Celtic right-back Hatem Abd Elhamed has thanked the club for helping him rediscover his mojo with Israel.
Elhamed had only made one appearance for his national side before signing for the Hoops in the summer. During his two-year spell with Be’er Sheva in his home nation, he still wasn’t picked regularly. Indeed, only a late cameo against Poland in June was what he had to show for his international career.
However, that all changed earlier this month. Elhamed was chosen to play for his country against North Macedonia and Israel respectively. He featured for 90 minutes in each match, and took up his old Be’er Sheva position as a centre-back.
But it’s the move to Celtic that makes Elhamed believe he was noticed by his national team once again. Speaking in the Daily Record, the new man talked about his international chances.
“I signed for Celtic then I played games for the national team. So, for sure, Celtic have helped me a lot in my career.
“It was a very important move for me and I did a lot to come here. I am very glad to be with Celtic. Now I recognise it was a very good decision.
“Sure there is more interest in me. When you are a Celtic player they look at you differently and you get more respect.”
Celtic move has paid off for Elhamed in more ways than one
The move to Scotland has been the best decision the Israeli right-back could’ve made. He isn’t so much an international hero just yet, but he’s well in the thick of things. A tough couple of results over the course of the last international break didn’t help.
But there’s clear recognition from Israel that Elhamed must be worth looking at after his Parkhead switch. Nir Bitton, for example, gets plenty of attention from his national team despite being a bit-part player here. It shouldn’t be too long before Elhamed is in the same position.
However, unfortunately it looks as though he’s one of the only new signings who will be recognised anytime soon. Christopher Jullien has next to no chance of being called up for France given the competition the World Champions have at the back.
Chances at international level hard to come by for some
Boli Bolingoli, meanwhile, hasn’t been consistent enough as of yet to be noticed by Belgium. However, given the fact Dedryck Boyata was regularly called up for the number one ranked team in the world whilst at Celtic, it’s not outside the realms of possibility in the future. Boli, however, will have to improve considerably if he’s to get that call.
Moritz Bauer is another that will hopefully be considered by his nation for selection. Austria, however, have been flying in the Euro 2020 qualifiers, and with Stefan Lainer ahead of him, that’s another tough ask. But squad selection is something he should be targeting in the future if he can fight for his Celtic spot.
The best-placed of the new backline when it comes to an international future, however, is most certainly Elhamed. It’s clear Celtic have been just as good for him as he has for Celtic.
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