Carl Starfelt rose like the price of housing to produce yet another superb headed clearance in the final seconds to get Celtic over the line last weekend at Hampden in the Cup semi-final.
Supporters and pundits were waxing lyrical about the bravery and brilliance of Cameron Carter-Vickers and rightly so. Make no mistake, were it not for the brilliance of Reo Hatate, the American would be my Player of the Year in Scotland. For all the headlines and the magic produced by the attacking players, Carter-Vickers is huge and has a presence that makes him priceless for the team.
But I can’t help thinking he is complemented brilliantly by his partner who never gets the same recognition when it comes to assessing the champions-elect. Starfelt is an absolute giant in Ange Postecoglou’s backline and due a whole load more credit than he gets from outside that dressing room. The Swedish international is every bit as important to Celtic’s defence as Carter-Vickers and it’s like people have a long-term memory complex.
