Celtic 5-1 Rangers – Brilliant Photo Gallery from Moussa Dembele’s Perfect Day

Gamboa had featured in all five matches in Brazil, as Costa Rica reached the quarter-final of the 2014 World Cup, the full-back playing every minute as the rank outsiders topped their group with victories over Uruguay and Italy, followed by a draw with England. In the Round of 16, he played for 77 minutes in the draw with Greece, the opposition featuring recently-released Celtic striker Georgios Samaras.

The Costa Ricans progressed 5-3 on penalties at the expense of the Greeks but he would be reacquainted with Big Sammy soon enough, the pair joining West Brom within a few weeks of each other in August 2014, Gamboa leaving Norwegian champions Rosenborg. The Celtic theme would continue at the Hawthorns, with future Hoops star Youssef Moulumbu already plying his trade there. It could actually have been even more interesting from that perspective, as both Scott Sinclair and Scott Allan had only left the Midlands club in the close-season to head for Manchester City and Hibernian respectively. A small and interconnected world is football.

Whilst Gamboa had continued to be a first pick for his international team, the likeable full-back had made fewer than twenty appearances in his two years at the Hawthorns. Would this be a problem?

“I always try to keep myself in shape by doing extra work. I wasn’t playing at West Brom but I was playing in all the national team games, so right now I am missing some match fitness but I will come here and do my best, and if you give me the chance I’ll be ready.”

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