THE PRESSURE OF CELTIC: ALISTAIR JOHNSTON’S HONESTY IS AN EXAMPLE TO US ALL
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- Jun 26
- 2 min read
Footballers are just people like us.
They might have more money, they might enjoy the kind of widespread adulation that most of us can only dream of, but they are still, nonetheless, prone to exactly the same ailments as all of us.
At Celtic, Alistair Johnston Faced Mental Challenges. His Bravery in Talking About it Deserves Praise
In an interview recorded this week, Celtic’s Canadian international right-back Alistair Johnston spoke frankly about the daunting challenges he faced early in his Celtic career.
He talked about the pressure, the anxiety that came with being thrust into the spotlight, of being recognized in the street every day, and not always by people who were happy to see him.
It speaks volumes to just how massive a club Celtic are, that all this was coming from a guy who signed for us just after absolutely bossing it at The World Cup for his country and making football look easy.
Johnston also talked about the toll these mental struggles had on his play on the pitch at the time. He freely admitted that his diminished mental health impacted his performance, and prompted him to seek help.
After consulting a sports psychologist, and opting to move away from his previous home in Glasgow’s west end, he now appears far more settled and a lot happier in his life in Scotland.
I was also delighted to read that he recently got married. Congratulations to Alistair and his lovely lady.
It’s kind of sad though, that at a time of year when we all know the media are struggling for stories about Celtic and our rivals, that no mainstream outlets chose to write positively about Alistair Johnston’s proactive approach to dealing with his own mental wellbeing, and his willingness to discuss it publicly.
This should be a big story. Suicide remains a major killer among young men across the world, and Scotland is no different. Men’s mental health is one of the biggest health crises of our time, yet very few men feel comfortable directly talking about it.
I’ve been open about it myself. Anyone who watches ACSOM regularly will know that I’ve faced mental health battles in my life, some of which are still ongoing.
It is to the Celtic support’s huge credit, that whenever I do find myself discussing these issues on the ACSOM Bulletin, the responses are almost uniformly positive and supportive.
I’m glad that we live in a world now where Alistair Johnston feels comfortable discussing mental and emotional health publicly. If his words encourage even one Celtic fan out there who is facing a hard time now to seek the help they need, then it’s all been absolutely worthwhile.
And to anyone else out there who is struggling, I say this: talk to somebody, anybody. Don’t hold it in. Speaking up is the first step to a better way forward.
Take Care everyone. Remember, You'll Never Walk Alone.
