I genuinely cannot believe that the Road to Seville was 20 years ago.
As a fresh-faced and young 26 year old (yes I am 46!) I along with many others will look back fondly at that incredible UEFA Cup run.
For years prior to that, Celtic were in the European wilderness and it was the arrival of Martin O’Neill that set the wheels in motion to make the club feared on the continent once more.
After being eliminated from the group stages of the Champions League, O’Neill’s men took us on a road that not one of us could have predicted possible.
Celtic famously dispatched FK Suduva, Blackburn Rovers (that was special!), Stuttgart and Liverpool before meeting Portuguese side Boavista in the semi final.
And then this happened:
The 1-1 draw at Celtic Park meant that whatever happened, we had to score away from home.
I remember sitting watching the game and as each passing minute ticked away, I couldn’t believe that after silencing teams from the Bundesliga and the English Premier League, Boavista were going to end the dream.
And Henrik Larsson does what he always did best. Pop up when Celtic needed him.
The final was an incredible spectacle. Although the result didn’t go our way in my opinion that game itself goes down as one of the greatest European finals in the modern game. No one will change my mind on that.
Hopefully, nights like that are not too far away. Under Ange Postecoglou, the Celtic manager is building something special.
Will it be enough to take us to a European final again? One thing 2003 has taught me is you never say never.
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