GK - Fraser Forster - England
Big Fraser Forster has shown up time and time again for Celtic in his two stints for the Scottish champions. Originally coming on loan in 2010, Forster was a fitting successor to Artur Boruc. With his first Glasgow stint from 2010-2014 and his second stint beginning earlier this season since coming on loan from Southampton, the Englishman has played in 236 matches for Celtic. Forster has also recorded 118 clean sheets and has produced some incredible performances against Barcelona and most recently in Celtic’s Europa League campaign and their latest League Cup final win over Rangers. Forster has been a part of three SPFL titles, two Scottish Cups, and two Scottish League Cup titles.
RB - Mikael Lustig - Sweden
Mikael Lustig signed for Celtic in 2012 after spending the previous four years with Rosenborg. The Swede made 276 appearances and won 16 major honours.
His only real competition was Adam Matthews, and while Lustig had some questionable moments, he was a great servant.
CB - Virgil van Dijk - Netherlands
Pretty unanimously chosen as the most talented footballer in Celtic’s recent history. The goal-scoring defender appeared in 115 matches, where he scored 15 goals and provided seven assists. Van Dijk won three SPFL titles and one Scottish League Cup title from 2013-2015.
CB - Kristoffer Ajer - Norway
Kristoffer Ajer has been a solid central defender for the Bhoys since signing in 2016 from Norwegian side IK Start. The Norwegian international has appeared in 129 matches for Celtic, scoring five goals and providing three assists, primarily used as a central defender.
Celtic haven’t had many Norwegians in recent years, but Ajer is the loan standout. Ajer has been thrown in difficult situations and been able to make the most of them. His versatility has still had one complaint as his big frame isn’t a great threat for offensive set pieces. The center back pairing of Kristoffer Ajer and Virgil Van Dijk would be scary for attackers.
LB - Emilio Izaguirre - Honduras
A truly great servant to Celtic and a huge hit with the supporters. The Honduran international spent two separate stints with Celtic, his first from 2010-2017 before returning for a short time in the 2018-19 season. All in all, Izaguirre was a part of seven SPFL titles, four Scottish Cups, and three Scottish League Cup titles.
CM - Scott Brown - Scotland
Easy to see why Brown is in this team: is it really a modern Celtic without the involvement of Scott Brown? I certainly don’t think so. Broony has now been the captain for a decade. Since signing from Hibernian in 2007, Brown has won 20 trophies with the Bhoys, including nine SPFL titles, five Scottish Cups, and six Scottish League Cups. With 556 appearances to his name, Brown has recorded 45 goals and 60 assists.
One of the few true ‘hard men’ left in football, Brown would obviously captain this side, and he easily earns his place in a talented midfield line from the past decade.
CM - Victor Wanyama - Kenya
Another midfielder of great quality, Victor Wanyama donned the famous number 67 in his time with Celtic. The Kenyan signed in 2011 from former Belgian side Beerschot AC, who were dissolved in 2013. Wanyama appeared in 91 matches, scoring 13 goals and providing nine assists while winning two SPFL titles and one Scottish League Cup.
Wanyama was a player of real quality in his time at Celtic, with his biggest goal coming from a corner kick against Barcelona in the club’s famous 2-1 victory over the Catalan side on Celtic’s 125th anniversary at Paradise to revive their Champions League campaign.
CM - Tom Rogic - Australia
The greatest Aussie since the stunning goal-scoring record of former Celtic forward Scott McDonald. Since moving to Celtic Park in 2013, Rogic has appeared in 189 games where he has scored 38 goals and provided 34 assists. The 27-year-old has also won six SPFL titles, four Scottish Cups, and three League Cups. That goal in extra time against Aberdeen to secure the first of three consecutive trebles will be remembered for some time.
FW - Anthony Stokes - Ireland
A man often forgotten about, Anthony Stokes has had an eventful career. Signing for Celtic in 2010 from Hibernian, Stokes scored 76 goals and provided 64 assists for the Hoops in 192 appearances, which brought five SPFL titles, two Scottish Cups, and a Scottish League Cup before he slowly realised his time at Celtic was over in 2016.
As a versatile forward, Stokes would be able to play wide as a great attacking threat.
FW - Georgios Samaras - Greece
An extremely favourable character for Celtic, the Greek international signed for the Hoops in 2008 from Manchester City. Samaras appeared in 253 matches for Celtic, where he scored on 74 occasions. He won four SPFL titles, two Scottish Cups, and one Scottish League Cup.
This was an easy decision considering he was the best forward not from France or Scotland. Samaras used to play wider than a typical forward, which also provided the more typical striker to have another wide player to connect with.
FW - Odsonne Edouard - France
French Eddy oozes quality in every aspect of his game. Edouard came to Celtic in 2017 on loan from Paris Saint-Germain and has starred ever since. He’s appeared in 126 matches, scoring 60 goals and providing 31 assists. The Frenchman has won two SPFL titles, two Scottish Cups, and two Scottish League Cups with Celtic.
This choice was Eddy and Moussa Dembele and was an extremely difficult decision.
Substitutes
GK – Lukasz Zauska – Poland
CB – Dedryck Boyata – Belgium
CB – Jozo Simunovic – Croatia
CM – Joe Ledley – Wales
CM – Nir Bitton – Israel
CM – Ki Sung-yueng – South Korea
FW – Teemu Pukki – Finland
Manager – Neil Lennon – Northern Ireland
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