Former Celtic cult-hero Rudi Vata’s new book titled ‘Football, Freedom and Paradise’ was launched yesterday at Celtic Park.
It’s just a month or so after his son Rocco rejected offers from Celtic after a dozen years across the Celtic Academy, Celtic B team and first team squad, to opt to sign for Watford after allowing his Celtic contract to run down.
It was always going to be a subject that Rudi was asked about, although it was left to the red tops to do that, certainly there was no invite afforded to The Celtic Star, despite being supportive of Rocco throughout his time at Celtic and also providing Rudi’s book with publicity when it was announced.
“It was a sad day when Rocco left Celtic. It would have been much better if he had stayed, but I’m not selfish,” Rudi Vata said, as reported by Scottish Sun. “He had to make a decision. He loved Celtic, and we appreciate everybody at the club’s work with him.
“But Rocco has his own journey to make in his football career. I give my family and my children freedom, because that’s everything in life. I was born in a dictatorship, but I never, ever dictated to my children what to do with their lives.
“Of course I advised them, I criticised them and corrected them. My responsibility as a father is to protect Rocco and give him the best professional advice — and his decision was to leave Celtic.
“Football works in funny ways. There are many stories of players who have left clubs and come back.
That could happen because I don’t think it’s goodbye forever.
“Rocco has a new club but Celtic will always be in our heart, for what they have done for me and him.
Leaving hasn’t broken our relationship with the club.”
Brendan Rodgers had explained to Rocco that he plans to have three striker spaces available in his first team squad this season. Kyogo is at the club, Adam Idah has always been a target to return with Oh having been sold and Vata was offered the third space, as a young player Brendan planned to develop. That wasn’t what Vata wanted and, as is his right, he opted for Championship side Watford where presumably he’s see more first team action.
Rudi Vata tried to explain the decision. “The club who showed the most hunger and determination to have Rocco was Watford. The sporting director was really desperate, so was the owner and the manager too.
“And they came to Montenegro on 2nd July, the day after his Celtic contract had expired. Gianluca Nani came to our holiday home and said, ‘I’m here to take you’, but Rocco still didn’t make the decision.
“He’s been scouted by top Serie A clubs since he was 15. There were Spanish teams as well, but Rocco didn’t want to move to another country.
“He always wanted to stay loyal to Celtic, and in the end he decided to remain in the UK. In my opinion, Rocco is one of the biggest talents of his age group in Europe. That’s what the scouts have said, not me, because I never went to watch him play football.
“I told him, ‘You go and earn it’. Earning means working hard, and he was a hard worker. I have seen the way he developed and he has done his job very well. Rocco’s a bigger talent than me, for sure, because he has different blood — his DNA is different.
“He is Scottish, he is Irish, and he is also Albanian, he has all those bloods in him. I tell him all the time there are two different types of pain in life, the pain of discipline and the pain of regret.
“The pain of discipline is the most beautiful pain, but the pain of regret, it never leaves you. If he wants to regret it, he can stop working today. If he wants to enjoy the game and achieve big things, he has to go through that pain of discipline.”
Football can be a brutal business, young players are often discarded by clubs and struggle to make grade elsewhere in the game. Others leave for clubs like Bayern Munich or Liverpool, as has happened at Celtic in recent times, before finding that the grass isn’t necessarily greener. Rocco’s path seems to be determined by the desire for first team football and that is admirable, if frustrating for Celtic who hand on heart weren’t able to offer him that.
Rocco Vata has backed himself to make the grade in the English Championship this season and it will be an interesting watch seeing how he gets on. Meanwhile Rudi’s book is out now. Thanks to Ilir Meta for the photos!
1/2 Today at Celtic Park, “Paradise,” the memoir “Football, Freedom & Paradise” was presented by our National Team’s captain & legend #RudiVata a prominent figure in both🇦🇱&🏴football. He’s the one who brought me closer to my beloved team #CelticFC💚. I can’t wait to read his 📖! pic.twitter.com/dXEi0HFADT
— Ilir Meta (@ilirmetazyrtar) August 8, 2024
2/2 Congratulations #RudiVata! I’m deeply grateful to you for connecting me with the most loyal community in the world, #CelticFC💚! Everyone who knows Albania🇦🇱 through you loves, admires, and visits it with great affection. Best of luck, Roccos! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/Oa4K0XzmuA
— Ilir Meta (@ilirmetazyrtar) August 8, 2024
