Leigh Griffiths loves putting the ball in the net- almost as much as he likes to silence his critics!
The striker set off on his second century of Celtic goals with the winner against Rosenborg with another fresh round of criticism ringing in his ears.
Alex McLeish opted to go with Steven Naismith for Scotland’s match against Albania with the Scotland boss already picking the Hearts man for next month’s clash with Israel.
Griffiths has been used to fighting with Odsonne Edouard and Moussa Dembele for a start at Celtic but is miles better than the veteran Hearts striker in the eyes of almost all Scotland fans.
Appearing as a 75th minute replacement for Edouard, Griffiths headed the golden goal 13 minutes later to add another vital strike to his lengthy CV.
‘I’ve done it for years, I don’t know why people keep doubting me and say I can’t score goals on the big occasion,’ he told the Daily Mail. “I’ve done it in the Champions League, Europa League, League Cup, Scottish Cup and the league.
“There are still people doubting me, saying I can’t do this and that but I keep shutting people up.
“I’m judged on how I play and how many goals I score. Ultimately, it’s about getting three points for the team and that’s what I’m good at.”
Aware that those words could be viewed as a criticism of his manager he added: “The manager isn’t having a go at me. He just said the game is evolving and strikers are doing more running and tracking back. I don’t have to prove anything. He sees me day in day out. He knows how hard I work on and off the park.”
Griffiths will now go gunning for his first SPFL goal of the season when Celtic travel to Kilmarnock on Sunday.
