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Following the announcement Tom Rogic had signed for Celtic, many Socceroos pundits, fans and ex-players criticized the move. Most seemed viciously underwhelmed, possibly because of the lack of a strong Rangers side in the Scottish Premier League.
However the green and white hoops have been a happy home for two Australians in Mark Viduka and Scott McDonald, who have gone down as club legends. But where these Socceroos were strikers, Tom Rogic is something else.
He sits behind the striker, and is a true ball player, a midfield maestro.
This is why we must look beyond the two Socceroos who thrived at Celtic and compare the path of Rogic to some of Asia’s finest playmakers who relished playing at Celtic Park.
Japanese dead ball specialist, World Cup player and creative genius Shunsuke Nakamura was a relatively underexposed talent on a global scale. It wasn’t until he signed for Celtic that his creativity was orchestrated on a consistent basis.
Nakamura was a player with immense talent at Reggina in the Serie A, but struggled for consistency and regular playing time. At 26 years of age the Japanese star’s career was at a crossroads. Despite offers from larger European clubs, Nakamura decided to sign for Celtic in 2005, and his impact for the side was instant.
Nakamura was named man of the match in his début against Dundee United on 6 August 2005, and drew instant praise from manager at the time Gordon Strachan for his composure on the ball.
Nakamura thrived with regular playing time, especially in the UEFA Champions League, an opportunity that awaits Rogic.
Nakamura scored a free kick against Manchester United on 21 November 2006, which proved to be the winner at Celtic Park, allowing the hoops to progress to the knock-out stages.
This opportunity on the big stage proved invaluable for Nakamura, who claimed three titles in Scotland, along with countless ‘player of the year’ awards from media and fans and a nomination for the Ballon d’Or in 2007.
Nakamura became a better player for club and country at Celtic due to the stability Celtic offered – something many players are in search for and hopefully Tom Rogic has found.
More recently the ‘South Korean Steven Gerrard’ Ki Sung-Yueng has paved the road for Rogic to follow, as this he progressed from Celtic Park to the English Premier League in extremely smooth fashion.
Ki was a teenage star for FC Seoul in the K-League, where he was winning plaudits, much like Tom Rogic in the A-League. These eye catching performances in his domestic league instantly drew attention from European clubs, with PSV, Hamburg and Porto all lining up as potential suitors.
Despite larger offers and Asian Champions League football in Korea, Celtic managed to sign Ki for a reported fee of £2.1 million in January of 2009. At 20 years of age, Ki had joined the Parkhead club to experience European football, and the facilities of a professional European club.
Celtic Park proved a perfect match for Ki who, like Nakamura, claimed a man of the match award on his Celtic debut.
Ki became an instant hit, commanded a starting position in the Celtic first XI and became an anchor in the team.
Ki was so commanding as a creative midfielder, with individual accolades earned in Asia and Scotland, it was inevitable a big move would follow.
Swansea tabled a five year deal and paid a transfer fee more than double the price Celtic paid. A move to the English Premier League was just reward for this Celtic star.
Ki has slowly gathered pace at Swasea, with regular appearances coming more and more often, revealing that a transition from the SPL to the EPL is not as enormous a leap as many boast. Swansea, no longer cellar dwellers, arguably contain one of the Premier League’s best midfields, a midfield Ki is becoming a part of.
In recent decades Celtic has actually become something of a production line for classy midfielders, despite the constant knocks the Scottish League receives.
The ability to play football in a dominant side and the regular program in Europe has allowed these midfielders to grow rather than slow, something young players are undeniably in need of.
Stiliyan Alyoshev Petrov, crowned Bulgarian footballer of the year in 2003, was at Celtic from the age of 20, before earning a lucrative move to Aston Villa in the Premier League, becoming club captain. Yet another example that illustrates the progression of a playmaker in the SPL.
This is no longer a coincidence.
Aiden McGeady, now at Russian powerhouse Spartak Moscow, is one of Celtic’s finest expoerts and has proven to be an X-Factor for Ireland. He was given every opportunity at Celtic, who value youth and promote it, and the club will give Rogic every opportunity to join him.
Over decades Celtic has proven to be a viable pathway for progression and personal development for youthful midfielders with flair and ingenuity. The argument the midfield is bypassed in Scottish football is second-rate stereotyping.
These players were given time on the ball and were able to improve themselves, which would not happen at a ‘long-ball’ club.
Rogic has plenty to look forward to in the hoops. Regular game time in the Scottish Premier League combined with European action has the kid primed to make it big. Rome was not built in a day; this move is a stepping stone to greener pastures, a learning curve.
Only Lionel Messi could walk into a Barcelona side, walking into a Celtic side isn’t bad for a guy who was playing indoor soccer not too long ago.
Oh and just ask yourselves, who was the last team to beat Barcelona in Europe?
Good luck Tom.
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