Previous heroes who have worn the shirt have included Swedish hitman Henrik Larsson, Scotland idol Kenny Dalglish and Celtic Euro great, Jimmy Johnstone.

The shirt is so revered at the club the stadium's hospitality restaurant is simply named the Number Seven - and McDonald's chance to slip it on is almost the highest honour the club can bestow on him.

The gesture from the club came up during negotiations for an extended contract after a stellar debut season with the Bhoys.

The striker blasted through the 30-goal barrier at Parkhead and now aims to build on that sensational start to his Celtic career with a fourth consecutive SPL crown next year.

Dalglish scored 167 goals for the club from 204 appearances while Larsson scored 173 goals from 221 appearances and Johnstone notched up 130 in 515 appearances.

But the shirt proved too big in the past for players like Juninho, who struggled after a much-heralded move from Middlesbrough, and Polish captain Maciej Zurawski, who also failed to live up to his big billing in Glasgow's East End.

A source close to McDonald added: "He is absolutely overjoyed by the gesture from Celtic. Words can't express how important the number seven shirt is in the club's history."