SHOW us your medals. It’s a well-worn phrase that footballers often spout out with the same kind of chest-thumping, posturing vigour of an ape at the height of the mating season. For some of the more stellar exponents of this roon ba’ game, a career of near constant success has left them with more dangling decorations than a North Korean general. For others, the shimmering spoils of footballing war can be few and far between.

Kenny McLean already has a League Cup winners’ medal. The problem is that the sight of it tends to stir up bitter sweet memories.

“It’s actually in Glasgow, at my mum and dad’s house but I’m sure that if we get this one on Sunday it will be staying in Aberdeen with me,” said the 24-year-old ahead of this today’s Betfred Cup showdown with Celtic at Hampden.

Read more: McInnes urges his troops to seize the Hampden moment

It is perhaps not surprising that McLean doesn’t feel a need to parade his badge of honour around. He was at St Mirren when the Paisley club beat Hearts 3-2 in the 2013 final but he didn’t play a part in that success. McLean was on the bench that day and remained in his tracksuit. As the champagne corks popped in jubilant abundance, McLean still celebrated this triumphant team effort but, like guests who just get invited to the night do at a wedding, there was a feeling of missing out on the showpiece.

"The medal will always be there but I don't look back and feel part of it,” he reflected. “At the time, the celebrations were good, the three or four days out. I was delighted for them that day but I felt a wee bit left out and couldn't really celebrate as much as the others. You could say I have unfinished business. This time, I've been involved right up to the final and I'm ready for Sunday.”

Read more: McInnes urges his troops to seize the Hampden moment

Having notched a timely brace in Aberdeen’s 3-1 victory at Inverness last weekend, McLean is in fine fettle ahead of the tussle with the Scottish champions.

In these times of austerity in the domestic game, the £300,000 Aberdeen lavished upon McLean when they plucked him from St Mirren last year looked like a king’s ransom.

“I don’t think they have done it (paid a fee) since, they realised it was a bad idea,” said McLean with a wry chuckle. There were offers to venture south but the prospect of trophy-winning opportunities in the Granite City convinced him to move to the north east.

“Coming here, you know it’s a massive club and that there are going to be chances of silverware,” he said. “As a player that’s what you want, to win as much in your career as you can. That is the aim and coming here you know this club should be challenging in two cups every year and we should be challenging at the top end of the league table. When I came here I probably didn’t realise how big it was but the following, and the fact we can take 2000-3000 to Inverness on a Saturday leading up to Christmas is brilliant. We should be having even more cup success. I had a long think about going down south. A lot of boys go there, they don’t play and they drift out of sight and out of mind. Here the manager said I would be part of his plans and that was very good to hear. It has proved to be a good move.”

A year after McLean had been part of a cup-winning squad with St Mirren, his current Aberdeen team-mate, Ryan Jack, was savouring glory of his own as the Dons overcame Inverness on penalties in the League Cup final. It was the first time Aberdeen had won a major prize since the Brig o’ Balgownie was officially opened – or so it felt like – and Jack is determined to ensure that the Pittodrie trophy cabinet is not gathering dust for another two decades. “There was a lot of pressure on that team,” said Jack as he reflected on the capture of Aberdeen’s first trophy since 1995. “Aberdeen may feel like a big city but everyone knows everyone and you do feel it. You can’t hide it. You can’t say you don’t feel the pressure. You do. Every day you would hear people saying ‘you’ve not won a trophy for 20 years, are you going to fail again? Are you going to let everyone down?’ But we didn’t. This time people will say we are underdogs but in our changing room we believe we can win it.

Back in those glory-laden times of yore, former Aberdeen captains like Willie Miller and Alex McLeish seemed to have clumps of silverware constantly attached to their hands. Things have been a bit more barren for subsequent Aberdeen skippers down the years but, as the current incumbent of the arm-band, Jack is keen leave his own mark on this roll of honour.

Read more: McInnes urges his troops to seize the Hampden moment

“When the manager asked me to take over the captaincy the first thing I thought about was how good it would be to be there with the rest of my team-mates leading us up the stairs to lift a trophy,” said the 24-year-old. “I’m sure every captain visualises himself doing the same. You want to make your mark and be remembered as a captain who has won something.

“You look at the captain’s board in the stadium and there are so many great names. Then you look down at the bottom of the list and see your own name. “You think ‘Jesus, I’m on a wall with so many legends and captains who have won something'. It just makes me want to go and lift a trophy like them.

“When I finish my career I will look back at my time at Aberdeen and think we got the club back to where it should be.”

A victory at Hampden today will keep them heading in the right direction.