It’s international week. There’s not much going on in the club scene at the moment so today I thought I’d write up a personal opinion on who I think Celtic’s top five signings have been since the turn of the century.
Over the last 22 years, we have seen an array of talent grace the turf of Celtic Park.
From Shunsuke Nakamura to Stan Petrov to Jan Venegoor of Hesselink, we have been spoilt as a supporter base watching these greats from the stands.
So I thought I’d compile a list of who I think are Celtic’s best signings since the year 2000 minus the legend of Henrik Larsson because we all know he would be the number one candidate of all Celtic fans.
All playing stats were obtained from Transfermarkt.
So, lets begin:
Number 5 – Bobo Balde £900k
Signed for a reported £900k from French side Toulouse in 2001 [BBC], Balde was a no-nonsense defender that would put his face in front of a brick if it meant Celtic not conceding a goal.
A 6ft 3″ wall of muscle, Balde appeared 205 times scoring 8 times for the club and earned a reputation for being a tough tackler and was an absolute standout in Celtic’s run to Seville.
He played in all but one of the thirteen games on route to the UEFA Cup Final and he was dismissed in injury time after a second bookable offence.
The infamous chants of ‘Bobo’s Gonnae Get Ye” was born and the Daily Record reported [via Freepress Library] as the Porto team left the team bus Jorge Costa looked stunned as the Celtic fans aimed the song at him prior to the final.
Balde was voted Celtic’s Player of The Year in 2003 by the fans.
Balde won 5 Scottish titles, 3 Scottish Cups and 3 League Cups.
Scroll down for Number 4