Over the years, Celtic fans have seen some of the biggest names in football linked to or even play for the club.
In the years I’ve lived, stars like Henrik Larsson, Shunsuke Nakamura, and Roy Keane have worn the green and white hoops.
Going even further back, Billy McNeill and the rest of the Lisbon Lions were without a question some of the best players in the world at that time.
Then there were players like Kenny Dalglish who played at Parkhead in the 1970s and 1980s.
Celtic also had Brazilian playmaker Juninho play for the club for a short time under Martin O’Neill in 2004. In this video, the famous former Hoops manager explains why another Brazilian player, Rivaldo, didn’t make the move to Celtic Park during his time in charge.
Celtic “got in touch” with Rivaldo’s lawyer.
Rivaldo used to be one of the biggest names in football. He has played for AC Milan and Barcelona and won the Champions League and a World Cup.
When O’Neill was in charge, he was tied to Celtic. How close was the move to happening, and what went wrong with any deals that were made? This is what the former Celtic manager says.
O’Neill told The Football Authorities, “At the time, there was talk about getting Rivaldo.”
It was true, and I believe Rivaldo’s agent got in touch with us. There was interest. And even though Rivaldo and I were probably the same age at the time, I think there was something wrong with that.
The plan didn’t come together, but there was more than just the first meeting, and things went a little further than we thought they would.
“But at the end, I think both sides just gave up because Rivaldo was a great player but his career was coming to an end at the time.”
Rivaldo did say that Celtic made him an offer, but it looks like his memory of what happened is a little different from O’Neill’s.
What O’Neill told Matt Elliott about the terms of the Celtic deal
The show went on to talk about the real reason why Matt Elliot, a former Leicester City defender, didn’t come to Celtic Park.
The former Scotland back was linked to Celtic while O’Neill was manager, and the Irishman was a big fan of him. However, Elliott’s contract demands seem to have scuttled a possible move up north.
“I was talking to Matty a couple of months ago, and he told me the same thing,” O’Neill said. I did want to sign him.
“He did great work for me at Leicester City, and when I moved up to Celtic, I wanted to sign him.”
“Some parts of me believe that he used me to get a better deal at Leicester.” I believe that he and his agent are making these requests.
I did talk to Matty, though, and told him, “Matty, I think you’re a great center back, but Zinedine Zidane isn’t coming to the football club this week, so you’re not getting his money.”
He didn’t take the chance to go to Celtic, which I think he would have liked at the time. But he did a great job for me at Leicester City.
“And I think a part of me has always thought—and I told him this a few months ago—that he was just using me to get a better deal at Leicester City.”
At the time, it would have been very exciting to sign a player as good as Rivaldo, even though he was getting older.
He was a gentleman and one of the world’s best players. He also won the Ballon d’Or award once. There would have been a lot of people at Celtic Park if Rivaldo had played there. It’s too bad that he didn’t get the chance to do so.
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