World Cup-bound Scotland star wins first major honour with European club amid Celtic transfer links
Defender serves up a timely pre-World Cup boost and is now eyeing a domestic double
Celtic-linked Scotland international Scott McKenna has clinched the first major honour of his career after helping Dinamo Zagreb regain the Croatian title in his first season.
The former Aberdeen and Nottingham Forest defender made history last summer after becoming the first ever Scot to play in the Balkan nation when he joined Dinamo on a three-year deal from relegated La Liga side Las Palmas, exercising a release clause in his contract.
And the 29-year-old centre-back - who is set to win his 50th Scotland cap in next month's friendly against Curacao at Hampden - led the celebrations after he grabbed an assist in a 2-1 win over Varazdin to officially clinch the title.
The championship was effectively sealed prior to Sunday’s clash due to the goalless draw between reigning champions HNK Rijeka and second-placed Hadjuk Split in the earlier kick-off.
And Dinamo moved 15 points clear of their nearest challengers at the top of the table with four games remaining as they cruised to their 26th league title, and wrestled the silverware back from Rijeka in the process.
It marks the first winners' medal that McKenna has won in his career, having quickly established himself as a mainstay in the team. He has made 40 appearances across all competitions thus far, contributing two goals and three assists.
Boss Mario Kovacevic praised his squad, admitting: “The players deserve all the credit for this. We brought in some new signings and they have been incredibly good for us. We wanted to end the story with a win and we managed that and now we are ready to celebrate. The players deserve that.
“Next we have a Cup Final to prepare for too and we will do everything to win that.”
McKenna eyes domestic double in pre-World Cup boost
McKenna will now attempt to complete a domestic double when Dinamo face Rijeka in the Croatian Cup final on May 13 before they finally get their hands on the league trophy at Maksimir Stadion on May 23 in their final home match of the campaign against Lokomotiva.
Their league triumph means Dinamo have also secured their place in next season’s UEFA Champions League qualifiers, where they will start in the second qualifying round in July with three rounds to navigate to reach the competition’s lucrative League Phase.
It has been a debut season to remember for McKenna after playing a key part of the club’s Europa League knockout stage campaign, finishing 23rd in the 36-team table before going out in the play-off round at the hands of Belgian outfit K.R.C. Genk after a 6-4 aggregate defeat in extra-time.
McKenna, who has been mooted with a move to Celtic over the last two transfer windows, previously tasted success with Nottingham Forest where he won the Championship play-off final in 2022 to earn promotion to the English Premier League.
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