MIKAEL LUSTIG has won 12 trophies in six years with Celtic having hardly had a proper summer break and for at least half of his time in Glasgow has not been fully fit.

When you add in that he cost the club exactly no money in terms of a transfer fee, the Swedish right-back easily fits into the category of one of the best signing ever made by any Parkhead manager.

The 31-year-old is one of those players Brendan Rodgers revealed he shakes hands with on the first day of pre-season training and then again on the last day off the season, and in-between doesn’t have to give him a second thought.

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Lustig just gets on with it, well he is Swedish, and has hardly missed a game over the past two years as trophy upon trophy has been collected.

Perhaps it will only be once he leaves Celtic when all of the supporters realise just how lucky they were to have had such a solid professional putting in decent displays every single week for their team.

And now he is off the World Cup with his national side where he is first-choice in his position. Brazil, Switzerland and South Korea are in their group, but even with no Zlatan Ibrahimovi?, Lustig is hopeful that in his first and most likely only appearance in football’s greatest tournament, he can make his mark like a certain former Celtic man who did okay in Sweden’s famous yellow and blue colours.

“My first memory of the World Cup was when I was seven and we finished third,” recalled Lustig of the 1994 tournament which took place in the United States.

“Sweden had a great side back then and the whole country got behind the team. I think that’s probably when I first really got into football. We would play outside, watch the games, and then go back out and play.

“I remember Henrik Larsson’s goal in the third place play off against Holland when he scored from a long way out. That was the first time I had seen Henrik, I think. He did pretty well after that.

“The past two seasons with Celtic have been incredible and to now be going to the World Cup is a dream for me. These are exciting times and I’m loving every moment of it.

“I know as a fan how it feels back home when Sweden do well in any tournament. We have a good team, we are a close group and while Brazil will be favourites to win the group, they always are, we have a great chance of getting through.”

Lustig aims to return to Celtic a hero and then push on to win even more silverware with his club.

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For such a quiet man off the field, this is not a footballer who hides his emotions on the park – a Glasgow police officer can verify that – and he is looking forward to even more fund and games over the next few seasons.

“I love Celtic,” said Lustig and not for the first time. “I have had some incredible times at this club and I feel very lucky to have been here and played as many games as I did since the manager arrived two years ago.

“What he has stressed to us, and we knew this already, is that we enjoy our success, but always look to get better next time. And that’s what we intend to do.

“I don’t ever want to leave Celtic. If I had my way, I would finish my career at the club and then move back home. Celtic is a special club and it has given me so many memories already. I would like some more.

"There are a lot of things I still want to achieve in football and I want to do them with Celtic."