Having spent almost 18 months out of the game, it was nice to see former defender Jozo Simunovic finally return to the game with his hometown side Gorica.
The Croatian defender departed the club in 2020, being released after facing all sorts of injury issues during his five-year stay in Glasgow.
Despite that, Celtic fans still have some good memories of the defender who played his part in Brendan Rodgers invincible side, who won all domestic trophies available to them for several years.
The 26-year old recently opened up on his favourite moments in a Hoops shirt and spoke about a couple of memories no Celtic fans will forget in a hurry, that is for sure.
“The game against Kilmarnock that we played a few days after the legend Billy McNeill passed away. I scored to make it 1-0 with No.5 on my back,” he said, as quoted by the Daily Record.
“I can never remember such noise and applause in the stadium.
“My second favourite moment was an Old Firm game at Ibrox when I blew up Kenny Miller with a tackle.”
He continued by praising Celtic fans and Scottish Football, saying: “It’s a very physical game in Scotland. If there is no blood, there is no foul!
“But that was good because it toughened me up compared to Croatian football. The emphasis in Scotland was on the tempo, and when we played in Europe, it was strange for us.
“In the Old Firm games, there is no communication with teammates during the warm-up, and at the beginning of the game, because it is not worth it, you cannot hear anything from the noise and shouting. After 20 minutes, you can’t say another word because your throat hurts.
“I was reborn at Celtic, and they will always stay in my heart. Those people, those fans. It was a completely different culture, a different attitude of people towards the club and football in general.
“Celtic is there as a religion to the fans, and the players of that club are above everything.”
Although Simunovic might have been a defender who caused some frustration at times due to his injury issues off the field, he gave Celtic fans some great memories.
The two he mentions are iconic in an incredibly successful era for the club and will likely live on in the memory – especially the day in which the number five for Celtic scored in celebration of one of our greatest ever players to grace the Hoops.
We hope Jozo can now put his injury concerns behind him and enjoy his football once again back in his homeland with Gorica.
