There have been lots of amazing players that have, in the words of this Willie Maley Song, passed through Parkhead’s gates to perform to the Hoops, also there are many others who’ve confronted Celtic in Paradise.
All of these leave Celtic Park understanding they were fortunate enough to play one of the most significant and most famous sporting arenas in the world. And highlighted only some of these big names from a soccer background, the Celtic site is turning its focus to more recent times, highlighting a few of the celebrities who’ve played Paradise from the 21st century.
Vincent Kompany was only 17-years-old when he came at Celtic Park with his Anderlecht team-mates to get a UEFA Champions League group-stage match against Martin O’Neill’s Celtic side. And he’ll always recall, remember the fifth of November, 2003, since they experienced Paradise to a European night… and left stunned and shell-shocked in the conclusion of the 90 minutes. The match was inside the first half an hour since the Hoops, according to by unbelievable support, blew away their opponents. Henrik Larsson opened the scoring 12 minutes prior to Liam Miller doubled the lead just five minutes afterward, and about 29 minutes, Chris Sutton made it 3-0 for the home side. Aruna Dindane scored a late consolation to the side, but it is reasonable to say that not one of the players had ever before experienced a feeling like that interior Paradise. It is one which Vincent Kompany and his team-mates would not forget.
Only this past year, Vincent Kompany has been asked to name his toughest competition during what had been an illustrious career, playing in the maximum level of the match for club and country. Instantly, his thoughts returned to this November night in 2003 when he played Paradise. He explained:’I have faced many, many fantastic strikers, and I have had great games and at times difficult games. However, the toughest one was when I was really still a child and that I was 17 years old playing with a fantastic Celtic side. And on the flip hand was Larsson and Hartson, that was an incredible strike force they had at that moment. And Hartson was so big! And, at the moment, I had been about 10 kilos lighter. Every challenge from the atmosphere or anything I was simply asking questions myself ‘How come I can not even find the ball when it’s coming?’ So he is probably not the most powerful striker I’ve played. Nevertheless, it was the roughest for the era I had been at, and also the period and also the profile that he had been at the moment.’
Vincent Kompany is regarded as one of the greatest defenders to have played in the English Premier League, and he had been a talismanic figure for Manchester City through the 11 years that he was in the club. Following two decades in Germany, he moved to England and Manchester CiCitynd appreciated an unbelievable degree of success with the team. He was capped 89 occasions for Belgium and has been a part of the federal squad, which finished third in the 2018 World Cup tournament.
But, following a bad start to this season, he relinquished managerial responsibilities and concentrated solely on playing for the club. Manchester City, meanwhile, announced a variety of permanent tributes to Kompany because of his contribution to the club. The road linking the City Football Academy childhood and community pitches together with the club first-team center was renamed’Vincent Kompany Crescent’ and can be marked with a mosaic inspired by Vincent’s unforgettable target bash in the 2012 Manchester derby. Along with also a sculpture of this participant was commissioned that, when finished, will benefit from a place away from the Etihad Stadium.
