Alistair Johnston is not only one of Celtic's best players at the moment, he's also one of the most well-spoken in front of the media.
Wearing his passion on his sleeve, the Canadian full-back is often found speaking enthusiastically about his team-mates, his manager and just about anyone else associated with the club.
To this end, his press conferences often run a little longer than others – including manager Brendan Rodgers' – and it's this personality quirk he was advised to rein in when taking the Celtic pre-match huddle recently as captain.
Having stood in for Callum McGregor earlier this season, Johnston spoke to Canadian outlet Times Colonist about the advice he was given beforehand.
He said (via 67Hail Hail): "They gave me some good advice because they know how much I like to talk. They just said: 'Keep it short'.
“[It was] a massive honour, especially being Canadian… [Celtic] is a very storied football club."
Read more:
- Why Celtic's full-backs are so crucial to success under Rodgers
- Key Celtic player 'on brink' of bumper new contract
Johnston added: "You learn that it’s not the same as playing for an MLS team. In Nashville and Montreal I could walk through the streets and not get any abuse.
"Over here, every single person knows who you are and they either love you or they hate you.
"[When I walk my dog at night] it’s normally under pretty heavy disguise. The passion for the sport there, it’s second to none.
"It’s something I’ve learned, that I’m not going to be there forever so cherish it while you are there because it’s not normal — and it’s not normal to a lot of cities in the world and it’s not normal to a lot of players, no matter what club you play for.
"It’s definitely a unique experience but I’ve enjoyed it."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here