Who would have thought that a half-time altercation inside Celtic Park in 2004 would have such amazing consequences 16 years later.
As former Hoops goalkeeper David Marshall entered the fray in that UEFA Cup clash against Barcelona, few could have predicted that he would lead Scotland to Euro 2020 all those years later.
Of course, lots happened in that decade and a half since – but football has a funny way of working out.
And it’s not just me who had that crazy thought once all the hullabaloo from Thursday night died down. Some other Celtic fans did too.
A few chose to mock former Barcelona star Thiago Motta, and an incident that would begin a journey for Marshall to become a national hero.
https://twitter.com/AndyCoghill1/status/1327220281073692672
https://twitter.com/StephenP1888/status/1327015733960847361
https://twitter.com/gavmaclean/status/1327014969460846593
https://twitter.com/McGeeAlan/status/1327231417743335425
Should Celtic have moved for Marshall?
Marshall was in unbelievable form for Scotland on Thursday night.
On top of saving Aleksandar Mitrovic’s decisive penalty, he also produced a world-class stop in extra-time to get his country to the shoot-out.
Many Celtic fans may now ponder whether we should have moved to bring in Marshall in the summer – as he left relegated Wigan Athletic.
Marshall may have been a solid choice. But at 35, he doesn’t have too many years left in him.
Vasilis Barkas could be our keeper for the next five years if he finds his form and adjusts to life in Glasgow.
Let’s just hope he can do that, and we don’t have to bemoan not signing Scotland’s hero for too much longer.
In other news, Odsonne Edouard is set for a major international event in March
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