In one of the stranger bits of news from this weekend, Celtic’s Scottish Cup winner Rudi Vata has delighted a Primary School football team in Fife with a surprise visit.
Vata, whose son Rocco is in the Celtic Academy, won Scotland’s oldest trophy with the Bhoys in 1995. Having worked as an agent and a coach in Belgium for the last few years, he’s returned to Scotland. With family based in Hamilton, Vata’s son has the unusual choice of representing Ireland, Scotland or Albania.
The Albanian sensation was invited to talk to Crossgates Primrose 2009 football team, in Dunfermline. According to the Dunfermline Press, “Vata spoke to the team about his experiences as a footballer and gave them training tips and advice on helping them keep mentally and physically healthy.”
Vata said of the experience [Dunfermline Press]:
“Kids like these are the future of football and it’s important to nurture that in a positive way so they can get the best out of the game. It’s important that the kids stay healthy physically but also important that they stay healthy mentally, especially in these difficult times.”
Rudi Vata: a class act
Students also gave Vata a Celtic shirt to sign, in order to raise funds for the Crossgate Primrose 2009 team. Of course, with the biting effects of Covid-19, youth teams across Scotland are struggling to make ends meet.
Simon Smart, the team’s head coach, was full of praise for Vata. He said [Dunfermline Press]:
“It was amazing that someone like Rudi could visit the kids, to keep their spirits up and give advice and training tips, which the kids will remember forever.”
Vata, who also played for teams as varied as St Johnstone and Yokohama FC, was capped 51 times by Albania. He’s also spent time in coaching, managing KF Vllaznia Shkodër in his native country.
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