It is pre season so here we go with another curveball thread

Who/what is the best performances you have seen at Celtic Park from an opposition player that were not the complete world class players (I.e. Messi, Ronaldo, Rooney, Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas etc)

So far, we have the like of Riquelme (who could be in the world class bracket), Lars Stindl and Dani Parejo

I’ve also seen some really good RB Salzburg players over the years

Who do you think?

 

Bit of an odd one but Zakaria from borussia mönchengladbach

 

As * annoying as it is, and as much as I despise it and with the answer clearly being it’s obviously Messi.


But against us? Aye it’s Neymar.

6 games, 7 goals, 8 assists. That’s his record against us. * hate the * though.


So the ones I just kind of * admired and thought * man. Pirlo, Kaka, Maldini, Paul Scholes, Xavi, Iniesta, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.

There’s a myriad of them.

The not so obvious ones for me? Ricardo Quersema at Barca murdered us, the other half of the link up thats often forgotten because just Riquelme - Sonny Anderson.

Watching at Parkhead, Coman just baffled me, guy had no acceleration he was just standing still to full sprint no in between, and I watched it thinking * do you do about that.

Oscar Cardozo for Benfica. Ohhh Emineke I think it was for Spartak Moscow.

Del Piero and Trezeguet at Juve.


And lastly, and most annoying - Jo Inge Berget

 

Oscar Cardozo - that is a great shout btw. * was unreal against us

 

I remember being impressed by Rabiot for PSG when we played them thought he was outstanding that game. Also remember kevin kampl for rb salzburg im sure played a cracking game

 

Modric was class. Dani Alves and Rabiot.

 

Agreed on Rabiot. Surprised he didn’t end up at Real or Man City during that 2017-2021 period when they were best clubs in the world at that time

 

Neymar.

Absolutely * rinses us rotten every time we come up against him.

I get people go for Rabiot in that 5-0 game against PSG, but Neymar ran the show for me. Set the tone and to think we had Ralston up against him at the time. Jesus Christ.

Cavani was also hugely impressive. A lot more so than some of the names mentioned in the thread so far for me.

 

Robert Prosinecki for Croatia Zagreb

Guy was absolutely unreal

 

Federico Valverde was everywhere when we played Madrid.

 

There was I think either us winning 1-0 or getting beat 1-0 over there that Cardozo and Boruc could have just played against each other how much it was just they two fighting it out. Boruc made about 5 saves he had no right to, Cordozo scored I think but easily could have had 6 or so if not for Boruc. Was up there with Forster against Barca levels that but not as well remembered

 

Modric turned our lights out by simply giving 15% more of a * in a second half.

He was devastating.

 

Neymar, his record against us is unreal for such a * horrible vile *.

Messi, for obvious reasons, even at 2-0 you just had the feeling if anyone would flip this on its head it would be him, he scored 1 but thankfully not another. Ran rings around is pretty much every game against us without getting out of second gear. The 3-2 game at Parkhead when he was about 19 he was magical.

Modric, his ability to simply up his game in the second half that night was unbelievable.

 

More recently I thought De Cuyper from Club Brugge was outstanding against us and is going to go to the very top

 

Outside of the usual suspects I’d say Sammesekou from RB Salzburg when they were under Marco Rose and Minamino during the same game. They were * class. Remember leaving that game wondering if Minamino was on drugs because he never * stopped. His pressing was on another level.

Lars Stindl from Mochengladbach was unbelievably good.

Wirtz at 18 when Leverkusen absolutely battered us at Celtic Park in the Europa League. He was a joke.

 

Definitely Riquelme for me. We looked like beating anyone at Parkhead those years, Juve, Bayern, Barcelona all rattled, but I'd never seen us be so dominated before. Riquelme was as good as Zidane ability-wise for me.

 

OP asks for not quite World Class players and * are naming Messi, Neymar, Rabiot, and Modric. :56:

Spartak’s Emenike was great against us, as were Lichsteiner (*) and Marchisio when Juventus beat us 3-0.

Ciro Immobile was dangerous for Lazio too.

 

Wirtz was unreal, couldn’t believe he was only 18 at the time.

Solbakken … felt like players just bounced off him when he was dribbling with the ball shocked it hasn’t really worked for him out with Bodo. Looked a cracking player.

 

What a shout this is.