Matt O'Riley is Celtic's version of EE: Eloquent & elegant

He's Celtic's version of EE. O'Riley is as eloquent off the pitch as he is elegant on it. Well, he is certainly a mobile midfield provider of goals and assists.  He has already contributed six goals and seven assists in all competitions for his club cause this season.

Every now and again a player comes along whose ability just blows you away. Every now and again a player comes along whose intelligence just blows you away. Step forward O'Riley.

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The 22-year-old recently signed a new four-year deal tying him to the club until 2027. He really has become the poster boy for Celtic. He was for Ange Postecoglou. He certainly is for Brendan Rodgers. Celtic and their fan base should enjoy him while they can.

This is why the whole of the Celtic faithful rejoiced this week when O'Riley finally made his debut for Denmark in a 2-0 defeat against Northern Ireland in Belfast.

There was a genuine delight for the lad who Celtic plucked from MK Dons in League One for a bargain basement £1.5 million. He has since turned into a Champions League footballer and a fully-fledged Danish international, who the club will eventually be sold on for a Scottish record transfer fee.

O'Riley's Denmark debut was among a myriad of topics that the player chose to discuss as he did the obligatory press conference duty to preview Saturday's Scottish Premiership game against Motherwell.

He is a wise head on young shoulders. He doesn't run off at the mouth. He is a footballer who lets his feet and ability do the talking. More often than not though O'Riley also lets his words do the talking too.

READ MORE: Celtic's Matt O'Riley discusses positive mindset shift

He gave the Celtic supporters a valuable insight into his mindset when he was asked about his club form this season and the coping mechanisms he uses to deal with the mental side of the game. The answers he gave to the questions put to him were straight out of the top drawer.

Take these quotes for example which encompassed questions about his own contribution this season, working with Brendan Rodgers and what he does to retain his focus and not worrying anymore about scoring in every game.

O'Riley said: "I feel good. I feel stronger physically and mentally which is progress. I try and look at it from that perspective. As long as I’m improving naturally you’re heading in the right direction. I feel that I have improved a lot this season in various aspects which is positive.

"I have a clearer mind, first and foremost. I'm more open when I’m on the pitch. Secondly, I’m continuously getting into the right positions to score and then taking a little bit of pressure off of myself and not expecting myself to score every game. I'm just going into games trying to do my best for the team and naturally, you get your outcomes.

"I work a lot with Gavin Strachan in terms of clips after games and things we can do better. The big thing for me is just being in the best frame of mind in my head. Most people will say when you feel good in your head and mind it naturally translates onto the pitch. That’s something I try and give a lot of attention to on a daily basis.

I do loads (off the pitch). I meditate a lot, I speak with my friend/life coach who lives in India regularly. I work a lot with him in terms of speaking about things which I’ve kept inside me for a long time. I might have not necessarily had the courage to speak about it, but the knowledge to understand how to speak about it with somebody, so that’s helped me loads. That’s allowed me to be probably more of a well-rounded person. I’m more confident and open in speaking to people in general as a result of that. All of that as a collective has helped me stay consistently in a good frame of mind.

"I think you have to go through experiences when they come. I couldn’t have done it any differently than I did. I had to go through the phase where I didn’t score for a long time to know how to take that pressure the next time. It’s all a learning process, and naturally, there are going to be times that are tough and challenging, but I think if you can embrace those in the right way and look at them from a point of curiosity and learning then you can always get to a better place."

O'Riley gave a masterclass in media manipulation. An absolute masterclass. He handled it all with astonishing ease whilst laying bare some of the trade secrets that make him tick as a footballer.

'Life coaches, not having the courage to speak out about the mental side of the game, meditating, curiosity points and learning curves'.

Take a bow O'Riley, take a bow son. When do you ever hear footballers speak like this? What a sheer delight it was to hear O'Riley speak as open and as refreshingly honest as he did and also to see those words stare back at you in print.

O'Riley is clearly a deep and meaningful thinker. He thinks a lot about football and how he represents himself, his family and the game in the process. He speaks as impeccably about the beautiful game as he does whenever he is on the field actually playing it.

Furthermore, O'Riley is the epitome of everything that is wonderful in the modern-day footballer. He is also the epitome of everything that is wonderful about a modern-day footballer at Celtic. If there are any youngsters out there looking for a role model in the professional game they should look no further than O'Riley.

I'll wager a lot of footballers out there either watched or read O'Riley's thoughts and it struck a personal chord with them. In fact, it would have chimed with many people in any walk of life. It was all delivered with no hidden agenda and it came from deep within O'Riley's Celtic heart and soul. It's hardly surprising though, is it?

READ MORE: The rise and rise of Matt O'Riley by the coaches who shaped him

The Celtic Way recently spoke to some of the coaches and teammates who have helped shape O'Riley's career as we charted the incredible rise and rise of the player from his England U16 days right through to representing the full Denmark side.

Here's a snippet of some of what they had to say about O'Riley.

Dan Micchice (former England U16 coach): "Matt has a calmness about him and the way he wants to play the game and that's at his own pace. He likes to put his foot on the ball and slow it all down and has a real appreciation for retaining possession rather than forcing things. In British football, it can all be about tempo and intensity but Matt is a rather elegant young player."

Peter Grant (former Fulham coach): "He was a very willing learner and he is an intelligent boy. He speaks very well and he loves football. Some players play it but they don't actually like or love the game. Matt is different. He learned from watching others and he was a real student of the game. That was important and if you want to be the best then you have to watch the best."

Russell Martin (former MK Dons coach): "Matt's mentality was straight out of the top drawer. At MK Dons he was every manager's dream. He was the consummate professional in his preparation. He was really into that and the recovery side of the game. He was a real student of football and was genuinely interested in how he could take his game to the next level and be the best he could be."

Zak Jules (former MK Dons teammate): "Matt's footballing IQ alone was way ahead of everybody else's. He did things on a pitch that a lot of players at that level just didn't see in terms of his technical ability, vision and how he saw the game. He would play passes that nobody else on the pitch would be able to see which could be frustrating for him. Matt was playing world-class passes for MK Dons and he craved players who were on the same wavelength so they could latch onto them."

Jesper Sorenson (current Denmark U21 coach): "Matt's mentality is spot on and he is always looking for ways to improve himself. He is a mature guy and he is making good moves in terms of his career progression and development. He also showed maturity beyond his years committing his international future to Denmark. He was always inquisitive and curious and he asked how we could help him and how he could get better."

It's fair to say that on every level as a footballer and as a person O'Riley is a good egg. That's why you don't need Bacon around (Kevin that is) to promote Celtic's very own version of EE.

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