CITY OF STARS
Matt O’Riley takes top prizes at Celtic awards ceremony as Henrik Larsson heads list of legends in attendance
The Swede didn't go home empty-handed either
MATT O’RILEY capped off a weekend to remember as he swept the boards at Celtic’s annual awards ceremony.
The midfielder – who scored and missed a penalty in the 2-1 win over Rangers that all but secured the title – was chosen as the Hoops’ Player of the Year plus the Players’ Player of the Year at a glitzy ceremony at the Hydro in Glasgow.
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O’Riley also got the nod as the club’s Young Player of the Year for the second season in succession at an event packed with special guests and iconic former players.
Among those in attendance were Henrik Larsson, Georgios Samaras, Ronny Deila, Gordon Strachan, Morten Wieghorst, Stan Petrov, Neil Lennon, Charlie Mulgrew, Shaun Maloney and Odsonne Edouard, with fans delighted to see a photo of Larsson shaking hands with Kyogo Furuhashi.
“Goat meets goat,” wrote one, while another added: “We’ll never have a player like these two again, absolute legends.”
A third said: “The best and the best since in one photo and another concurred: “That’s it. That’s the picture. Life is complete.”
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Furuhashi’s strike against Rangers in the 2-1 derby win in December got the nod as Celtic’s Goal of the Season, while he also claimed the top goalscorer of the season accolade.
But the Japanese ace admitted he was more nervous collecting his trophies than playing in front of 60,000 fans.
He told Celtic TV: “I enjoyed getting the award but there were too many people there so I was very nervous!
“I don’t know why but at Celtic Park things changed and I enjoy playing in front of this fans. But nights like this on the stage I totally get nervous.”
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Furuhashi’s countryman Shunsuke Nakamura was awarded the Legendary Goal of the Season Award for his free-kick against Manchester United in the 2006/07 season.
Scott Brown was chosen by the fans as the winner of the Legendary Player of the Year award, while Larsson took home the Outstanding Contribution Award.
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The first award of the night went to Daniel Kelly who claimed the Academy Player of the Year.
The club also honoured the club’s former historian David Potter - who passed away last summer - with the Special Recognition Award.
On the women’s side, Tasha Flint won Goal of the Season for her strike versus Rangers, Amy Gallacher was honoured at the top goalscorer for the season and the Players’ Player of the Year, while Caitlin Hayes was Celtic women’s Player of the Year.
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