Luke McCowan has revealed that Celtic's Premiership title decider against Hearts was far more nerve-shredding than walking down the aisle at his wedding in Tuscany. The 27-year-old midfielder tied the knot with long-term partner Erin just weeks after clinching a Double with the Hoops, but admits the stress of the final day victory trumped any pre-wedding jitters.
Title Decider Stress Outweighs Wedding Nerves
McCowan said: "What was more nerve-racking? The title decider for sure! I think that made me less nervous for the wedding because of how much stuff we had coming up before it!" He added that the wedding was "brilliant" and "nice and smooth," but the Double had to be secured first. "Just had to get the Double out the way first, which wasn't an easy task. But lucky enough we got that done and I was able to go and enjoy the summer."
Guests Celebrated Double at Wedding
The midfielder said the wedding gave him perspective on the special group around him. "You've got so many friends that you grow up with... everybody kept coming to us and saying what a special group you surround yourself with. Obviously, the main topic off most of the dads and the uncles was all about the Double." McCowan also faced some light-hearted teasing at the wedding, with AI-generated images showing guests making a handball gesture—a nod to a controversial penalty incident against Motherwell in the penultimate game of the season. He laughed it off: "A couple of them were AI... All that was just probably a bit of smoke in the past."
McCowan's Bold Prediction Came True
Earlier in the season, McCowan had copped flak from rivals for saying no one could touch Celtic if they turned up. He backed up that talk by delivering the Double. "Probably just repeating that sentence, it was actually more so because the squad we had the previous year had shown if we were all at it, we go and win the league... If you're not doing it, you've got to have the belief that you can go and replicate those performances." He described the feeling after the final day as "incredible" and said the team was "scraping off the ceiling."
Short Break Before Pre-Season
The wedding break was "short and sweet," with McCowan quickly switching back to serious mode. "Erin said to me right away, as soon as that finished, it was just back to serious mode and making sure you're ready to get back into pre-season. It's head down, work hard, double sessions every day, which are tiring but worth it." He is now focused on defending the title. "How do you top it? Go and win it again. That feeling of winning, you want to chase it, you want to get it back. I think that's the main thing we'll strive towards again this year, to go and defend it."
