ONE-TIME Celtic wonderkid Islam Feruz quit football at the age of 24 in April 2020 – to set up his own clothing brand.
The forward, once tipped to go all the way to the top by former manager and mentor Tommy Burns, walked out on the Hoops at the age of 16 to join Chelsea.
Following a series of unsuccessful loans, including a stint at Hibs, the London side gave Feruz the boot in the last day of the 2018/19 season.
The Somalia-born Glasgow-raised player joined the Parkhead ranks at the age of 10, but was lured to Stamford Bridge six years later.
LITTLE BOY BLUE…Islam Feruz in action for Chelsea reserves.
At 14, Feruz played for the Celtic first team in 2009 in a memorial match for club legend Burns and two years later he left for Jose Mourinho’s side, despite offers of professional contract from the Parkhead outfit.
He made history as when he became the youngster-ever player to be selected for the Scotland Under-21 side. Unfortunately, he made only two appearances for his adopted country.
His career stalled fairly spectacularly after quitting Celtic. There were other temporary transfers to OFI Crete – where he played twice – Blackpool and Swindon Town before his career headed towards a brick wall.
Feruz revealed part of his new business venture is a line of baseball caps with the logo “Tajirii” – translated to “rich” in Swahili – with “Controversial One” stitched on the back.
* TOMORROW: Don’t miss the adventures of another former Celt in CQN’s EXCLUSIVE series.
