To paraphrase an old Scottish joke, what is the difference between Nir Bitton and Walt Disney? Bitton makes dreams come true, but Walt disnae. Granted, the fact that the founder of the world’s original theme park has been dead for over 50 years has rather hampered his charitable efforts, but if we were still alive today, he might have been heartened by a tale that emerged this week of the afore-mentioned Celtic midfielder’s generosity.

Upon hearing of the plight of six-year-old Celtic fan Jasmin Henderson, who is battling a brain tumour, Bitton donated £1000 to help her enjoy the holiday of a lifetime to Disneyland in Florida. In an era where you are likelier to be repulsed by Instagram posts of flash cars as footballers flaunt their wealth than be moved by heart-warming tales of their philanthropy, it was a welcome reminder that these athletes who we place on such pedestals can occasionally live up to their hero status.

“To be honest, it isn’t something I wanted to come out,” said Bitton, displaying admirable modesty. “Sometimes it is just good to put a smile on people’s faces.

“I really didn’t want it to be in the papers or for my name to be mentioned, because it I did it from the bottom of my heart. If I need to do it again, I would do it again.

“The family contacted me on Facebook. They sent me a link to their Facebook page. They didn’t ask for money or anything. They just wondered if I could help with a signed shirt or something. But I just felt at the moment that if I could put a smile on a kid’s face then it would mean everything to me.”

Bitton admits that becoming a father to baby daughter Emma just after Christmas last year has had a profound impact on him, but he was keen to point out that there are plenty of other footballers he knows who go out of their way to help people, and like him, don’t seek recognition.

“Obviously, when you have a kid you feel something,” he said. “But even before I had a kid I tried to help as much as I could every time people asked of me.

“There are plenty of footballers I know who donate a lot of money from their own pocket. But it is not in the media or anything. People always talk about the amount of money footballers earn, but I think that if we can help someone then we do it.

“If it is not in the papers then none of you would know. But as much as I can I will try and help some people."

It is unlikely that Bitton and his teammates will be quite so charitable to Scottish Cup quarter-final opponents St Mirren when they visit Celtic Park tomorrow lunchtime.

With the League Cup already in the trophy cabinet and the Premiership trophy soon to follow, the competition presents the last realistic threat to Celtic’s quest to underline their domestic dominance by winning the treble. That is why nothing will be left to chance, even though their opponents are currently languishing at the bottom of the Championship.

That means that all thoughts of the treble will be banished from the Celtic players minds, and due deference and respect will be paid to the threat posed by Jack Ross’s side, particularly after their recent upturn in form.

“For us – we don’t think about the treble now,” Bitton said. “We take it game by game and while we make things look easy, it’s not easy.

“We need to focus on the cup and Sunday because in one game everything is possible. We need to win and get to the semi-final and hopefully we can do it.

“When you play for a club like Celtic you want to win everything and all the trophies. We have been unlucky in the last few years in the Scottish Cup and we want to go to the end this year.

“The cup is the cup and everything is possible – we need to be ready for that. We want to make it easier and we want an early goal but if not then we need to keep it going.

“I don’t know much about St Mirren for now but I’m sure the coaching staff will prepare us the best for the game and we’ll be ready.

“It’s about us doing what the gaffer wants us to do. It’s all about us. We have shown many times this season that when we play to our best it is very difficult to play against us. But it’s not something we can take for granted. We will go into Sunday’s game giving 100 per cent.

“We won’t think about St Mirren or their position in the league. We just need to make sure we win this game and reach the semi-final. We will be prepared for this game and be going full power.”