As Celtic prepare to face Barcelona in the Champions League, we look back at one of their most famous European nights.
Manager Neil Lennon and Mikael Lustig celebrate Celtic’s second goal scored by Tony Watt
Celtic often draw the short straw when it comes to the Champions League group stage. Including this season, each of the past three occasions the Glaswegians have made it into the group stage has seen them drawn against Barcelona.
One night in 2012, however, the star-studded Catalan outfit fell to a shock defeat at Parkhead. In a match that has gone down in Celtic folklore, Neil Lennon inspired his side to a 2-1 victory that helped them qualify for the knock-out rounds for the first time in five years. But what has become of the playing members of the squad that night?
Goalkeeper – Fraser Forster
This was the game that brought the giant stopper to the nation’s attention, as he made a series of fine saves to keep Messi, Iniesta and the rest at bay. Forster joined Celtic in the summer of 2012 following two successful loan spells from Newcastle, who had chosen Tim Krul ahead of the Englishman as their first choice.
Southampton’s Fraser Forster
Later during his spell in Glasgow, Forster became only the second player to be capped by England whilst representing Celtic, following Alan Thompson. He left Parkhead for Southampton in 2014 and is now back to full fitness having been out of action for nearly a year following a serious knee injury. With Joe Hart’s reputation falling after an error-prone European Championships, Forster will have his eye on making the England no.1 jersey his own in the coming months.
Right back – Mikael Lustig
The Swede had been a Celtic player for almost a year by the time of the Barcelona fixture having joined in the January window, and was establishing himself as a reliable member of the club’s back four. Lustig remains at Parkhead and has made 143 appearances for the club in all competitions whilst also appearing regularly for Sweden.
Having played 10 times already this season, Lustig is set to be a part of the Celtic side that takes on Barcelona again. Bizarrely, he made headlines after this weekend’s Old Firm thumping of Rangers by celebrating one of the goals with a beachball on his head.
Centre back – Efe Ambrose
Celtic’s Efe Ambrose looks dejected
The Nigerian international went into the Barcelona game in questionable form having scored a last-minute own goal as Celtic threw away a two-goal lead to draw with Dundee United. He told Goal.com in the build-up that he would play the game of his life against the Catalan side to make up for it, and more than played his part in keeping the glittering visiting attack at bay.
Four seasons down the line, Ambrose remains at Celtic but has been left out of Brendan Rodgers’ 25-man squad for the Champions League this time out. His only two appearances so far this season have been in the preliminary rounds of the competition against Lincoln Red Imps and Astana, and he was on the verge of a £300,000 move to Standard Liege on deadline day but the transfer fell through.
Centre back – Kelvin Wilson
The defender joined Celtic in 2011 having played with Bhoys boss Neil Lennon at Nottingham Forest, and by the Barcelona match he was growing into his spell at Parkhead after a disappointing first season. Having excelled in Celtic’s narrow defeat at the Nou Camp earlier in the group, Wilson was again superb in the victorious rematch.
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi (R) in action with Celtic’s Kelvin Wilson
However, 2012/13 was to be Wilson’s last season with Celtic, as he moved back to England for family reasons at the end of the campaign. He returned to Nottingham Forest for £2.5m, but was released in the summer after an injury-blighted second spell at the City Ground. Now with Rotherham United in the Championship, Wilson has established himself in the Millers defence and will hope for an injury free 2016/17.
Left back – Adam Matthews
Primarily a right-back, Matthews was on the other side for Barcelona’s visit and performed admirably in the win. After 150 appearances in green and white across four seasons, the Welshman departed in the summer of 2015 to join Sunderland.
An unhappy spell at the Stadium of Light followed, as Matthews made just two appearances for the Black Cats. He appeared in the opening day defeat to Leicester and the Capital One Cup win over Exeter, but an ankle injury then disrupted his season and he was sent on loan to Bristol City in January. Back with the Robins on a season-long loan for this campaign, Matthews is currently out with a hamstring injury.
Right wing – Kris Commons
Celtic’s Kris Commons celebrates scoring
A gifted playmaker, Commons was the flair player in this Celtic line-up. He went on to score 19 goals in all competitions in 2012/13 before following it up with a career-best tally of 32 in the campaign that followed.
Commons is still with the Bhoys, but won’t get the chance to face Barcelona again this time around having been left out of Celtic’s Champions League squad. The attacking midfielder spent pre-season recovering from a back injury and hasn’t featured in Brendan Rodgers’ plans so far, which has drawn criticism from fans and pundits, including David Provan.
