HE still has some way to go to overtake his close friend and Celtic mentor Scott Brown in the Parkhead club’s all-time European appearance list.
It would, though, be foolish to bet against Callum McGregor, who tonight became only the third player in the Glasgow giants’ history to become a centurion in continental competition, to eclipse the tally amassed by his predecessor as captain in the seasons ahead.
McGregor was his usual composed and commanding self in the middle of the park as the Scottish champions bossed long periods of the Champions League league phase match against Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia, ground out a 0-0 draw and edged a little closer to achieving their ultimate European ambition.
The statistics at full-time spoke volumes about how well Celtic had performed against Dinamo in the Maksimir Stadium – they enjoyed 69 per cent possession during the course of the 90 minutes, played 642 passes and enjoyed an 88 per cent accuracy rate.
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The visitors’ captain might not have made any jinking breaks down the wing like Nicholas Kuhn, might not have slid in and blocked any shots on the line like Cameron Carter-Vickers, might not have given the hosts’ rearguard a torrid evening like Kyogo Furuhashi.
But where would Celtic be without the intelligence and assurance of their 31-year-old talisman? Not on the verge of reaching the knockout round play-offs, of progressing to the next stage of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 2012, that is for sure.
The former Scotland internationalist won the ball repeatedly, brought his team mates into the game, got upfield and supported attacks when play allowed and tracked back and mucked in with defensive duties whenever that was required. He did it all in his usual understated style.
Paulo Bernardo was once again preferred to Arne Engels alongside Reo Hatate and McGregor in midfield and the Portuguese, a £3.5m acquisition from Benfica in his homeland this summer, more than justified his inclusion.
The cynics will suggest the starting line-up shows that Belgian internationalist Engels, who Celtic lavished a record £11m on on the final day of the summer transfer window back in August, has been a disappointing acquisition.
But the Belgian internationalist, who came on for Bernardo as Luke McCowan replaced Hatate in the 65th minute, is still just 21 and needs time to adapt to the system which his new club play.
He has shown occasional glimpses of why it required such a substantial outlay to secure his services since arriving in this country and did so again tonight. He came agonisingly close to setting up Adam Idah for a winner with two minutes of regulation time remaining after making a perfectly-timed run and linking well with James Forrest. But he is very much a long-term project.
Joe Hart, who was on co-commentary duties for duties for host broadcaster TNT Sports, outlined what the former Club Brugge kid has to do to establish himself when he spoke before kick-off. “You have to learn to play with Callum McGregor,” he said. “Everything goes through him.”
Indeed it does. He won a free-kick on the edge of the Dinamo penalty box and picked out Auston Trusty with a pinpoint delivery to the back post in the first-half and then teed up McCowan for a shot in the second.
Zagreb are far from the most formidable European opponents who Celtic will face this season even though they have drawn with Monaco and beaten RB Salzburg and Slovan Bratislava in the past four months. They were missing a raft of first team regulars. Still, no away result in Europe is to be sneered at.
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This was far from the best display by Brendan Rodgers’ side in the Champions League this term. They rode their luck at the back at times and failed to capitalise on the half-chances they created in the final third. A point was a fair return for their endeavours when the final whistle blew. But they are now undefeated in four outings.
Rodgers threw on Idah for Furuhashi and Forrest, who racked up his 117th European appearance, for Daizen Maeda in the closing stages. There was never any chance of the Northern Irishman removing his skipper from the field. McGregor is the heartbeat of his side.
The Scot has played more competitive football than any other top class professional in the world game in the past. But it has seldom affected the standard of his performances. Retiring from international football will ensure he can continue at this rarefied level for some time to come and add to his appearance haul.
The meeting with Young Boys next month is now of massive importance for Celtic. Parkhead will be filled to capacity and bouncing when the Swiss club visit. But Callum McGregor is sure to be calmness personified on what promises to be another night to savour in the East End of Glasgow.
