Haissem Hassan has made a bit of Celtic history before he has even kicked a ball for the club.
Celtic unveiled Hassan on Wednesday night, finally ending weeks of speculation over his next move.
The Hoops have paid an initial £6 million for the 24-year-old, with the deal potentially rising to £9 million through add-ons.
A fair chunk of that additional money will be triggered if Celtic qualify for the league phase of the Champions League.
Hassan has already spoken about his delight at joining the club and the prospect of playing under the European lights in Glasgow. Before any of that, though, his signature has already put his name in the Celtic record books.
Hassan is the first Egyptian player ever to sign for Celtic.
It follows Camilo Duran making a similar piece of history earlier this summer. The striker became the first Colombian to pull on the green and white after completing his move to Glasgow.
There have been a few Celtic players over the years who have broken new ground for their countries.
Mohammed Salim was the first Indian player to sign for Celtic when he arrived in 1936. He remains the only Indian to have done so.
Rudi Vata became Celtic’s first senior Albanian player when he signed in 1993, while Victor Wanyama broke new ground for Kenya following his arrival at Parkhead in 2011.
These are bits of trivia that ultimately count for nothing once the whistle goes. Hassan will be judged on what he produces in a Celtic shirt, just as every other signing is.
Still, there is something worth acknowledging in players representing countries that have never previously had one of their own wearing the Hoops.
Hassan and Duran have now added Egypt and Colombia to that list in the same transfer window.
The Egyptian’s arrival is also another indication of Celtic looking beyond their more familiar recruitment markets. At £6 million up front, potentially climbing to £9 million, this is not a speculative punt either.
The immediate focus will be getting Hassan involved.
He will go straight into the squad as Celtic prepare for their Champions League showdown with LASK, with qualification carrying obvious importance on and off the pitch given the structure of his transfer.
There could be a first sighting before then as Celtic travel to Dundee United in the League Cup on Saturday, with kick-off at 5.45 pm.
After weeks spent waiting for his arrival to become official, that could finally be the first opportunity for supporters to see what Hassan can actually do in green and white.
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