IT ALL ended in tears for Celtic captain Callum McGregor last season.
The 32-year-old influential midfielder may have led the team to a fourth successive title, their thirteenth flag in 14 years and their 55th crown in their glorious history.
McGregor also have netted from the spot in the dramatic penalty-kick shoot-out against Ibrox opposition as the Hoops lifted the Premier Sports League Cup after a tension-laden 3-3 stalemate at Hampden in mid-December.
Those memories were obliterated as the former Scotland international saw a spot-kick saved by Aberdeen keeper Dimitar Mitov in the Scottish Cup Final on May 24.
I’M IN CHARGE…Callum McGregor is ready for the challenges of a new season.
The Parkhead side, searching for a ninth treble, had been distinctly low-key all day as they stumbled to a 1-1 draw after extra-time before McGregor and Alistair Johnston missed from 12 yards.
The Dons made no mistake and the silverware was bedecked in red and white ribbons on its way to Pittodrie.
It was all too much for McGregor to take and he was comforted by boss Brendan Rodgers and back-up keeper Scott Bain at the end.
As he prepared for tonight’s match against Ajax in Como, the inspirational Celt said: “I think people believe we’re robots.
“But we’re not robots, we’re human beings. And I think if anybody didn’t know how much this club means to me before, then they probably do now.
“It’s a 24-hour thing that you live with every single day.
“And my job is to make this club successful. So, when that doesn’t happen, you feel responsible.
CROWNING GLORY…Celtic captain Callum McGregor and boss Brendan Rodgers with last season’s Premiership silverware.
“With the position you’re in, you take the pressure, you take the responsibility. And it goes all the way through your life.
“You can’t just switch it off.”
McGregor, speaking to the Scottish Sun, continued: “It’s a big pressure, but it’s something I like and it’s something I’ve thrived under and been successful more often than not.
“But when you have a sore one, it’s a reminder of how you need to keep pushing, keep learning and keep getting better.
“And you hopefully minimise those down days.
“With someone like the manager, when something like that happens, you feel like you’ve let him down.
“You also feel like you’ve let the team down and you’ve let the club down.
“You feel responsible in the good days and you feel responsible in the bad days as well.
“That’s something I’m quite proud of, that I take so much pride in what I’m doing.”
HAMPDEN HEROES…Callum McGregor and Celtic celebrate their Premier Sports League Cup triumph in December.
McGregor admitted having discussions with Rodgers about what lies ahead after the day he finally hangs up his boots.
He added: “He was asking what I fancy doing after I finish playing, not that he was trying to retire me or anything!
“That’s still a few years down the line. But I’ve always been involved in football, it’s pretty much all I know. And I want to continue to be involved in that, whether that be coaching or managing.
“I am going to continue to play and push my body as much as I possibly can. But at some point, that day will come.
“You want to be ready for that so you can decide what you do next.
“For now, another full season is coming with a lot of minutes and a lot of games. But I feel good. I feel like my body has been used to it for the last eight or nine years.
“However, you don’t quite know what’s in store for you.
“But I certainly want to stay in football.”
