Alistair Johnston won Celtic lottery as 'crazy' night set him on path to country music Irn Bru and disastrous golf

Alistair Johnston has become a Celtic favourite for his barnstorming displays. But the full-back reckons it was a stint of barn dancing that sent him on the path to Parkhead.

The Canada star was thrilled to pen a new deal at Celts up until 2029 and he’s happy to put roots down after a life on the road. Johnston grew up in Vancouver, and got hooked on country music in Nashville and is now hacking out the rough in the home of golf. It’s been some journey and the 26-year-old believes he can trace it back to the wild MLS draft of 2020 when he got scooped out of college and sent to Tennessee side Nashville SC.

Johnston said: “It’s crazy to think that a lottery of a night changed everything in my football career. I look back on it, and maybe if I’d been picked by a team who had a player more solidified in my position, I may never have had the chance to break through and before you know it, I could have been bouncing around the MLS without ever finding a home.

“I might never have ended up in a place like Celtic. I got lucky in a way. That night was honestly crazy.

“There was a producer from the draft who had a 20-second head start on what was going on. I could see that he had every single team’s scarf lined up.

“Before I even knew who’d made the pick, he’d take that team’s scarf away. So I’d look over at him – okay, so I’m not going to Orlando...

“North America is so big, meaning one pick might see you sent to Vancouver, where I was born, away on the west coast. But if they don’t pick you, then the next pick is Miami and you’re away down southeast with a completely different lifestyle.

“Everything being so out of control is really odd. I was lucky enough to be selected by Nashville in the end.

“My fiancee Peyton is from North