Lubo Moravcik brilliantly mocks rivals; reflects on iconic Celtic celebration

By David Walton

April 13, 2022

Celtic great Lubomir Moravcik has brilliantly mocked Rangers as he reflected on his iconic 1998 celebration against our Ibrox foes.

Moravcik signed for the Hoops back in ’98 then managed by Dr Josef Venglos, and made an immediate impression. In his debut against Rangers at Celtic Park, the Slovakian would net a memorable brace en route to a 5-1 win.

Lubo’s celebrations that day were as memorable as the goals themselves. For both, he simply looked around and began walking back to his own half before being flooded by jubilant Celtic teammates. For Lubo, it looked to simply be just another day at the office.

And as he reflected on that particular day in his Celtic career, the Hoops hero couldn’t help but take a class dig at Rangers. As quoted by the Record, Moravcik said: “It was like ‘Now you can see what I’m able to do’ – there was no celebration because it was easy for me to score goals like that.

“I would celebrate when I scored goals against Marseille or PSG but against Rangers? It was nothing for me. Seriously, there was a little bit of pressure on me that day. Only Mr Venglos believed in my qualities and he told me before the kick-off: ‘This is a very important game for you and for me.’ So thank you gaffer – no pressure!

“Rangers had a strong team – van Bronckhorst, Jorg Albertz and Arthur Numan – it wasn’t easy to prove myself against them. But it was absolutely perfect because I scored with only my second touch. It was a great moment, especially when I saw the reaction of the crowd and what it meant to them. My second goal was unusual, I didn’t score many with my head but it was important for me and for Mr Venglos, it proved he signed a good player.”

Lubo Moravcik still a much-adored Celtic figure to this day

Moravcik left a real impact on the football club despite only being in Glasgow for 4 years. During that period, he won 2 Scottish Premier League titles, 2 League Cups, and 1 Scottish Cup.

Arriving at the club already at 33 years of age, Moravcik wowed with his deadly ability in both feet. Forming a particularly outstanding partnership with Henrik Larsson, Lubo’s unique style of play was and still is adored tot his day at Parkhead.

Come the time of his departure in 2002, Moravcik had amassed 129 appearances for the club and bagged 35 goals [Celtic Wiki]. A player with the combination of his flair and end product, Moravcik was the kind of talent Scottish football hadn’t seen for many years.

That brace against Rangers remains one of the most iconic matches in Celtic’s history. And the sight of Lubo simply looking around as he began to walk back into his own half won’t ever stop being top class.

Lubo has in the past stated that his 4-year spell at Celtic is the most magical period of his career [Daily Mail]. It shows not only the impact he had on the football club, but the mark the football club left on him.

In other news, Confirmed: Rivals suffer fresh injury blow ahead of Celtic clash