James Forrest has cemented his legendary status at Celtic by scoring in his 17th consecutive season.
This impressive streak began on May 1, 2010, when the then 20-year-old Forrest made his Celtic debut, contributing a flicked goal in a 4-0 victory over Motherwell.
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His most recent goal came 15-and-a-half years later, with a sidefoot finish that sealed a 3-1 win over Aberdeen on Sunday, marking new manager Wilfried Nancy’s first victory after five attempts.
This goal was the 110th of Forrest’s career at Celtic, achieved during his 547th appearance for the club after coming off the bench. He has started 368 matches, including six this season, and appeared as a substitute 179 times.
Forrest’s most prolific scoring years were during back-to-back treble-winning seasons, where he found the net 17 times each in 2017-18 and 2018-19. He narrowly missed a third consecutive 17-goal season, finishing with 16 in the following campaign.
This latest goal elevates Forrest above Paul McStay and Jimmy McGrory (both with 16 seasons) and ties him with Bobby Lennox at 17 seasons of scoring. The only player ahead of him in Celtic history is Jimmy McMenemy, who scored for 18 consecutive seasons starting in 1902.
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With Forrest’s Celtic contract set to expire this summer, questions linger about whether he will remain at the club next season to chase McMenemy’s record.
If he does depart, he will leave a legacy to be proud of. Forrest is Celtic’s most decorated player, boasting 26 trophies—13 league titles, seven Scottish Cups, and six League Cups—outpacing Lennox by one and current captain Callum McGregor by two.
Click the play button above to see a goal from each of Forrest’s 17 seasons.
[BBC]