There aren’t many more popular players than Kieran Tierney.
Ask the Arsenal and Celtic supporters, and Tierney’s name is sung loud and proud by those fan bases, no matter where or what he is doing.
On Sunday, Tierney played his final home game for Arsenal when his side beat Newcastle United 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
This comes ahead of Tierney’s expected return to Celtic in the summer when his contract at the London club expires.
The 27-year-old has mainly played as a substitute under Mikel Arteta this term, including over the weekend, and he was welcomed onto the pitch like a hero for one final time.
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Kieran Tierney reacts to Arsenal fans’ actions ahead of Celtic return
During the dying minutes of the match, Tierney entered the pitch for Leandro Trossard, and the Arsenal fans cheered as loudly as Declan Rice’s goal from earlier in the second half.
There were chants of ‘there is only one Kieran Tierney‘ ringing around the Emirates Stadium, with the player himself calling the whole situation ‘mental’, as he told talkSPORT.
To further showcase the Celtic hero’s class, he added that ‘I don’t really know what I have done for them to love me like that’.
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“It was an emotional day,” said Tierney. “I knew it had been coming for a while, and the reception I got today was special as well.
“It was emotional (on walking off after the game). I kind of knew the feeling I would get, and with the reception I got.
“But, for the five or ten minutes that I was on, I had to put that to the side and focus, because it was a tough game. The last five minutes, we did have to really see it out.
On his popularity: “It’s mental. I don’t really know what I have done for them to love me like that. But I am very grateful. I think they can see that I do give everything. Every time, wherever I am asked to play, they know I will come on and do my best. I think that’s what they appreciate the most.”
One Celtic hero leaves, another returns…
It seems more and more likely now that Greg Taylor will in fact leave Celtic at the end of the season when his contract expires.
Taylor joined Celtic in 2019, just as Tierney left for Arsenal, but now his journey has come to an end after he lifted the Premiership title on trophy day on Saturday.
It’s a shame that Brendan Rodgers can’t have them together for the next campaign, because they would have been perfect together.
But it will be interesting to see what type of road Celtic go down when looking for another left-back option, alongside Tierney.