Everyone associated with Celtic would have looked on with immense pride on Saturday evening as Matt O’Riley introduced himself on the Premier League stage.
O’Riley scored the winning goal for Brighton against Manchester City, months after sealing a record-breaking exit from Celtic.
This wasn’t O’Riley’s debut for Brighton, but it was his Premier League debut for the Seagulls and he has made it a memorable one.
This won’t be a surprise to his former side because week in and week out, whether it be on the domestic stage or in the Champions League, he performed at a seriously high level.
The Denmark international moved to Parkhead as an unknown figure in 2022 when Ange Postecoglou was in charge, before transforming into the best player in Scotland.
Eventually, that road led him down the path of signing for Brighton this summer in a record deal.
But many were disappointed for the 23-year-old when, just nine minutes into his first outing at his new club in August, he was on the end of a horror tackle and sidelined up until this weekend.
Usually, players would sulk or feel sorry for themselves, but Celtic didn’t just help transform O’Riley’s game, but also his mindset.
Matt O’Riley says he found positives to his injury and wants Brighton to challenge ‘establishment’
Of course, Celtic are on a different level to Brighton when it comes to pressure, expectations, competing in the Champions League and winning trophies.
In that sense, O’Riley took a step down, but where he went up a level was playing in the Premier League, regarded as the toughest league in the world.
But he is already showing that Celtic mentality of wanting to be the best, as he alluded to his new side wanting to challenge the so-called ‘establishment’, such as Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, as he told Optus Sport.
Added to that, O’Riley even shared that he saw the positive side to his period on the sidelines, once again, Celtic has built him to be stronger and now he is going to flourish on one of the biggest stages in Europe.
“But, to be honest, people think it’s really tough when you are injured,” said O’Riley. “But actually, I found it okay. It has given me some time to settle in with the boys. Get to know everybody. I think it has allowed me to come on the pitch and know what I need to do as well, so that’s the way I try to look at it.
“That’s the intention (to not just win against anyone at home, but dominate). The manager always talks about challenging the establishment.
“I presume, he means teams such as Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal etc… The club is in a really good place right now. I think recruitment-wise, it has been very impressive and they also just sign really good people. I think that’s important to our success.”
What Brendan Rodgers said about O’Riley before Celtic exit
If Celtic had the riches of the Premier League, then players like O’Riley would still be in green and white colours, but unfortunately, that’s not the case.
A player brought in by Ange Postecoglou, but went on to play his best football under Brendan Rodgers and what turned out to be his final season for the club.
As O’Riley was heading for the exit door in the summer, the Celtic boss told Sky Sports how he felt about the player and the ‘next step’ he was taking in his career.
“Matt has been an amazing player for this club,” said Rodgers in August. “Having worked with him over this last year, it has been a real joy to work with.
“He now goes on and makes the next step for him.”
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
