Callum McGregor recalls first date with Hampden and how Rangers win began love affair for Celtic captain

It is almost 14 years now since Callum McGregor first played at Hampden Park and the old stadium hasn’t changed much since then.

Callum McGregor guided Celtic to success in last season's League Cup - his ninth taste of victory in a final at Hampden.

It still has plenty of critics, though McGregor isn’t among them. Whatever the colour of his jersey, whether it’s the green and white hoops of Celtic or dark blue of Scotland, he still gets a thrill from playing at the national stadium and has done since his first visit – for a Youth Cup final against Rangers in 2009.

Celtic won 2-1 after extra time on that occasion. It was at the same stage of the same competition the following year when McGregor really began to cement his love affair with Hampden. He scored a hat-trick in a 7-3 win over Queen of the South. Now 29, a glimpse of the stadium still makes him feel as giddy as a teenager.

It will be the same on Saturday afternoon when the Celtic team bus sweeps into the bowels of Hampden for his latest visit. The Parkhead side are preparing to take on Kilmarnock in their Viaplay Cup semi-final encounter. McGregor has recalled his first visit to the stadium and what it signified.

McGregor will lead his team out against Kilmarnock at the national stadium in the semi-final of the Viaplay Cup.

“You’re coming to play at the national stadium and it’s your first time here,” he said. “It would have been a cup final so that’s at stake as well. It’s just part and parcel of football when you grow up and you take that step into professional football. Everything becomes real all of a sudden and you have to get to the level otherwise you won’t have a career. Football makes you grow up quicker than most things.”

McGregor hasn't often had to walk off disappointed at Hampden, certainly not while on Celtic duty. For Scotland’s it’s been a slightly different story, but McGregor has won all nine finals in which he has featured for the Celtic first-team. He is bidding to make it to a tenth against Kilmarnock.

“When you look back on it then it’s obviously been good, but it just tells you that it’s our preparation that goes into these cup games,” he said, with reference to Celtic’s recent record at Hampden. “You have to get things right on the day and all these things have to go well for you, and that comes down to preparation. Again, it’s nice to look back on, but it won’t count for anything at the weekend.”

Despite having become a second home to him, he still gets a tingle of excitement when he nears Hampden Park. “You’re always on edge,” he said. "You’re always anticipating what’s going to happen next. Football is one of these sports where you can prepare the whole week and turn up on a Saturday and something happens. That’s just football.

“It’s always live. So, of course, you have that anticipation when you walk off the bus and think ‘how’s this going to go?’ That’s what keeps you alive and fighting to be successful. I never want to lose that. It’s the national stadium. When you come here, generally there are prizes at stake. That keeps you sharp as a footballer.”

The prize on offer on Saturday is only a ticket for the final. However, given McGregor’s record, victory against Killie and they might as well give the trophy to Celtic there and then.

Callum McGregor was promoting Viaplay’s exclusive live coverage of the Viaplay Cup match Celtic v Kilmarnock on Saturday at 17.30. Viaplay is available to stream from viaplay.com or via your TV provider on Sky, Virgin TV and Amazon Prime as an add-on subscription.