Marco Tilio had big dreams when he joined Celtic in a splashy £2 million move from Melbourne City last June, locking in a five-year contract with the Scottish giants.
At just 22, the forward was all geared up to make his mark in Scotland. However, things didn’t quite go as planned, and after failing to secure a regular spot under manager Brendan Rodgers, Tilio found himself heading back to the A-League on loan just a few months later.
Reflecting on his journey, Tilio shared that he was brimming with confidence upon his arrival at Celtic, convinced he was ready for the challenge. But an unfortunate injury while on duty with the Australia Under-23 team threw a wrench in his plans, sidelining him for three months right after signing with Celtic. “I went away with the Australia Under-23s and got injured. I then thought it would be a week-long injury. I signed the contract at Celtic and then obviously I was injured and out for three months,” Tilio recounted, highlighting the setback that hampered his start at the club.
Competing against a squad brimming with talent, Tilio found it tough to break into the first team, acknowledging the high level of competition among the wingers. Despite the hurdles, he never regretted his move, believing his time in Australia had prepared him well. “But I believed I was ready to leave Australia. I’d done my time here and I thought I’d done really well. The build-up all the way until then when I made that decision to go there, I thought I was ready,” he told RecordSport, refuting peoples comments that he jumped from Australia before he should have.
Tilio’s tenure at Celtic saw him make brief appearances, totalling just 28 minutes across two matches. Yet, the young Aussie remains optimistic, viewing the experience as a learning opportunity and is now focused on contributing to Australia’s Olympic qualification efforts. “It was a tough six months for my football, but it’s always a learning curve for me and we’ll see what happens in the future. That would be pretty special and played a big factor in my return,” he expressed, eager to make a significant impact back in the A-League.
During his time with Melbourne City before the move, Tilio was impressive, racking up 20 goals and 19 assists in 86 appearances, playing a key role in their championship win and three consecutive premierships. As he gears up for his return to Celtic in July.
