The Africa Cup of Nations is where some careers go to start.
For Sebastian Tounekti at Celtic, things had faded after a promising first few games. By the time that he left Scotland to play for Tunisia at the tournament, many were glad to see the back of him.
Brendan Rodgers signed him from Hammarby on deadline day in September, describing him as a ‘real Celtic winger’ after his debut at Rugby Park.
Whether he’s a real Celtic wing-back is a different question… but that’s where Wilfried Nancy has been using him so far.
He made a 30-minute cameo as Tunisia mounted a comeback against Nigeria on Saturday night, and it’s fair to say that he impressed.
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Celtic’s Sebastian Tounekti impresses for Tunisia at AFCON
Tounekti was given the last few minutes of Tunisia’s opening win against Uganda, but he was brought on in very different circumstances on Saturday.
On the hour mark, he replaced the injured Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane with Nigeria 2-0 up – the Super Eagles made it three a few minutes later.
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But with Tounekti on the pitch as a left-winger, they brought it back to 3-2, putting Nigeria under serious pressure.
It wasn’t to be for Tunisia, but the Hoops man’s name was firmly in the discussion among their fans on X after the game.
African football outlet Actu Foot Afrique simply said: “Sebastian Tounekti? What an entrance.”
Tunisian page @NoussourTN said: “Respect my big one.”
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One Marseille fan humorously asked if Tounekti had been made aware of Chez Yassine, the popular Tunisian snack/bar restaurant in the city.
This wasn’t the only Ligue 1 fan calling for their club to sign Tounekti – a quick search on X reveals just how many were impressed by the Hoops man.
Even fans of rivals Morocco had praise, with one saying: “I didn’t know Tounekti at all, but I understood everything tonight.”
The least we can ask for is that Tounekti carries this form back to Glasgow in the new year, if these verdicts are anything to go by.
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Sebastian Tounekti’s Celtic career so far
Tounekti completed eight dribbles in his debut in Ayrshire, more than the rest of the Celtic team combined that day. This was certainly a taste of what was to come.
He scored his first goal the next week against Partick Thistle, establishing himself as a mainstay in the team under Rodgers. However, he was criticised for a relatively poor number of goals and assists.
After Rodgers’ last game, a 3-1 defeat to Hearts, the Northern Irishman said of Tounekti: “He’s a left-sided player. He doesn’t play off the right. He doesn’t enjoy playing there.”
Fast forward two months, and he was starting a Premier Sports Cup final at right-wing-back under Nancy. A lot can change in a few months.
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