Shay Given was at Celtic as a youngster, but the club ultimately let him leave Parkhead without the Irishman ever being given an opportunity at senior level. He went on to have an amazing career with Newcastle and Manchester City, as well as starring for the Republic of Ireland.
He recently shared a picture from his Celtic days, joined by all the other goalkeepers at the club during this time.
The first face is Pat Bonner, Celtic stalwart and first choice goalkeeper for a long time. Beside him is Joe Corrigan, who stands next to Gordon Marshall. Stewart Kerr joins Shay Given at the front, but its the back right of the photo that stands out here, as what you can see is a fully haired Brad Friedel.
Friedel didn’t have a work permit to officially join Celtic, but it is unthinkable that the club didn’t persevere or promote Given, considering the careers both had.
Many Celtic fans have been reacting, wondering what might have been if one of the two stayed at Parkhead. Could we have won the UEFA Cup in Seville? Could we have been more successful in the Champions League? How much would one of them have been sold for if they left Celtic?
We’ll never know, but what hindsight does tell us, is that whoever made the decision to go with Marshall and Kerr, when Bonner left, got it drastically wrong!
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