A jubilant crowd celebrated an array of triumphs and special memories on Thursday night as the Celtic Family welcomed home two of their own and raised a lot of money for charity in the process.
‘A Night with Scott Brown & Mikael Lustig’, proudly presented by Shaun Ennis, took place at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow as the two fan favourites joined forces with some very special guests to mark their return to the city and say a special goodbye to the Celtic fans.
And, thanks to the incredible generosity of Shaun, Scott, Mikael and every individual who took part on stage or bought a ticket for the event, an incredible total of over £100,000 is now being donated to Celtic FC Foundation.
It was an evening full of celebration, laughter, reflection, hope and poignant memories.
Following a live music performance by Liam McGrandles, there was a rapturous reception from the crowd as Mikael Lustig and Scott Brown were welcomed on to stage.
The first special guest to join the Bhoys on stage was the man who signed Scott Brown for Celtic back in 2007, and Gordon Strachan had everyone in the palm of his hand as retold hilarious tales. He also joined Scott in a touching and moving tribute to Tommy Burns.
The arrival of Ange Postecoglou on stage sent supporters into raptures, and the Celtic manager was on stage for almost five minutes before the singing subsided. He spoke of his pride in the team’s achievements and his passion for deliver further success to the club, while he also paid tribute to the wonderful contributions that both Mikael and Scott made to Celtic.
There was a further musical interlude featuring Alan Cranney before Callum McGregor, Greg Taylor and Scott joined Scott and Miakel on stage, with the current Celts bringing on the SPFL trophy and the League Cup. The trio shared memories of Mikael and Scott and the fantastic influence they both had in the dressing room and beyond.
Finally, the group were joined by Charlie Mulgrew and Jozo Simunovic, with the former telling tales of Broony hitting a Scotland coach on the head with a bread roll on one occasion, and squaring up to a kangaroo on another. And we wouldn’t have Jozo in the room without talking about THAT tackle and THAT goal, as well as his memories of Mikael and Scott.
For the finale, the Bhoys were joined on stage by Shaun Ennis who was humbly thanked on behalf of Celtic FC Foundation, as Alan Cranney led the crowd in a rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Scott Brown then ended with a few very touching words of thanks, on behalf of himself and Mikael, for the wonderful support the fans had always and will always give them and their families.
Speaking after the event, Shaun Ennis said: “It was an absolute honour to work with Broony and Lusto on this event and it was humbling that so many huge names in the game gave up their time to support our efforts.
“There was only ever going to be one beneficiary and that was Celtic FC Foundation. I feel so passionately about the work they do to support those are vulnerable in our local communities and I am incredibly proud of the funds raised last night to lend a hand going forward. Thank you so much to everyone who played their part.”
Tony Hamilton, Chief Executive of Celtic FC Foundation, added: “It was an absolutely wonderful evening, in honour and celebration of two magnificent former Celts in Scott and Mikael.
“We are exceptionally grateful to Shaun Ennis, Scott and Mikael for this phenomenal gesture of support to Celtic FC Foundation and also to Gordon, Ange, Callum, Greg, Scott, Charlie and Jozo for giving up their time to help make it such a special night.
“Thanks also to every supporter who bought tickets in incredibly challenging times for so many, when there are a huge number of competing priorities.
“This incredible donation in excess of £100,000 will make a monumental impact on our work as we continue to challenge poverty and promote inclusion, against a cost of living crisis backdrop.”
Thank you for making a difference.
