Timothy Mjallby always dreamed of being a footballer, just like his old man.

But when your father just happens to be Sweden and Celtic great Johan Mjallby – it's a tough act to follow.

In his own right, Mjallby Jnr has up until now lived a life less ordinary. From being childhood best mates with Jordan Larsson to starring alongside current Celtic man Carl Starfelt and refocusing his career on academia, he certainly has a tale to tell.

He did have a go at chasing that footballing dream first though. Mjallby spent two years at Parkhead when his father was assistant head coach to Neil Lennon – experiencing some remarkable times and playing alongside some notable names in the youth system.

“I always wanted to give football my focus,” Mjallby told The Celtic Way. “That was my main priority and I wanted to give it a real crack.

“I was involved with Celtic under-15s and under-16s and my last year at school took place in St Ninian's in Kirkintilloch. I was in S4 at the time and had one year full-time at Celtic.

“Jamie Lindsay was there during my time and he ended up signing for Hibs. Liam Henderson, Stuart Findlay and Jack Hendry – before he left for Peterborough – were all involved in my first year. It was a great experience.

“Chris McCart was absolutely brilliant with me and the setup was fantastic. We were well taken care of and the scheduling was terrific. It was a fabulous experience to be in and around a club like Celtic at that time – though you can take it a bit for granted as well.

“When you go back to Sweden you fully understand that it is not always like that. When I left Celtic I had a couple of trials in the Championship in England and the facilities there are very different from Lennoxtown too.”

Having a famous footballing dad can sometimes cast a shadow on your own ambitions – never mind having him coaching in the same club at the same time – but Mjallby reckons it was rarely an issue at Parkhead.

“When I was younger at Celtic, it probably affected me,” he said. “It has its pros and cons. I was a central midfielder when I was at Celtic [Johan was a centre-back] and then in my last couple of years, I got shunted to left-back.

“But it was never a hindrance – there was just always comparisons to him.”

One match stands out among them all during Mjallby's stay in Glasgow – and it’s one that he didn’t actually play in. It’s also one that will live long in the memory of all those who witnessed it: Barcelona.

Mjallby’s old man and Lennon masterminded a 2-1 Champions League group stage win over the La Liga giants at Parkhead in November 2012 as the Hoops celebrated their 125th anniversary in terrific style.

"That was the best game I have ever been at,” he said. “Victor Wanyama put Celtic ahead and Tony Watt scored the winner.

“I was at every game as I was the ball-boy back then but it was special to do that on Champions League nights. It was a different experience altogether.

“I have watched the clips on YouTube a few times. Neil Lennon and my dad somehow coached Celtic to achieve something special that night – although my dad is so laid back and usually only talks about these games, his career highlights and his memories if I ask him."

Mjallby readily admits that the one thing he did get a name for outwith his footballing skills was his ability to troll Rangers supporters and wind them right up on social media during his younger days at Celtic.

He insists part of the reason for that is the ‘banter culture’ is vastly different in Glasgow than it is back home.

“Nowadays I don't do it,” he said. “I have matured a lot since I was at Celtic as a kid.

“When I was 17, I probably thought I was being funny and the centre of attention and having a wind-up but nowadays I don't do it anymore. I haven't been on Twitter regularly for about two years now.

“The banter/culture in the UK is quite different to Sweden as well. I liked the Scottish people's sense of humour more but when I think back it was probably stupid, to be honest. I am now a professional person and what was funny a decade ago might not be so funny now."

Upon leaving Celtic, Mjallby had some trials in England before winding up in the Swedish lower leagues for a time.

It was in his homeland that his career was tragically cut short and he was forced to quit the game he loved for good while watching childhood friends make the grade at the same time.

"When I left Celtic I had a couple of trials with Preston and Barnsley down in England,” he recalled. “I was 16 or 17 at the time and thought it would have been good for me to go into proper men's football.

“I wanted regular game-time so I came back to Sweden and started playing in the Second Division. You can live off the First and Second Division wages but you can’t really do that in the Third Division as you still need a job to supplement your income.

