Anthony Ralston

Anthony Ralston (born 16 November 1998) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Scottish Premiership club Celtic and the Scotland national team.

Part of the youth system at Celtic since the age of eight, Ralston made his debut for the first team on 11 May 2016, in a 2–1 defeat against St Johnstone. He scored his first goal for the club in a 5–0 Scottish League Cup win over Kilmarnock on 8 August 2017. He made further appearances early in the 2017–18 season, including a UEFA Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain, but then suffered a knee injury in late September. Ralston signed a long-term contract with Celtic in December 2017, with the deal due to run until the end of the 2021–22 season.

On 16 March 2018, Ralston joined Dundee United on an emergency loan until the end of the 2017–18 season, a side challenging for promotion from the Championship up to the Premiership. He made his debut on 20 March, in a 3–2 loss in the league to Queen of the South. In 15 appearances, he helped United reach the semi-final play-off for promotion, scoring two goals, albeit the side lost to Livingston in the semi-final play-off.

On 2 September 2019, Ralston moved to St Johnstone on a season-long loan. Upon his return from the St Johnstone loan, Ralston played in only one game for Celtic during the following season, coming in a 0–0 draw against Livingston when several squad regulars were missing due to a Covid-19 isolation issue, and when centre-half Kristoffer Ajer then loanee Jonjoe Kenny were selected at right-back ahead of him following the sale of Jeremie Frimpong, it appeared his time with the club would be coming to an end.

At the start of the 2021–22 season under new manager Ange Postecoglou, Ralston signed a contract extension until May 2022 and started in both legs against FC Midtjylland in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round. Media outlets praised his performances in the early part of the season, following goals against Hearts and Dundee. On 2 November 2021, he signed a new long-term contract with Celtic, keeping him at the club until 2025.