Celtic’s Rome Hero recalls his Beautiful Sunday win over the Rangers | OneFootball

Olivier Ntcham has spoken about his time in Glasgow with Celtic and revealed that he still can’t get a handle on the excitement that comes over him when he recalls scoring in a Glasgow Derby match for the Hoops.

Olivier Ntcham celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Europa League group E match between SS Lazio and Celtic FC at Stadio Olimpico on November 7, 2019. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

The Cameroon international spent three years at Paradise and was a smooth operator on his day, even if he did blow hot and more often cold too many times.

The former Man City youth product was just one of a number of academy stars from the Etihad who headed up north to Celtic Park to play their football, when it was obvious there would be no luck finding a pathway at the English club.

Celtic forked out for the midfielder back in the summer transfer window of 2017 and Ntcham initially didn’t disappoint with his obvious talent.

The Celtic Star’s Matt Corr with Odsonne Edouard and Olivier Ntcham after 2019 Scottish Cup Final win over Hearts

However, such was our domestic dominance at that time, the player had decided three years later that he had won all he needed to in Scottish football and sometimes footballers get restless.

The man who gave us some unforgettable moments in a Celtic jersey revealed that although the club wanted to keep him, he saw his future elsewhere, which did lead to a bit of friction. “I left Celtic because I didn’t think I could win any more trophies with them at the time,” he said via Daily Record.

“I was there for three seasons and we won everything, all the trophies. So I thought it was the right moment to leave. But I had some disagreements with the club because they didn’t want me to leave.

Photo: Chris McCluskie

“I left anyway and because of that, we had a very bad relationship. But I don’t have any bad thoughts towards Celtic. At the end of the day, this is football and football is like that sometimes. I wish them the best and I was very happy while I was there.”

Even though he didn’t extend his stay in Scottish football, the cultured star who played for Marseille and Swansea City admits he still feels a rush of excitement and exhilaration when thinking of that goal he scored at Celtic Park against Steven Gerrard’s side back in September of 2018.

He said: “It was incredible, it felt amazing to score the only goal. There are no words to use for this type of game, but it was great. The feeling, the stadium full, everything. The stadium was shaking and the moment I scored that goal was incredible. It was an amazing feeling and even now I struggle to describe the excitement.”

He added: “I felt like we were going to win the game that morning. At that time we played a style of football where we spent a lot of time with the ball. I knew we would create a lot of chances and I thought I could score a goal or two. So I knew that we would win that match and that I would do something.”

Paul Gillespie

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