Ivan de la Pena. Very much like Rivaldo, a case of ‘what if?’…
Celtic have had numerous players on trial throughout the decades, some well known whilst others not so much.
One of the biggest names is Brazilian legend, Rivaldo, a World Cup and Champions League winner who was famously handed a ‘trial’ by Martin O’Neill in the summer of 2004, an offer he unsurprisingly turned down, before going on to sign for Greek giants Olympiacos, making 95 appearances and scoring 43 goals over a three year period.
A year earlier, Martin also handed a trial to a player by the name of Ivan de la Pena, a playmaking midfielder who had starred for Barcelona and Lazio, and whilst not in the same league as Rivaldo in the class stakes, he was a player who possessed great natural ability, and had the CV to back it up.
The La Liga and Copa Del Rey winner who was dubbed the ‘little Buddha’ had at the time of his trial period in Glasgow, played over 100 games in La Liga with Barcelona and Espanyol, whilst also boasting a period in the French top flight with Marseille, and a spell in Serie A with Lazio also tucked under his belt.
De La Pena who also starred for Spain at youth level and won the cup winners cup with both Barca and Lazio, was 27 at the time and entering the peak of his career, so would have been a valuable addition to a Celtic side who were looking to build just months after losing the UEFA cup final in Seville.
De La Pena participated in a close door match, where he impressed, but Martin O’Neill wanted to see more of the player before sanctioning any deal.
Unfortunately for the Celtic supporters, the player felt he had nothing left to prove, and opted to move back to Spain and sign a permanent deal with Espanyol, the club with whom he had spent the previous year on loan.
The little Buddha went on to become an iconic figure at Barcelonas city rivals making 210 appearances, winning the Copa Del Rey, reaching a UEFA Cup final, and even making five appearances for the Spanish national side.
It’s yet another case of ‘what if?’ Regarding a talented player slipping through our grasp, simply because they had to endure the indignity of a ‘trial’ at Celtic.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
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Given the current squad, trials might not have been a bad idea before wasting the money on them
The board should be on trial.hh