Centre midfield – Victor Wanyama
Wanyama became the first Kenyan to play in the Scottish Premier League after joining Celtic in the summer of 2011, and went on to excel in the heart of the Bhoys midfield for two seasons. His thumping header opened the scoring in the victory over Barcelona, one of 13 goals Wanyama scored during his spell in Glasgow.
Celtic’s Victor Wanyama takes on Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta
The summer after defeating Barca, Wanyama was sold to Southampton for an estimated £12.5m, becoming the most expensive player sold by a Scottish club in the process. Three solid seasons on the south coast followed, and despite being sent off three times last season Wanyama completed a big-money move to Tottenham in the summer to ensure he will feature in the Champions League for the first time since leaving Parkhead.
Centre midfield – Joe Ledley
Ledley was into his third season with Celtic, and excelled alongside Wanyama in the defeat of Barcelona. He remained an integral part of the club’s midfield throughout his spell, but departed in January 2014 to join Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
The Welshman has been an impressive performer for club and country since leaving Parkhead, coming back from a leg injury in time to feature in all of his country’s matches at this summer’s European Championships. His victory dance following Wales’ win over Belgium summed up the enjoyment that he and his teammates felt during their historic tournament.
Left wing – Charlie Mulgrew
The versatile Mulgrew was Neil Lennon’s first signing when he joined the club that released him as a youngster in 2010, and his appearance in the win over Barcelona was one of over 200 appearances the Scottish international made during his time with the club.
A popular figure amongst the Celtic faithful, Mulgrew was released in the summer following the expiry of his contract. He joined Blackburn Rovers on deadline day and made his debut for the Championship side in their weekend draw at QPR, but was withdrawn just after the half hour mark with an injury that will keep him out for a fortnight.
Charlie Mulgrew
Striker – Miku
The Venezuelan striker was in the middle of a largely unsuccessful loan spell at Parkhead when he played his part in the triumph over Barcelona. He found the net just twice in 14 appearances for Celtic, and later admitted – as quoted by Sports Mole – that he made a mistake joining the club.
Miku joined Qatari side Al-Gharafa in 2013 and spent the best part of two years in the Middle East before joining Spanish side Rayo Vallecano in February 2015. He scored nine times in La Liga last season but couldn’t prevent his side being relegated from the top flight, and he is yet to appear in the second tier so far this season.
Striker – Georgios Samaras
The Greek international striker was the spearhead of Celtic’s attack, and though he didn’t get on the scoresheet against Barcelona he played a key role in the Bhoys triumph. Samaras remained with Celtic until the end of the 2013/14 season before being released having scored 67 goals for the hoops in all competitions.
Celtic’s Georgios Samaras celebrates
After leaving Glasgow, Samaras had an ill-fated spell at West Brom in which he failed to find the net for the Baggies before joining Saudi side Al-Hilal on loan. It didn’t take long for the striker to admit his unhappiness with life in the Middle East, and he is now playing in Oklahoma for North American Soccer League side Rayo OKC. Still only 31, Samaras looks set to wind down his career in lower quality leagues after never quite fulfilling his potential in either England or Scotland.
Substitute – Tony Watt
Celtic’s Tony Watt scores their second goal against Barcelona
The match against Barcelona was a dream come true for Tony Watt, who netted what turned out to be the winning goal with seven minutes to play at the age of just 18. That was about as good as it got at Parkhead for the striker, however, who was farmed out on loan to Lierse for the 2013/14 season before joining Standard Liege on a permanent deal the following summer.
Just six months after signing for the Belgian side, Watt was back in Britain to join Charlton Athletic. After initially forming a strong partnership with Igor Vetokele at the Valley, Watt is now in his third loan spell away from the Addicks. With temporary spells at Cardiff and Blackburn under his belt, the Scottish striker is spending this season back in his homeland at Hearts and has so far notched once for the Edinburgh outfit.
Substitute – Beram Kayal
The tenacious Israeli midfielder played the final 11 minutes against Barca, and the 41 appearances he went on to make in the 2012/13 season made this his most productive season for the hoops. He remained in Glasgow until January 2014, when he signed for Brighton.
Two and a half years on, Kayal remains with Albion and has played five times so far this season, also appearing for Israel in their World Cup qualifier against Italy.
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