Celtic and Riley McGree have certainly been the talk of the day after the Hoops were linked with a move for the Australian international by the Daily Mail.
There certainly looks to be legs in this one. The Athletic also reported this afternoon that Celtic will pay just under £3m for the player’s services from MLS club Charlotte FC. This will include performance-related add-ons between £1m and £2m.
However, what you may not know is the waves he made across world football back in 2018. In an A-League clash for Newcastle Jets against Melbourne City in 2018, McGree produced this:
It may ring a bell for you now. It was the talk of football at the time. So much so that it was nominated for the highly-prestigious Puskas Award of 2018. Indeed, up there along with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah, many believed McGree was one of the favourites to win with his scorpion stunner.
Unfortunately, in the end, it somehow didn’t qualify for the final 3. Salah would take the gong for his strike against Everton. A fine goal in itself but one that didn’t stand out as much as McGree’s.
Even so, the current Charlotte star won the hearts and minds of football fans around the world. Legendary shot-stopper Peter Schmeichel, for example, labelled the goal “extraordinary’ and believed it deserved to take the award [FIFA].
A Riley McGree scorpion kick winner in the Glasgoe derby anyone?
Okay so maybe we shouldn’t expect it to become his trademark anytime soon. Whether it was down to sheer luck or whatever you want to call it, who cares? It was absolutely outrageous and a moment that absolutely grabbed everyone’s attention.
It’s just a shame he didn’t take the gong. You can only imagine the panel viewed the goal as a lucky moment more than genuine skill. Understandable to an extent, but the goal in isolation was absolutely world-class and taken extremely well. There was still major technique involved in it.
Granted, it wasn’t repeated during his loan spell at Birmingham City, but we’ll forgive him for that. It’s clear given the reputation he had in the Midlands that he was much-adored by the Championship club. After all, he had teammates urging the club to keep him [Birmingham Mail].
It certainly gives you hope that there’s plenty of inventiveness in McGree. He certainly appears to have the imagination, and it remains to be seen if he can show his attacking attributes at Celtic Park.
But he’ll arrive with a positive reputation. At 23 years of age, the hope will be that he can come and make an immediate impact in the first-team squad.
All eyes on how Ange manages his attacking midfielders too. With such a promising talent pool forming, McGree will hopefully have the ability to make a big impact.
In other news, Irish club boss talks up “magnificent” Johnny Kenny after he signs for Celtic
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