From a green jumper to a season ticket

It’s one of those obscure football facts which appears more likely to be an urban myth, but when he jogs out onto Celtic Park on Sunday the proof will be there for all to see: Chelsea captain John Terry is a Celtic fan.  I’ve heard many wide ranging reasons why people become attached to the club, not everyone was born into it as an accident of paternal heritage, some of us made our own way there.

I know one Ulsterman, from the loyalist tradition, who has lived in Scotland for decades, and, along with his friends, is a Celtic supporter.  One season ticket holder told me he started shouting for Celtic as an infant, to tease his Rangers supporting father, but one day the teasing developed into the acquisition of a green jumper, an unusual occurrence in the family home.  A bridge had been crossed, soon posters were on the bedroom wall, a Celtic Subbutteo team was bought and after a few years, a Celtic top made its appearance.

There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of great stories like these.

Sunday’s #19 Legenda’ game will be a chance for some of us to reminisce about the days when Pierre, Lubo, Jorge, Bobo, Tommy Boyd, the man himself, Stiliyan Petrov and, of course, the Swede, graced Celtic Park every week.  It will be a rare chance to see Martin O’Neill on the on the touchline, perhaps without bouncing up and down.  Well done to Carlos Cuellar for pitching up, even if he has to play the inevitable pantomime villain.

Monies raised will go towards Stiliyan’s Foundation and to stock a food bank, which will open in Glasgow this month with the aim of alleviating food poverty. Which takes us back to where we started.

Enjoy your day.
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