KIERAN TIERNEY has revealed why he was delighted to be given the boot by a Celtic idol.
The 19-year-old Hoops left-back caught the eye of midfield magician Shunsuke Nakamura when he trained as a kid at Parkhead.
Tierney, who picked up his second Scotland cap in the dismal 3-0 World Cup loss in Slovakia on Tuesday, recalled: “Shunsuke was preparing to represent Japan in the 2010 World Cup and our team – I think it was the Under-12s or 13s – were doing a film.
“We didn’t know anything about Nakamura coming to train with us. We saw him come out of the tunnel and he joined in with us, doing passing and possession games.
“At the end of the session, he took his boots off and then he simply came over and handed them to me.
“He said through his translator that I was the best player that day, so I was really delighted about that.
“I was 11 or 12 years old and I watched him week in, week out.
“For him to notice me and say I was a good player that day was brilliant.”
Tierney took over from Honduran international Emilio Izaguirre last season to make the No.3 spot his own.
The youngster, who agreed a new four-year extension at the Hoops in August, has been an ever-present in Brendan Rodgers’ first team this term.
He is poised to make his 18th successive appearance against Motherwell at Parkhead this afternoon.
