Anthony Ralston

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

Club career

Part of the youth system at Celtic since the age of eight, 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.

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. 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. 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.

On 15 December 2021, Ralston headed in a 97th-minute winner against Ross County in a 2–1 away victory for a Celtic side that had been reduced to ten men. It has been assessed as one of the most important moments of the season for Celtic as they went on to win the 2021-22 Scottish Premiership title, as the result kept them within touching distance of Rangers who were four points ahead in the table at that time. At the end of 2022, Celtic signed Canadian Alistair Johnston who quickly became the first-choice right-back, with Ralston's role becoming that of a dependable back-up.

On 26 September 2023, Ralston signed a new four-year contract with Celtic, keeping him at the club until 2027.

International career Ralston was involved with several Scotland youth squads up to the under-21s.

Selected for the Scotland under-20 squad in the 2017 Toulon Tournament, Ralston played as Scotland beat Brazil under-20s 1–0, which was the nations first ever win against Brazil at any level. The team went on to claim the bronze medal. It was the nations first ever medal at the competition. Selected for the under-21 squad in the 2018 Toulon Tournament. They lost to Turkey under-21s in a penalty-out and finished fourth.

In November 2021, he was called up to the senior squad for the first time ahead of a 2022 World Cup qualifier against Denmark, as a replacement for the suspended Nathan Patterson. He made his international debut in the match as a late substitute for Kieran Tierney. On his second Scotland appearance he scored his first international goal during a 2022–23 UEFA Nations League group match against Armenia.

On 7 June 2024, Ralston was named in Scotland's squad for the UEFA Euro 2024 finals in Germany. A week later, he started the opening match of the tournament, where Scotland lost 5–1 to hosts Germany. He went on to start in both the second match against Switzerland and the third against Hungary as Scotland finished bottom of Group A with one point from three matches.

On 19 May 2026, Ralston was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He made his World Cup debut in a group stage match against Morocco on 19 June 2026.

Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

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2015–16 Scottish Premiership

2016–17 Scottish Premiership

2017–18 Scottish Premiership

2018–19 Scottish Premiership

2019–20 Scottish Premiership

2020–21 Scottish Premiership

2021–22 Scottish Premiership

2022–23 Scottish Premiership

2023–24 Scottish Premiership

2024–25 Scottish Premiership

2025–26 Scottish Premiership

Queen's Park (loan) 2015–16

Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ralston goal .

Honours Celtic Scottish Premiership (8): 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26 Scottish Cup (4): 2018–19, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2025–26 Scottish League Cup (4): 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2024–25