Paul Lambert has praised the desire and ambition of Scott Brown as the Celtic skipper writes his name into the Scottish record books.

Brown became the Scot to have made the most European appearances after hitting the 83-game mark in last week’s win over Linfield, eclipsing the previous record holder Barry Ferguson.

Celtic will host Rosenborg on Wednesday night at Celtic Park with an aim of getting into the group stages of the competition again – with Brown’s ambitions possibly stretching all the way to 100 continental displays.

And Lambert, who won the European Cup with Borussia Dortmund, believes it is the player’s continued quest to play at the top that has fuelled the position he finds himself in now.

“You need a thick skin to play at Celtic,” said Lambert. “To have done it for a decade takes some doing.

“You need to be a big player to be able to fill the jersey at Celtic and to have that longevity, to be able to keep winning, to keep putting yourself out there says so much about his own ambition.

“There will be people who tell you they were Celtic players and live off an association with the club – but who were actually there for two minutes. To do it season after season and at the top level is impressive because it is a club where you don’t hide.

“You don’t get away with not playing at your best, with not winning things.

“I am not surprised that he has become the record holder in terms of the number of European games he has played because over the years he has shown leadership qualities but has also been integral to the club.

“He has thrived in an environment in which you don’t prove yourself and then sit back – you need to prove it again and again which is what makes the achievement so impressive. You can only admire that because it is the mark of a top player.”

Meanwhile, Lambert has also insisted that it is a nonsense that Celtic have to go through the qualification stage to get to the Champions League group stages.

“If you win your league then you should be straight in there, it is as simple as that,” said Lambert. “To have to get through six games before looking at a place in the competition is a joke.

“People will disparage Scottish football and fair enough, it is not at the same level as some of the top European league – but there is no league that is easy to win. If you are in a country that has access to the Champions League then the team that is the best in the country should be straight in there.

“It is an unfair system geared towards the best leagues. To me, Celtic have more than earned the right to be straight in there, as has any team who have won their league.

“It is so difficult because you need to lift your performances immediately. Celtic will go up against teams who are midway through their domestic season and it really does make it very difficult. It is a treacherous route just to get there.