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English-based star says he once travelled 8 hours to watch his beloved Celtic

Christopher Lee - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
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Sheffield Wednesday’s Barry Bannan is a self-confessed Celtic supporter.

Barry Bannan of Sheffield Wednesday  during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Cardiff City at Hillsborough, Sheffield on Sunday 29th December 2019.

The Sheffield Wednesday and Scotland midfielder Barry Bannan has revealed that he once travelled for eight hours to watch his beloved Celtic.

Bannan was 13, and then on Celtic’s books, when the Bhoys played Porto in the 2003 UEFA Cup final.

But instead of flying to Sevilla, where the game was being held, the Aidrionian and his family caught a bus from Benidorm, where they were holidaying.

Discussing his footballing firsts with the official Sheffield Wednesday website on Thursday, Bannan said: “I’d say my biggest memory following Celtic was when we got to the UEFA Cup final.

“We happened to be in Benidorm on holiday and the final was in Seville. Me, my dad and my brothers all went from Benidorm, there were Celtic buses from there, so we made the eight-hour journey to go and watch the final!”

Celtic featured heavily in Bannan’s responses.

The 30-year-old, who was picked up by Aston Villa’s academy in 2004, also revealed that his first kit was a Hoops one and that his first hero was Henrik Larsson.

Stiliyan Petrov of Aston Villa speaks to team mate Barry Bannan during the Barclays Premier League match between Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers at Villa Park on February 1, 2012 in...

He added that he still keeps in touch with Stiliyan Petrov, the former Celtic midfielder with whom he played at Aston Villa.

Bannan has spent the past four-and-a-half years at Sheffield Wednesday, where he is among the fan favourites.

The 27-cap Scotland star has around 15 months left on his contract with the Yorkshire side.