MARTIN O’NEILL was glad he popped into Easter Road on the Saturday afternoon of August 12 2000 to take in the Hibs v Dundee league encounter.
The new Celtic boss took advantage of a day off with the Hoops scheduled to play Kilmarnock 24 hours later at Parkhead.
The ebullient Northern Irishman had just taken charge in June following another turbulent season in the east end of Glasgow.
John Barnes, in the dug-out for a mere eight months, had been sacked in the aftermath of the shocking Scottish Cup exit against Inverness Caley Thistle and club legend Kenny Dalglish, the Director of Football, had taken control of team matters until the end of the campaign.
BHOY RACER…Didier Agathe hurtles down the wing against Dundee.
O’Neill had quit Leicester City for his first stint in Scottish football and he wanted to get an up-to-date appraisal of the Hibs and Dundee players and the teams’ styles of play.
He left the stadium that day as a man on a mission – he was determined to sign one of the hosts’ best players.
Didier Agathe captivated the Hoops chief with a mesmerising two-goal performance in the runaway 5-1 triumph over the shredded Tayside opponents.
One of his goals was a breathtaking slalom-like run past three defenders before sliding the ball away from future team-mate Rab Douglas.
It was the second successive two-goal display from the pacy Frenchman in the space of eight days. Agathe had just arrived at the Edinburgh club earlier in the summer as a free agent after his contract at Raith Rovers expired.
He had joined the Kirkcaldy club after leaving his first side, French Ligue 1 outfit Montpellier HSC in 1999. He scored seven goals in 30 appearances for the Fifers before being snapped up by Hibs on a short-term deal.
O’Neill was made aware Agathe’s contract was due to expire at the turn of the year and made his move. The Leith club, managed by Alex McLeish, faced losing the player for nothing or accept Celtic’s cut-price offer of £27,000.
HEAD BHOY…Didier Agathe races away in delight after scoring the last-gasp winner against Dundee at Dens Park in December 2000. Tommy Johnson acclaims his team-mate.
The winger made it clear he would not be signing an extension with the Easter Road side and joined the Hoops where he made his debut in a 2-0 win over St Mirren on October 14 later that year.
O’Neill enthused: “He was absolutely brilliant, fantastic even. I did not think he would last more than 60 minutes, but he has so much strength and pace”.
Agathe kept his place in the team and his first goal for the team was a last-gasp headed winner against Dundee in a 2-1 triumph at Dens Park on December 10, the evening Neil Lennon made his debut following his £6million shift from Leicester City.
Both performers played their part in a season where Celtic won their first domestic treble since Jock Stein’s side achieved the feat in season 1968/69.
Ironically, Agathe picked up a Scottish Cup medal in the 3-0 triumph over McLeish’s Hibs on May 26 2001 at Hampden where Henrik Larsson claimed a double after Jackie McNamara’s opener.
The silverware mounted up during the O’Neill years with the club winning three titles, three Scottish Cups a one League Cup while reaching the 2003 UEFA Cup Final before losing 3-2 to Porto in extra-time in Seville.
The arrival of Gordon Strachan as O’Neill’s successor in the summer of 2005 saw Agathe’s first-team appearances dip and he was linked with a loan move to Leeds United while Middlesbrough were also reported to be interested.
OH, HAMPDEN IN THE SUN…Didier Agathe celebrates Celic’s 3-0 Scottish Cup Final win over Hibs on May 26 2001 along with team-mates Johan Mjallby, Paul Lambert and Henrik Larsson.
In February 2006, he was released from his Celtic contract. Remarkably, he moved to Aston Villa to be reunited with O’Neill who had returned to the game after a brief period out.
Agathe signed a short-term deal and made his debut in a home 1-1 draw with Spurs. On January 11 2007, the player was released when the Midlands club chose not to extend his contract.
The flanker made only six appearances for Villa, all from the substitutes’ bench.
Agathe moved back to his homeland of Reunion to sign for JS Saint-Pierroise and he also set up an academy for young footballers.
He returned to the UK in April 2020 when he was appointed manager of English Northern Football League Division Two team Durham City. He left the club six months later after his team secured just one point from the opening nine games of the season.
He remained in the county when he took over as boss of Chester-le-Street in 2021.
Agathe will celebrate his 49th birthday in five days’ time.
All at CQN and Celtic followers everywhere will wish a wholehearted performer a very Hoopy birthday!
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