Celtic star learns a €90m lesson on international duty as mammoth task comes with Parkhead benefits
He has been back-up at Celtic but in the team at national level.
He came up against an elite opponent on Sunday - and Celtic right-back Anthony Ralston says it can only stand him in good Parkhead stead.
The defender started for Scotland against Portugal in the Nations League, as a late Cristiano Ronaldo goal inflicted a 2-1 defeat upon Steve Clarke’s side. It built more international experience for the Celtic star, who has played deputy to Alistair Johnston at club level, after starting berths at Euro 2024.
This time around, he came up against AC Milan’s Rafael Leao, who is rated at €90m by Transfermarkt. That €90m lesson against a top Serie A star is something Ralston is happy to lap up as it is the level he wants to be at. It also equips him for similar tasks that appear with Celtic.
Ralston said: "He's a good player and I'll learn from games like that, coming up against those types of opponents. I relish it and take it head on. This is the level I want to play my football at.
“I respect that he's a quality player. But on the pitch I've got a job to do against a winger, one v one and I felt I did fine. I'll take confidence from that and use it going forward.
“Games like that, against that quality, can only help me for Celtic and Scotland in the future. It's great experience for me to play against a player like Leao. I need to learn from it and use it both at Celtic and when I'm called upon for Scotland."