The striker scored only three goals for Celtic but his record since leaving is even worse.
Amido Balde did not exactly help himself. After the 22-year-old completed his protracted £1.5 million move to Celtic from Vitoria Guimaraes, he immediately made his intentions clear, the Daily Mail reports.
The striker, who modelled himself on Mario Gomez, Emmanuel Adebayor and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, stated that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Bhoys legend Henrik Larsson.
Just for comparisons sake, the Swedish goal machine plundered 242 goals in 313 games for Celtic, averaging 35 strikes a season. Amido Balde averaged, well, less. He played 24 times for the Hoops, troubling the back of the opposition net on a grand total of three occasions.
Balde built himself up but there was no one waiting to catch him when he inevitably fell. After two years contracted to the Scottish giants – the second season spent on loan with Waasland-Beveren in Belgium and Hapoel Tel-Aviv in Israel – he was released by new manager Ronny Deila.
And unlike Teemu Pukki, another striking flop who has rediscovered his scoring touch with Danish side Brondby, Balde has spent the last three seasons desperately searching for a club to call his own.
He is now plying his trade for on loan at Tondela, the club cut adrift at the bottom of the Portuguese top flight. He is yet to score a goal. The club who farmed him out in January, Maritimo, discovered after just 36 minutes of action that Balde was not exactly up to the standard required.
In fact, the 25-year-old has not scored a single goal in European football since being ushered out the Celtic Park exit in 2015. He may have netted five times in 12 games for Benfica but, fear not Hoops fans, this is merely the Angolan affiliate club rather than the illustrious Portuguese giants.
It is fair to say Larsson’s hero status is safe for now.
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