“I was playing third-tier football in Sweden – for a club called Nykopings, around an hour from Stockholm – when I got injured.

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"I was 20 and only three games into my career. I got a broken foot and then I had a problem with my knee. I had surgery on my left knee five times and it didn't heal or get any better – they don't even know what happened.

“I visited all the good surgeons in Sweden and nobody could fix the problem so I had to give up my dream of playing football. I was gutted as all my friends were playing in the first team but I have another good friend who is studying to be a doctor now – we are the ones who got left behind football-wise.

“A lot of my friends and former team-mates are now playing professional football like Jordan Larsson and Carl Starfelt [a youth team-mate at Brommapojkarna]. But what are you supposed to do? You can’t just give up.”

"I was very lucky to play for a year before I started studying. I had very wise parents who gave me sound advice about the backup plan – I needed one.

“I gave football my best shot. I tried to train as much as I could on the side and maybe I was not the best or most technically-gifted player and there were some limits to my abilities.

“You do not think like that when you are growing up but when you look back on things maybe I could have done better if I didn't get my injuries. Maybe I would never have been able to play for Celtic's first team if I am honest."

He may be philosophical now but Mjallby revealed that, at the time, there were some dark times in the aftermath of having to give up his football dream.

"It was crushing to give it up and I'd be lying if I said that you don’t sometimes go to dark places,” he said. “You can get a bit depressed but you also cannot lie down and give up.

“I had a football mindset where I always tried to do my best in my academic career too and see where it took me.”

It took him to university – the first in his family to go – and to the start of a wonderful career as a lawyer.

In swapping the dressing-room for the courtroom, he is carving his own name in a worthwhile and noble profession where the fact he is the son of a former Celtic and Sweden star will count for precious little.

“The chances of making it as a professional footballer are pretty slim so my mum and dad raised me always to have a backup plan,” he said. “Even when I played football in Sweden with Brommapojkarna when I was young and we were the best team, school was always given precedence.

Celtic Way: Timothy Mjallby in his Celtic daysTimothy Mjallby in his Celtic days

“Now I am in Stockholm at one of the leading law firms in Sweden. I am quite different from the other experienced lawyers in the firm. Lawyers are special people.

“Qualifying and working has given me loads to build on. I have taken the skillsets that I have learned and that are transferable from football into my new profession too: teamwork, coping with pressure and the like.

“It is up to me to forge the new career though. I am the only person in my family to ever go to university and this is my own experience so I get to do what I want with it. It is quite an honour.

“Football is an unforgiving environment but so is the law. Football teaches you that there is always the next game or, in my case, that if you get injured there is always another thing to channel and focus all your energies into.

“I am employed by a law firm which is very difficult to get into but that is where your football background also helps as I have been competitive all my life.

“I am embarking on a paid internship with them and then I will do my masters and write my thesis. After that I will graduate from the bar after three years in Swedish law and go into proper work as a practising lawyer.

"But the great thing about all of this is that I am Timothy Mjallby, the lawyer. I will not be ‘the son of Johan Mjallby, an ex-Celtic player and coach’. I am my own person now and that means a lot to me. That is very important and I am grateful for that.

"You cannot live your life thinking ‘what if’… but if I could kick a ball again? I would love to do it. But if I didn't make it big as a player would I have given up anyway? And would I have been studying law now? You just have to follow where your career and life path takes you."

Part of Mjallby's life path was the Celtic experience and it’s one that he will never, ever forget. Once a Tim, always a Tim in his case.

"People in Sweden probably do not realise how big Celtic really is as an entity,” he added. “It is a family all over the world. Celtic is bigger than all the clubs combined in Sweden. It is a very special football club."

Mjallby will always be thankful for bearing the name of a former Celtic and Sweden great. However, for the time being he is simply far too busy embarking on a new career which will see him hit dizzier but entirely different heights than that of his famous footballing father.

Timothy Mjallby can finally shout it from the rooftops: he is very much his own man. It's the law.