True champions celebrate in style and with dignity.
Not a moniker that will sit easily on Celtic captain Scott Brown’s shoulders after the midfielder chose to taunts the Aberdeen support on the final whistle at Hampden on Saturday.
Brown flourished a three-finger gesture to the Aberdeen supporters at full time, confirmation of the domestic treble in manager Brendan Rodgers’ first season at Parkhead, but an unnecessary gesture which prompted an angry response.
Shinnie felt Brown’s actions were hard to stomach, but understood the Hoops captain’s emotion following Tom Rogic’s added-time winner.
Shinnie said: “We couldn’t not notice. It was right in front of our faces.
“It is never nice to watch it and to see him celebrate in front of our supporters.
“I’m not going to lie. It was not nice, but that’s football for you.
“Players are going to celebrate, but it was maybe the wrong place at the wrong time.
“Naturally he is going to celebrate after the season Celtic have had. The supporters would have seen it as well and it is going to rile us after losing the game in the last minute.
“He plays the pantomime villain and that’s what he loves. And that is what the Celtic supporters love about him, although it is clearly going to rile the Aberdeen supporters. But we just get on with it.
“If you have just won the treble you can celebrate how you want.”
It was Aberdeen’s second cup final loss at the hands of Celtic this season, after the Dons fell to a 3-0 defeat in the League Cup decider in November.
The Dons’ performance was poor on that occasion, but midfielder Shinnie said this loss was equally hard to take given how much his side put into the game.
The former Caley Thistle player, who led Highlanders to the Scottish Cup in 2015, added: “After the League Cup final we came off disappointed at not putting our stamp in the game.
“We let Celtic enjoy the game, but this one was different.
“Players were putting their bodies on the line and giving everything and that was great to see.
“We put everything into the game and to lose in the last minute was devastating. It was a horrible way to end it.
“We dug in but got done at the end by a bit of quality. It’s not an easy way to lose it.
“I’ve enjoyed a last minute goal at Hampden with Inverness and I know how that feels, and now I know the opposite of that and how it feels to lose it.
“It’s not a great feeling.”