhood fantasy. 

What sort of players do you model yourself on?

I’ve been compared to a lot of different players down the years but the one that often comes up, and my national team manager uses, is (Cesar) Azpulicueta at Chelsea. Just because of the ability to play in a back three, four or five. That flexibility he brings is just super consistent. Definitely, I have a lot of physicality to me. I’m a pretty big full-back to a degree but maybe an undersized centre back so I’m maybe in that grey area. I just love to defend and get up and down and put balls into the box. 

Aims for the season?

We have some goals. I haven't discussed everything with the group to find out where everyone's head is at. For myself, I want to earn some minutes when I am available in January. Watching from afar the first half of the season has been unbelievable. Hopefully we can keep this momentum going. That will be difficult with the World Cup break in there. The plan is just to keep doing what we are doing and if I can help at all then I will be more than happy to do that. 

How inspiring is it to see Josip Juranovic doing so well at the World Cup?

He’s an unbelievable player. He was one of the guys when I walked off the pitch after we played Croatia that I thought: Yeah, he’s a top, top player. Just his ability to take space. He just sees space in front of him, he doesn’t think twice and dribbles right into it. You think, what a great decision again. That’s special. I haven’t really met him yet, but whenever you get a chance to see someone that, hopefully, I will be close with in the near future and you get to see them competing at this high, high level, not only that but representing your country at a World Cup. For him to be a starter, to be a massive part of that Croatia team and be contributing out there, I think it is really special for him and only going to build on his confidence. He is definitely the type of guy I would look up to as a full-back. I think there are a lot of things from his game that I would love to add to mine that can definitely help me take another step altogether as a player.

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