Canberra coach compares Celtic’s Leo Mazis with Tom Rogic

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Scottish Premiership champions Celtic have signed young Aussie talent Leo Mazis, who will join his idol Tom Rogic at Parkhead.

Celtic will be hoping that they have signed the next Tom Rogic in highly-rated Australian midfielder Leo Mazis.

As reported by the club’s official website, the 17-year-old has signed a three-year deal with the Scottish champions after a successful trial period and moves from Belconnen United, a regional club who play in Canberra’s National Premier League.

And Mazis’ rise to fame mirrors that of his idol Rogic, who also represented Belconnen en route to Parkhead.

“Most so-called football experts in this country ignored both of them, especially in this city,” coach Andy Bernhal told the Canberra Times of Rogic and Mazis, both of whom were snubbed by Australia’s youth teams.

“I don’t know if that’s an indictment on our system or what we’re looking for but I remember taking Tom to camps at the AIS (centre of excellence academy) and they said ‘no he won’t be a footballer’.

“I don’t get it, Tom was the best kid in this city by a mile and Leo is the next best kid in this city, by a mile.”

Mazis, then, has a lot to live up to. But with Rogic a current star of Celtic’s first-team, the teenager could hardly have a better mentor from whom to learn his trade.

Rogic has proved emphatically wrong all those who doubted him by not only winning two Scottish Premiership titles, soon to be three, but by becoming a key player in the Australian national team. The 25-year-old has 33 caps and will be at the forefront of their World Cup dreams this summer.

And Mazis, who Bernhal believes is the second most gifted youngster to emerge from Canberra, will be hoping to follow in Rogic’s footsteps.