Anthony Ralston, born 16 November 1998, is a stalwart of Scottish football, with a focus on the defensive right back position. Scotland-born and bred, Ralston stands at a poised 5ft 11in (1.82m) and weighs in at a sturdy 12st 3lb (78kg). He dons the number 56 jersey and has proudly represented the Scotland national team.
Ralston's current market value is around £1.7m, as per the resource Transfermarkt. His contract with Celtic runs until 31 May 2027, hedging him in for another solid two and a half years of play.
Before making a significant impact at Celtic, Ralston spent time learning the ropes in the Premiership with Queen's Park in July 2015. He was on loan from Celtic and made a respectable ten appearances, scoring once. Ralston then marked his return to Celtic in January 2016, evidently improved from the loan spell.
Ralston's formative period at Celtic spanned a series of seasons, starting with the 2015-2016 season, where he made a solitary appearance. Gradually building his standing within the club, he registered a single appearance for the next season, three for the 2017-2018 season, and, in season 2018-2019, he made a breakthrough, getting four matches and scoring one goal.
Despite it being somewhat a roller coaster ride, Ralston stuck with Celtic. Season 2019-2020 saw him turn out twice, with his involvement with the first-team slowing slightly in the 2020-2021 season with one appearance, then picking up again in the 2021-2022 season, where he netted his place in the starting eleven 28 times, scoring four goals. Ralston's continued loyalty to Celtic and his resilience reflected in season 2022-2023, with 16 appearances, and he added another 15 in the 2023-2024 season. As of the current 2024-2025 season, he has already made seven appearances, scoring once.
Truly a player who relishes a challenge, Ralston undertook two loan stints during his time at Celtic. In March 2018, Ralston was loaned to Dundee United, returning to his parent club in June 2018. Following the short stint, he played for St Johnstone in September 2019, where he made 22 first team appearances before returning to Celtic in June 2020.
Off the club scene, Ralston has donned the national colours with distinction, representing Scotland in the Euro 2024, where he started thrice. He also played once in the Euro Qualifiers 2022-2024, six times in the Nations League 2024-2025 and thrice in the Champions League 2024-2025 for Celtic, albeit coming off the bench.
