What mum and dad got Kieran for Christmas.... this classic Celtic strip
What do you get the Bhoy who has everything for Christmas? Tierney’s so Hoops daft he asked for a retro top from Santa then pulled it on to party with fans in Tenerife
KIERAN TIERNEY is so obsessed with Celtic he asked for a retro kit at Christmas.
And the youngster typified his down-to-earth attitude by sticking the shirt on and having a day out with punters during a recent holiday to Tenerife.
Quite simply Tierney’s life revolves around Celtic. At 20 he might have a six-year Hoops contract in his pocket and be attracting £25million glances from clubs such as Manchester United.
But inside there are times when he still feels like a kid waiting outside in the car park on a matchday for an autograph.
Tierney gets a new Celtic shirt twice a week to star for his team but that didn’t alter his Santa list after clapping eyes on one from 10 years before he was born.
He said: “It was the CR Smith centenary year strip. That was the only thing I could think of. Before Christmas they always bring stuff in from people for you to sign. I saw this t-shirt and thought, ‘This one is a belter’.
“So I tried it on and said, ‘Right, get me one of them for Christmas’. I got a bit of slagging for it but do people not know I’m a Celtic fan?”
It’s obvious if Tierney wasn’t playing for the champions he’d be in the stands watching them. He’s a supporter and that’s the reason why when some players would hide away from their public the defender thinks nothing of putting himself out there.
Last week during a break to Tenerife before heading to Dubai he arranged a day out with fans. Slapping his new Christmas present on, Tierney headed for a pal’s bar.
He said: “It was a Celtic pub. They asked me to pop in and it was good to see the fans as well.
“There are moments I pinch myself. For people to come and see you when they’re on their holidays, it’s crazy. There’s maybe 100 or so people there to see me with just around an hour’s notice.
“The guy put it on social media. It killed me, it cost me about 100 rounds!
“I’ve gone from just a young boy to people wanting pictures. I said to the owner of the bar if I was a Celtic fan on holiday and a Celtic player was coming I’d be buzzing about it. So if have that opportunity to do that for somebody I’d do it.
“If it makes them happy for that day I’ll do it. Being a Celtic fan you know that. Everyone around me is the same and my full life is Celtic.
“Even though I started playing football at seven I can’t really remember anything before that and it has always been about Celtic for me. It’s not a chore.” Tierney’s popularity stems from his passion and his talent. But his durability is also an impressive asset and has brought about a stunning statistic. He has played more minutes than any other outfield player in all of Europe’s top leagues this season, 3607, equating to 40 matches in 169 days – or one game every four days since July.
The mid-season break is crucial to Tierney who said: “It’s mental. You think of all the top teams and the hundreds of games they play but when you think about the amount we’ve had on top of international games it’s been hectic right from pre-season.
“I’ve never seen it as work. It’s hard at times when you’re growing up and having to get up at 6am to go to the school Celtic send you to and you don’t even play at the weekend. But it makes you mentally tougher.
“It helps me now I’m getting older to deal with different situations. Scott Brown doesn’t call it work either. He just loves football, playing and training, so hopefully I can aspire to be like him.
“My match fitness is probably the best it’s been because you play then recover then play.
“You don’t have time to train because there’s no time. That’s why this break and the second half of the season isn’t that bad. You do need a break. I think I’ve played more games this season already than I did in the whole of last season. So for me to do that over a three or four-month spell is crazy.
“But I had a few days off and I’ve come back fresh and ready to go.”
Even links to Old Trafford don’t faze him. Tierney said: “When top clubs like that are said to be showing an interest it’s flattering because it means you’re doing something right.
“But I’ve just signed one of the longest-term deals at this club and I couldn’t be happier with it. I was buzzing.
“I’ve been here for 13 years now and if it was up to me I wouldn’t put it past me (staying forever).”