Beram Kayal (or Biram Keyal,[3] Arabic: بيرم كيال, Hebrew: בירם כיאל; born 2 May 1988) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Bnei Sakhnin of the Israeli Premier League. Internationally he plays for Israel, where he has been a full international since 2008, with 47 senior caps to date.

Beram Kayal
Kayal playing for Brighton & Hove Albion in 2018
Personal information
Full name Beram Kayal[1]
Date of birth (1988-05-02) 2 May 1988 (age 36)[2]
Place of birth Jadeidi-Makr, Israel
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
Bnei Sakhnin
Number 7
Youth career
2002–2006 Maccabi Haifa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2010 Maccabi Haifa 92 (6)
2010–2015 Celtic 86 (2)
2015–2020 Brighton & Hove Albion 118 (4)
2019–2020Charlton Athletic (loan) 6 (0)
2020– Bnei Sakhnin 81 (14)
International career
2004–2005 Israel U17 12 (1)
2006 Israel U18 4 (1)
2005–2007 Israel U19 23 (7)
2007–2009 Israel U21 11 (1)
2008– Israel 47 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 April 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 5 April 2021 (UTC)

Kayal joined Maccabi Haifa in 2002 and made his professional debut in 2006 at the age of 18. He made 125 appearances and scored eight goals before moving to Celtic in 2010. He has received plaudits from many Scottish football pundits and was named the SPL player of the month for January 2011.[4] In January 2015, he joined Brighton & Hove Albion where he spent five and a half years – including a loan spell at Charlton Athletic – helping The Seagulls to Premier League promotion for the first time in the club's history.[5] Kayal made a return to Israel in November 2020 signing for Bnei Sakhnin of the Israeli top flight.[6]

Early and personal life

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Kayal was born in Jadeidi-Makr, Israel, to a Muslim-Arab family, and is an Arab-Israeli citizen.[7][8]

Club career

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Maccabi Haifa

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Kayal started his career as a striker in the various Youth teams of Maccabi Haifa and scored many goals before taking on the role of a midfielder. Despite only being 16 years old at the time, he moved up to the Maccabi Haifa under-19 team for the 2004–05 campaign and excelled as part of the team that won a League and Cup double. Kayal was named the League's Outstanding Player.[citation needed]

He made his first-team debut for Maccabi Haifa at the end of the 2005–06 season in a 2–1 win over Maccabi Petah Tikva which sealed Haifa's third League title in a row at the age of 17 making two appearances that season. In the 2006–07 season, he made six appearances in all competitions, but took on the role of captain of the under-19 team that won another League and Cup double. He scored a hat-trick in a league win against Beitar Jerusalem.[citation needed]

In the 2007–08 season Kayal became a first team regular featuring 36 times in the first-team. After that he became an integral part of the team and enjoyed success in subsequent seasons winning the Premier League and Toto Cup.[9]

During the 2007 Torneo di Viareggio youth tournament in Italy, Kayal was praised by the Italian press for a Man of the match performance against their counterparts from Fiorentina.[10] Both Corriere della Sera and Gazzetta dello Sport seemed to be astonished to learn that he was an Arab on an Israeli team and took a great amount of time to learn more about him.[11]

In the 2009–10 season, Maccabi Haifa lost the Premier League championship on the last matchday, when Hapoel Tel Aviv scored in the 92nd minute to beat Beitar Jerusalem.[12]

Celtic

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Kayal playing for Celtic in 2012

On 29 July 2010, Kayal signed a four-year deal with Scottish Premier League side Celtic[13][14] and was given the number 33 shirt.[15] The transfer fee paid to Maccabi Haifa was reported as £1.2 million.[16]

Kayal made his debut for Celtic against FC Utrecht on 19 August 2010 and showed his full potential by getting off to the best possible start, setting up the opening goal of the game for Efraín Juárez and winning the Man of the Match award.[17][18] In September 2010 he was out of action for three months due to a hernia injury which required surgery.[19][20] He made his return as a substitute on 26 December against St Johnstone,[21] and was restored to the starting line-up in a 2–0 win over Rangers at Ibrox on 2 January 2011.[22]

