'It shouldn't be overlooked that a footballer is a person' - Celtic's Matt O'Riley appeals for better understanding

Celtic’s Matt O’Riley has urged caution in seeing footballers as public property and not people.

Celtic's Matt O'Riley during a photocall to promote the launch of Celtic's walking football programme in collaboration with Parkinson's UK and Glasgow Life at Toryglen Regional Football Centre. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

The 22-year-old midfielder appears to have everything going for him. The Danish under-21 international has the opportunity to claim his second straight Scottish league winners’ medal when on Saturday Ange Postecoglou’s men face Hearts at Tynecastle – the stadium where he made his debut following a £1.5million move from MK Dons 16 months ago.

O’Riley’s life has changed beyond all recognition since then, with the playmaker becoming a vital cog in a Celtic side all-conquering in their domain and now on course to claim a domestic treble. However, a superb debut campaign, and an equally impressive first half on this season, gave way to a form dip across the winter months that he has hinted was impacted by unspecified personal issues. These appear to have been overcome as O’Riley has recently regained both his place and the poise that made him such a celebrated signing. But his experiences have made him sensitive to the judgements being made on those in his profession through their public personas, and reading too much into anyone’s on-line presence.

“There is stuff off the pitch that might not always be obvious to the naked eye, and probably gets overlooked because you’re seen as a footballer instead of as a person,” he said. “I’m in a good place mentally [now] and usually when that’s the case, the rest takes care of itself. Social media is a platform where people only post the good things in their life. People don’t go on there and say they’re having a really bad day. That doesn’t really happen. That’s where we all have to be a bit careful, and bear in mind when you’re looking at someone’s Instagram that you’re only seeing the good things in their life. I’m sure that every single person posting things like that has something dark going on behind the scenes as well. I genuinely only use social media to post, other than that I don’t check it at all because I don’t think it does me any good.”

Adjusting to the intense glare under which the players of Celtic, and Rangers, find themselves as the country’s celebrities must be far from straightforward. O’Riley, though, intimates that he has faced different challenges in coping with the demands placed on him by his job. “[Those] come more from pressure in my own head than externally,” he said. “As much as external noise has some effect, the only pressure I have comes from the standards I set myself every day. In the season, and last season, I set quite a high bar, so maintaining that level and looking to improve on it was always going to be tough. I’m still pretty young as well so have a lot still to learn. I’m getting better at trying not to be so hard on myself. There have been times in the past when I’ve not had as good a game as I wanted to, and then there are little things you carry with you. I don’t think that’s a good approach to have, because you end up taking them into training. That’s something I’ve improved on a lot and I think that’s why you now see me in a better place on the pitch.”

"If you care so much about what you do, it puts extra weight on your shoulders. But that’s not to say I don’t love it. Even all these bad times, I’m going to look back on them with enjoyment because they taught me so much about myself and about football in general.”