RYAN Christie has a tattoo, just like almost every footballer, but his is a bit different in that it actually means something.

"Every man is the architect of his own fortune" has been inked on the Celtic player’s left arm which is quite profound if you think about it.

As Christie said: “Is it something I live by? Yeah. It’s on there for life, so I’ll need to.”

Last January, Christie was in Dubai but with Aberdeen a few miles outside of the city limits rather than being with Celtic at their winter training camp. It was a short drive between the two hotels but the distance at the time felt huge.

Few expected him to be seen in a Celtic jersey again and, indeed, he had an Aberdeen strip all made up for him with his favourite number, 17, and his name hanging from a peg so close was he to signing permanently on at Pittodrie.

Had John McGinn signed for Celtic, Christie would have been an Aberdeen player. It was the young Highlander's sliding doors moment and he walked right through them.

“This time last year, I was up the road with Aberdeen during our time in Dubai,” recalled Christie. “A lot has changed. When I was out there with them, I was concentrated on them and wasn’t really thinking about anything else.

“But I’ve been delighted with how it’s panned out, signing a new contract to get that stable mindset to get better at Celtic.

“It always helps when times are tough to have a really good set of people around you and I have. I’ve mentioned him a lot, but my dad is there and close to home, the guys at Celtic and the manager who are not used to tell me that my Celtic career was over.

“When I was going on loan to Aberdeen, he was telling me why and what I needed to work on, so I never really felt in my head my time was over and I slowly managed to work my way into the team.

“I was more reflective during the seven-day break of last year, whereas this year it was about getting going again and getting back to a physical and tactical peak while looking to get ready for exciting games coming up.”

Christie has fought his way into the Scotland team and while it would be wrong to say he’s an automatic choice at Celtic, his attacking style of midfield play has made him a hugely valuable member of Brendan Rodgers’s squad.

He said: “I can’t complain. There had been a few ups and downs through the year, but I was delighted with the way it panned out in the end. I managed to find a bit of from through November and December which I was pleased with.

“Obviously, the Salzburg game gave me a wee scare, but I was able to come back about 10 days later and I was quite lucky there.

“At the time, I was in a lot of pain and on the pitch, there was a bit of talk it might be broken. When you hear that sort of thing, you fear the worst, but it was okay to come back pretty soon.

“It’s nice to be well thought of. When we went on that great run through November and December, it was a real team effort and the likes of James [Forrest] and everyone were at the top of their game. That’s what we’re striving for again when we get back from here because we all know, as we’re confident in our ability, that we can do that.”

It’s back to business for Celtic on Saturday and while, with every due respect, Airdrie at home in the Scottish Cup to a far from full Parkhead is not glamorous, it’s a chance for Christie and his team-mates to cleanse themselves, at least in part, of their defeat to Rangers.

Christie said: “The manager said after the game it was the first time we’d been beaten by Rangers in his reign and we need to learn from it. It needs to be a learning curve. We’ll try and do just that and it has given us the hurt to get back after the break and really kick things on.

“We’ll respond positively, I think. We have enough confidence in our camp that we are used to not listening to outside voices. We know how good we can be and this trip helps the manager get tactical ideas across and, when we come back, we can really kick on.

“Everyone has said it’s a more competitive league this season and that’s throughout it. Not just at the top of the table. There isn’t an easy game and that’s good for Scottish football. It’s bringing excitement back.”