His performances won him the SPL Player of the Month award for January 2011,[4] and the praise of Celtic manager Neil Lennon.[23] His determination and competitive attitude played a key part in his side's success in his first season in Scottish football.[24][25] On 9 April 2011, Kayal captained the side in a 1–0 win over St Mirren.[26] He scored his first goal for Celtic in a 1–0 SPL win over St Johnstone on 12 April 2011.[27] His first home goal was a long range effort against Dundee United on 1 May 2011.[28] On 4 May, Kayal had to be taken off in the second half of an SPL match against Inverness Caledonian Thistle because of suspected concussion[29] after a collision with Ross Tokely.[30] Kayal sustained a fractured wrist in the same incident and subsequently missed the rest of the 2010–11 season.[30][31]

Kayal captained Celtic for the second time on 10 September 2011, against Motherwell in the SPL, leading the team to a 4–0 victory at Celtic Park.[32] He was made captain while Scott Brown was out with an ankle injury.[33]

Kayal suffered ankle ligament damage against Rangers on 28 December 2011 after a tackle by Lee McCulloch and was stretchered off with 13 minutes to play.[34] Celtic won the match 1–0 which sent them top of the SPL table.[35] The injury put Kayal out of action for over four months[36] and he returned to the side only in the last game of the season, a 5–0 win over Hearts.[37] Later, Kayal accused McCulloch of deliberately injuring him and that he had "not forgotten that for a moment."[38]

In the 2012 season, Kayal obtained European nationality and played an important role for the team during the Scottish League.

On 22 October 2013, he scored his first goal in the UEFA Champions League against AFC Ajax in a 2–1 win.[39]

Brighton & Hove Albion

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On 23 January 2015, Kayal signed for Brighton & Hove Albion on a two-and-a-half-year deal, for an undisclosed fee.[40] He made his debut on 7 February, scoring a consolation goal for Brighton in a 2–3 defeat at home against Nottingham Forest.[41] On 18 August, he scored within 14 seconds away to Huddersfield Town, albeit in a 1–1 draw.[42] Brighton narrowly missed out on automatic promotion where Kayal played 43 games and scoring 2 goals in the league in the 2015-16 season.[43] Brighton were to face another season in the Championship after losing to Sheffield Wednesday on aggregate in the playoffs where Kayal played in both matches for the Albion.[44]

On 7 January 2017 Kayal played in his first FA Cup match, scoring in the 2–0 home win over MK Dons.[45] On 17 April he played in the 2–1 home win over Wigan Athletic which secured automatic promotion to the Premier League.[5]

Kayal broke his leg in pre-season in a friendly match against Atlético Madrid, and was sidelined for 10 weeks.[46] He made his Premier League debut on 13 December 2017 in a 2–0 away defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.[47] Kayal went on to make 18 more Premier League appearances and played in the 1–0 win over Manchester United which secured Albion's Premier League status.[48]

Kayal signed a one-year contract extension on 28 September 2018 that keeps him at the Sussex club until June 2020.[49] He scored his first Premier League goal in a 1–0 away win against Newcastle United on 20 October.[50] He played in all five games for Brighton to the run up to the 2019 FA Cup Semi Final, which included the narrow quarter final penalty shootout win away at Millwall.[51] However, he did not feature in the 1–0 semi final defeat against Manchester City at Wembley.[52] Kayal appeared in the 1–1 home draw against Newcastle claiming a vital point for The Seagulls in their fight for survival.[53] Kayal made 18 league appearances as Brighton retained their Premier League status for a third consecutive season.[54]

Charlton Athletic (loan)

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On 8 August 2019, Kayal signed for Championship side Charlton Athletic on a season-long loan.[55] He made his debut for The Addicks on 14 September in a 1–0 home defeat against Birmingham City.[56] On 15 January 2020, Kayal's loan was cut short due to injury.[57]

Brighton departure

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Kayal was released from The Albion in July 2020 after five and a half years with the club. He made 131 appearances scoring five times in all competitions in a successful time for the Sussex side.[58]

