Callum McGregor Responds to Rodri’s Comments About Footballers Going on Strike

Celtic captain Callum McGregor has responded to Rodri’s comments about footballers potentially going on strike.

The Manchester City midfielder has been highly critical of the demanding Football schedule and feels that players might have to one day refuse to play for it to be eased.

McGregor, who recently retired from Scotland duty to fully focus on his Celtic career, was asked about these remarks yesterday.

“I think that would be pretty difficult to do [go on strike],” he said (Celtic FC on YouTube).

“I’m not Rodri, so you would need to ask him.

“I think for Footballers it’s a difficult one, because you work your whole life to get to this level to play as many Games as you play – to represent your country playing major tournaments and in the Champions League.

“The players have to take some credit for getting to that level and the sacrifices that they make. Of course, it’s an Entertainment Business as well where everybody wants to see it on TV every three days, then the players will suffer from that side. It’s a really finely balanced issue.”

Although players are paid unthinkable salaries to do what they love, the Football schedule is becoming increasingly physically and mentally strenuous.

Such demands were likely key to McGregor’s decision to retire from the international scene.

He is now fully committed to Celtic, and so far, keeping Scotland at the back of his mind has served the 31-year-old well.

Indeed, since confirming he won’t play for his country again, McGregor’s club performances have improved.

Particularly at the start of the current season, he was in fine goalscoring fettle, bagging away at Hibernian and St. Mirren before finding the back of the net in the Glasgow derby.

Continual short breaks throughout the campaign when he would usually have been on international duty will serve McGregor well, too.

Celtic is clearly his priority, which will please Brendan Rodgers as much as the club’s fans.