Leigh Griffiths has insisted that every player within the Celtic dressing room immediately appreciated the significance of what they achieved at Hampden on Saturday afternoon.
Brendan Rodgers’ side claimed victory over Aberdeen with a last gasp goal to clinch not only a Treble, but a clean sweep that came without one domestic defeat.
It is an extraordinary achievement and Griffiths, still sporting the iconic Scottish Cup medal around his neck after the game with his shirt and tie, doesn’t think the Celtic players require time to grasp the enormity of the feat.
“No, the boys in that dressing room realised exactly what we’ve done,” said Griffiths. “This was a great way to end the season, particularly with this week being the 50th anniversary of the Lisbon Lions’ success.
“We’ve made our own little bit of history now and we’re going to enjoy that. There is a sense of pride about it.
“Last week we made history by completing the entire league campaign without losing but we’ve eclipsed that now. It’s great and we’ve got to enjoy the moment.
“Next season will be even harder now but we’ve got to be ready for that.
“The gaffer stressed before the kick-off that we’d already made history. The fact that we’ve added to that is something that our kids will remember for their whole lifetime.
“It’s the first time I’ve won the Scottish Cup so I’m going to savour this – I’ll be out for a few days! I won’t be taking this for granted.”
On a personal level it has been a mixed bag for Griffiths. The striker has had to contend with the form of Moussa Dembele keeping him on the bench for much of the season, although with 18 goals to show he can feel that he has made a decent contribution given the staccato nature of his season.
Despite that, Griffiths needed little persuasion to insist that this term has topped last year when he claimed the Player of the Year awards across the board.
“Naturally, it’s nice to win individual awards but, ultimately, football is a team game and it’s a joy to play alongside these lads,” he said.
“From Craig Gordon all the way through we’ve contributed something to this achievement and that hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“It’s been a whirlwind season. When the gaffer came in he wanted to win everything we were involved in.
“Obviously, the Champions League was always going to be difficult but, domestically, we’ve ruled Scottish football and long may that continue.”
Tom Rogic’s winner, two minutes into added time, came when Aberdeen had no chance to reply. The dramatic nature of the goal added to the sense of the occasion although Griffiths insisted that he was relatively confident the game was only ever going one way.
“Dedryck Boyota and Jozo Simunovic had Adam Rooney where they wanted him and I knew that if we kept going and kept going then the goal would come, whether it was in 90 minutes or extra time,” said the Scotland internationalist.
“Aberdeen were probably praying for extra time but the big man popped up with that winner in the 92nd minute and that was great for everyone concerned with this club.”
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