Bnei Sakhnin

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On 17 November 2020, Kayal returned to Israel and signed a three-year contract with Bnei Sakhnin of the Israeli Premier League, who had just been promoted.[6] He made his debut eight days later, starting in a 4–0 away loss against Hapoel Hadera in which he was replaced in the 46th minute, in what was his first appearance in the Israeli top flight in over 11 years.[59] He scored his first goal for the club, scoring the only goal of the game in a 1–0 home victory over Hapoel Be'er Sheva on his 11th appearance, on 30 January 2021.[60]

International career

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Throughout his career, Kayal has played many Israel national football team matches as first line-up.[61] He represented the national team at the Valeri Lobanovsky Memorial Tournament 2007 that was victorious for it.[62][63] He made his full international debut for Israel against Switzerland on 6 September 2008.[64]

He scored his first international goal, in a Euro 2012 qualifying win over Latvia on 26 March 2011.[65]

Style of play

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Kayal is a central midfielder but he is capable of performing various different roles within the position. He can play as a defensive midfielder, sitting in front of the back four and stifling the opposition or as a box-to-box midfielder, protecting the defenders as well as supporting the forwards. Although he is more renowned for his defensive capabilities than attacking, he is still able to contribute well to going forward.[66]

Kayal is a tenacious, hard working midfielder, known for high stamina level, aggressive tackling and combative edge, he also has great passing ability and quick feet.[66][67] Former Manchester City and Israeli former international footballer Eyal Berkovic, described him as being: "Perfect for British football. He is strong technically, very aware but really competitive... He will have no problem adapting to the style in Scotland – he will love the speed and aggression.[68]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of 1 June 2022[69]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Maccabi Haifa 2005–06 Israeli Premier League 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2006–07 4 0 2 0 0 0 6 0
2007–08 29 1 3 0 2 0 2[a] 0 36 1
2008–09 30 4 4 1 5 1 39 6
2009–10 27 1 4 0 1 0 10[b] 0 42 1
Total 92 6 13 1 8 1 12 0 0 0 125 8
Celtic 2010–11[70] Scottish Premier League 21 2 5 0 2 0 2[a] 0 30 2
2011–12[71] 19 0 0 0 2 0 7[a] 0 28 0
2012–13[72] 27 0 5 0 1 0 8[b] 0 41 0
2013–14[73] Scottish Premiership 13 0 0 0 0 0 7[b] 1 20 1
2014–15[74] 6 0 0 0 0 0 7[c] 0 13 0
Total 86 2 10 0 5 0 31 1 0 0 132 3
Brighton & Hove Albion 2014–15[74] Championship 18 1 0 0 18 1
2015–16[75] 43 2 0 0 0 0 2[d] 0 45 2
2016–17[76] 20 0 1 1 0 0 21 1
2017–18[77] Premier League 19 0 4 0 0 0 23 0
2018–19[78] 18 1 5 0 1 0 24 1
2019–20[79] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 118 4 10 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 131 5
Charlton Athletic (loan) 2019–20[79] Championship 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
Bnei Sakhnin 2020–21[80] Israeli Premier League 20 3 2 0 0 0 22 3
2021–22[81] 31 5 2 0 5 0 38 5
Total 51 8 4 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 60 8
Career total 353 20 37 2 19 1 43 1 2 0 454 24
  1. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  2. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  3. ^ Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, three appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Appearances in Championship play-offs

International goals

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Scores and results list Israel's goal tally first.[82]
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 26 March 2011 Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel   Latvia 2–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 2012 qualification
2. 21 November 2018 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland   Scotland 1–0 2–3 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C

Honours

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Maccabi Haifa

Celtic

Brighton & Hove Albion

Individual

References

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Israel infobox statistics

  • "Beram Kayal". Israel Football Association. Retrieved 8 June 2019.

