One feature of an international break is that the foreign Celtic players pop up in their homeland media and reveal one or two interesting little snippets about their life at Celtic that we’d otherwise never know about.
Celtic’s Israeli winger Liel Abada, who turned 20 last week, has been doing a behind the scenes style interview on the Israeli TV Sports Channel 5 and alongside him is the agent who helped bring him to Celtic, Dudu Dahan. Immediately we hear that Abada is just passing through Celtic as he plans to play in the English Premier League, preferably for Liverpool.
“My dream was and remains to play in England, in one of the teams in the Premier League,” The Celtic star said. “The biggest dream is Liverpool, but I have to keep working hard at Celtic to prove myself and take it step by step. Should Mo Salah worry? From me? No! He is a super player.”
It’s not likely that Mo Salah is going to lose much sleep, for the moment anyway as far as losing his place to Celtic’s £3.5m summer signing from Maccabi Petah Tikva.
On signing for Celtic, Abada had this to say: “I remember arriving at a restaurant and I was shown the contract. I grabbed my head. I knew my dream was coming true.
“Anyone who hasn’t been to Celtic Park does not understand what an atmosphere is. You do not understand what a shiver it gives. My song too, and when they shout You’ll Never Walk Alone. It’s hard for me to even explain in words,” he said.
Abada is looking to play some part in the Scotland v Israel World Cup qualifier at Hampden on Saturday, a match that both sides will be targeting three vital points and where defeat signals probably the end of their dream of reaching the play-offs.
“I will wait patiently for my minutes. I work hard in training to prove I deserve to play,” Abada said.
“No matter how many minutes the coach gives me, I will try to prove my place on the field.
“I haven’t been yet but I am told the atmosphere at Hampden is extraordinary. The games against Scotland are always close. It will be tough, with a noisy and enthusiastic crowd. But we have to play our game and I believe we can win.”
Dahan then explained when he reckoned that Abada was on his way to the top as a professional footballer, telling the Celtic star this: “You know where I knew you were something special? When we were in London, and waited anxiously for the deal to be completed and get a work permit.
“You were not looking to go shopping, or to parties, or to bars in London. You were just looking for a nearby park to run at 7am and in the evening. You also told me you had to go to bed before midnight and you did not agree to drink anything but water. Then I knew you would go far.”
This lad should concentrate on improving with the hoops , dreaming of epl and not exactly messi material by a long long way