Mental strength is a must for any true leader.

Gary Caldwell reckons its the quality that makes Scott Brown deserving of his place alongside Scottish footballs legendary nine-in-a-row captains Billy McNeill and Richard Gough.

The Celtic midfielder will join that duo of iconic figures when the SPFL officially confirm the Hoops as Premiership champions for 2019-20.

It isnt how Brown or anyone at Parkhead wanted to win it but having opened up a 13-point gap at the top before Covid-19 struck and shut down the game the title was all but theirs.

That means Neil Lennons side will equal the feat achieved by Celtic in 1974 and then Rangers in 1997 with McNeill and Gough as skippers.

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Brown will chase a record breaking 10th title next season in what is set to be his last year at the club.

Caldwell, who watched him come through the ranks at Hibs as a youngster before teaming up with him again at Celtic, is full of admiration for what the 34-year-old has achieved.

He never had any doubt that Brown would become a great player because even as a spiky-haired buzz bomb at Easter Road, Caldwell knew he was destined for the top.

But the former Scotland defender is in awe of Browns mental toughness, which developed at Celtic from his arrival in 2007.

The heartbreaking loss of his sister at just 21 to cancer thefollowing year would have broken lesser men but not Brown.

According to Caldwell, to come back from it and win nine titles, five Scottish Cups, six League Cups and 55 Scotland caps is nothing short of remarkable.

He said: When I look at Scott now, as the leader of this Celtic team and the centre of everything at the club, its hard to believe its that same kid I met at Hibs.

Even when he first came to Celtic, he had a difficult first couple of years.

He obviously he had a family issue, with his sister passing away, which was so tragic.

That really affected him but hes done amazingly well to come back from that and to grow as a person and as a footballer. Hes gone on to become a Celtic legend.

It takes a lot to come back from that because it could easily have gone the other way.

Thats probably Scotts biggest asset. When I think back to all of those young Hibs players at the time, he was the one who had that mental toughness, that resilience and character.

When things went wrong he was able to recover from it and get to the very top.

Hes needed that at many points in his career and hes shown hes got it in abundance.

In those first few years when I was at Celtic, I dont think anyone could have said that would happen for him, but hes gone on to be a fantastic player and someone wholl be remembered at the club for ever more.

Its incredible hell be in that company now, with McNeill and Gough. There wont be many more nine-in-a-row achievements in our lifetime and you can throw in the Trebles for Celtic as well.

There havent been too many of them in Scottish football history but hes got three in the last three seasons.

It shows how special a time it is for the football club and for Scott as captain. Thats what will put him right up there with the very best players whove played for Celtic over the years.

Caldwell left Celtic in 2010 just as Brown was given the captains armband by Gordon Strachan.

He might not have been one for rousing, motivational speeches before games but Caldwell says Browns leadership skills would come to the fore as soon as he crossed the white line.

He said: Being a leader wasnt something that jumped out at me with Scott early on. But as he got older, with experience, he became very professional.

He was always a figurehead in the changing room but being a captain wouldnt have been something I predicted when I left Celtic. Since hes had the armband hes shown what a leader he is. He leads by example.

Hes probably not a big talker or shouter before games for the sake of it, even though hell say something when he feels its needed.

On the pitch, hes someone who does the right thing atthe right time, like putting in a tackle when its needed.

Hell make a pass or score a goal when its really needed so he leads the team with performances more than anything.

He has more than matched the expectations I had of him when he was a kid at Hibs.

Scotts done what I thought he would do and probably more, in terms of the trophies hes won at Celtic. Putting himself in this small group of people, with McNeill and Gough, shows what kind of career hes had.

Browns anchoring of Celtics midfield under Brendan Rodgers and Lennon in the last few years has been key to the clubs success.

As he got older, he mastered that sitting role, dictating the teams tempo and rhythm.

Caldwell will never forget the buzz bomb he encountered at Easter Road almost 20 years ago but insists the respect Brown had for older pros at Hibs was a sign hed enjoy a fruitful career.

He said: I think he even dyed his spiky hair red once.

He was a bit different but a great lad in the dressing-room, full of energy and enjoying life.

He showed qualities and attributes that you knew could take him to the top.

Hes learned over the years and refined his game. Now, hes a very experienced and clever footballer.

There were a lot of young boys at that time. Scott and Kevin Thomson were good pals and you had Garry OConnor, Derek Riordan and Steven Whittaker.

They were into their banter but, especially from Broony, it was never in a disrespectful way.

He knew when to draw a line and focus on football. The older lads never had to bring him down a peg or two.

He was respectful of older pros like Gary Smith and Steven Glass.

You could see that he was keen to ask them for advice and learn from them and that has stood him in good stead for the rest of his career.

See more here:
The Scott Brown Celtic mentality factor that keeps him on the Billy McNeill path to immortality - Daily Record