Specific

  1. ^ "Premier League clubs publish retained lists". Premier League. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Beram Kayal: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  3. ^ Celtic complete signing of Israeli midfielder Biram Kayal guardian.co.uk, 29 July 2010
  4. ^ a b c Celtic's Beram Kayal named player of the month BBC Sport, 12 February 2011
  5. ^ a b "Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Wigan Athletic - BBC sport". BBC Sport. 17 April 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Beram Kayal signs for Bnei Sakhnin in Israel". The Argus. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  7. ^ Steinberg, Jacob (21 November 2015). "Beram Kayal and Tomer Hemed: Israelis united in promoting Brighton's cause". the Guardian.
  8. ^ Masters, James. "The unlikely friendship at heart of Brighton's surge" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  9. ^ "Biram Kayal" (in Hebrew). Maccabi Haifa FC. 1 June 2010. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  10. ^ "Vincono Inter e Maccabi" (in Italian). Gazetta dello Sport. 7 February 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  11. ^ ה"גזטה דלי ספורט" התלהב מחיפה: פיורנטינה טבעה בדממה (in Hebrew). Maccabi Haifa FC. 8 February 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2007.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ Harush, Moshe (4 August 2010). "Soccer / From Galilee to Glasgow". Haaretz. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Kayal signs for Celtic". MirrorFootball. Trinity Mirror. 29 July 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  14. ^ "Celtic sign Israel midfielder Beram Kayal". BBC Sport. 29 July 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  15. ^ Beram Kayal Archived 14 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine Celtic FC
  16. ^ "Kayal reports "inaccurate" - Celtic". The Telegraph. 5 October 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  17. ^ Dominant Celts cruise to victory Celtic FC, 19 August 2010
  18. ^ Beram Kayal makes instant impact as Celtic build cushion over Utrecht guardian.co.uk, 19 August 2010
  19. ^ Kayal sidelined for two months with hernia injury STV Sport, 7 October 2010
  20. ^ Preview: Celtic v St Johnstone Archived 29 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Setanta Sports, 24 December 2010
  21. ^ Celtic 2 – 0 St Johnstone BBC Sport, 26 December 2010
  22. ^ "Rangers 0-2 Celtic". 2 January 2011 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  23. ^ Celtic boss Neil Lennon praises Beram Kayal's workrate BBC Sport, 13 February 2011
  24. ^ Kayal has battled his way to prominence at Celtic Herald Scotland, 25 January 2011
  25. ^ Impressed? You’ve seen nothing yet of Kayal Herald Scotland, 9 March 2011
  26. ^ Celtic 1 – 0 St Mirren BBC Sport, 9 April 2011
  27. ^ Kayal extends Hoops lead Mirror.co.uk, 12 April 2011
  28. ^ Celtic 4 – 1 Dundee Utd BBC Sport, 1 May 2011
  29. ^ Lennon rips into defence as Celtic suffer Inverness defeat Archived 28 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine UTV Sport, 5 May 2011
  30. ^ a b Beram Kayal's season is over following wrist injury BBC Sport, 6 May 2011
  31. ^ Beram Kayal to miss Celtic's title run-in Scotsman.com, 6 May 2011
  32. ^ "Hoops hammer sloppy Steelmen". Sky Sports. 10 September 2011.
  33. ^ "Celtic ace Beram Kayal: I was proud to be captain but we know how important Scott Brown is". Daily Record. 17 September 2011.
  34. ^ "Celtic's Beram Kayal may not play again this season". STV. 6 January 2012. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013.
  35. ^ Forsyth, Roddy (1 January 2012). "Celtic turn title race round, now they have to finish Rangers off". The Telegraph.
  36. ^ "Beram Kayal's return softens James Forrest blow for Celtic". BBC Sport. 13 April 2012.
  37. ^ Moffat, Colin (15 May 2012). "Celtic 5–0 Hearts". BBC Sport.
  38. ^ "Celtic midfielder Beram Kayal slams Scottish football for 'lack of technique' & accuses Lee McCulloch of deliberately crocking him". Daily Record. 2 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  39. ^ "Celtic 2-1 Ajax". BBC Sport.
  40. ^ "Brighton sign Celtic midfielder Beram Kayal". BBC. 23 January 2015.
  41. ^ "Brighton 2-3 Nottingham Forest". BBC Sport.
  42. ^ "Huddersfield 1–1 Brighton". BBC Sport. 18 August 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  43. ^ "Middlesbrough 1-1 Brighton & Hove Albion - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 7 May 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  44. ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday (1-3 agg) - BBC sport". BBC Sport. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  45. ^ "FA Cup: Brighton 2-0 Milton Keynes Dons - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 7 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  46. ^ "Beram Kayal injury could force Albion back into midfield market". The Argus. 10 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  47. ^ "Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  48. ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion 1–0 Manchester United – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 4 May 2018.
