There will be few sterner tests for Anthony Ralston in his career than that which was posed by Neymar in the Champions League earlier this month.
Ralston was handed a somewhat surprising start when Celtic hosted French giants Paris Saint-Germain in their group opener, a game which saw the home side trounced 5-0.
But the fearless manner with which the 18-year-old approached the game and the challenge that came with minimising the threat of the most expensive player in footballing history earned him plenty of new fans.
Ralston hit the headlines after Neymar refused to shake his hand after the game, following a few feisty exchanges on the pitch but the Hoops full back maintained his cool.
Neymar laughs and refuses to shake the hand of Celtic's Tony Ralston at full-time https://t.co/5YXtme4drX
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) September 12, 2017
While he undoubtedly has a bright future ahead of him, Ralston’s early years will always be remembered for his encounter with the tricky Brazilian and it’s still all anybody wants to ask him about.
As Ralston pulled up to Celtic training this week, he stopped to give autographs to a few young supporters and it was then that he was met with a question that made him chuckle.
“Have you still got Neymar in your pocket?” a cheeky fan asked and Ralston couldn’t help but laugh.
Brilliant 😂🍀😂🍀@anthonyralston8 pic.twitter.com/R6wOyDbJNm
— Brendan McCloskey (@candandisco30) September 22, 2017
“Anthony Ralston is 18 and yet you’d think he’s 28,” manager Brendan Rodgers said of Ralston earlier this season.
“His maturity in his performance, and how tactically aware he is, is great.
“I’m absolutely delighted with the integration of our young players; how they’re playing, how they’re working and how they’re fitting in to our ideas.”