  49. ^ "Brighton midfielder Beram Kayal signs one-year contract extension". Sky Sports. 28 September 2018.
  50. ^ "Newcastle United 0–1 Brighton & Hove Albion – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 20 October 2018.
  51. ^ "Millwall 2–2 Brighton (pens 4-5): Brighton into FA Cup semi-finals on penalties - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 17 March 2019.
  52. ^ Barnes, Dan (6 April 2019). "Gabriel Jesus heads Manchester City into their 14th FA Cup final". The Football Association. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  53. ^ "Brighton v Newcastle live in the Premier League - Live - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  54. ^ "Cardiff 2–3 Crystal Palace: Bluebirds relegated from Premier League after defeat – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 4 May 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  55. ^ "Brighton's Beram Kayal joins Charlton on loan". News Shopper. 8 August 2019.
  56. ^ "Charlton 0-1 Birmingham City: Teenager Jude Bellingham nets winner again as blues beat Addicks - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  57. ^ "Beram Kayal returns to Brighton & Hove Albion". Charlton Athletic F.C. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  58. ^ "Goodbye Beram Kayal, the player who kick started the Brighton revolution". WEAREBRIGHTON.COM. 22 July 2020.
  59. ^ "Hapoel Hadera vs. Bnei Sakhnin – 25 November 2020 – Soccerway". 25 November 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  60. ^ "Lugat HaAi – Full Time for Beni Sakhnin vs Hapoel Beer Sheva January 28, 2021 – Football 365". 28 January 2021. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  61. ^ Boker, Moshe (23 March 2011). "Holding Triumvirate". Ha'aretz. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  62. ^ "Ukraine 1-1 (4:5) Israel". 22 August 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  63. ^ "Valeri Lobanovsky Memorial Tournament". Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  64. ^ Kayal Beram Israel Football Association
  65. ^ Israel indebted to Kayal against Latvia UEFA.com, 26 March 2011
  66. ^ a b Biram Kayal completes Celtic transfer Archived 6 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine STV Sport, 29 July 2010
  67. ^ Coveted Beram Kayal in no hurry to leave Celtic with treble in sight guardian.co.uk, 12 March 2011
  68. ^ "Beram Kayal won't flop at Celtic like I did, insists Eyal Berkovic". Daily Record. 31 July 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  69. ^ "Career History". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. 26 January 2016. Archived from the original on 19 February 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  70. ^ "Games played by Baram Kayal in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  71. ^ "Games played by Baram Kayal in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  72. ^ "Games played by Baram Kayal in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  73. ^ "Games played by Baram Kayal in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  74. ^ a b "Games played by Baram Kayal in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  75. ^ "Games played by Baram Kayal in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  76. ^ "Games played by Baram Kayal in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  77. ^ "Games played by Baram Kayal in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  78. ^ "Games played by Baram Kayal in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  79. ^ a b "Games played by Baram Kayal in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  80. ^ "Games played by Baram Kayal in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  81. ^ "Games played by Baram Kayal in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  82. ^ "Kiyal, Biram". National Football Teams. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  83. ^ "Kilmarnock 0–6 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  84. ^ "Celtic 4–0 St Johnstone". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  85. ^ "Partick Thistle 1–5 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  86. ^ "Celtic 5–0 Inverness CT". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  87. ^ Conaghan, Martin (21 May 2011). "Motherwell 0–3 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  88. ^ "Hibernian 0–3 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  89. ^ Anderson, John, ed. (2017). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2017–2018. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 82–83. ISBN 978-1-4722-3397-4.
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  NODES
Association 4
INTERN 10
Note 1