As Celtic prepare to face Real Madrid in the European competition on Tuesday night, Ange Postecoglou’s side will be trying to channel some great nights of the past to try and overcome a tough adversary.
At Celtic FC for a good seven years before being sold to Al-Fayha, Emilio Izaguirre is fondly remembered as a hero on the green and white side of Glasgow, and was involved in more than one during his time there.
The now 36-year-old left-back, currently playing at Marathón in his home country of Honduras, made 271 appearances for the Bhoys, scoring five goals and assisting another 48.
He did return to Celtic for a year after his transfer to Saudi Arabia, coming back on a free transfer for an extra season, before heading back to Honduras to his beloved Motagua in 2019.
He moved to Marathón in 2021, where his contract is due to expire at the end of this season, which is why El Heraldo decided to sit down with him to talk about his career.
With plans to become a sports director, and to practice his new career in Honduras, there is no desire to return to Scotland permanently from Izaguirre, although he might pop back to Celtic Park now that he is close to retiring.
He explained: “Well, I spent many years at Celtic and they always invite me and tell me to come back, to greet the fans in the stadium and even more so now that I’m about to retire, and they want to give me [a tribute].
“They want the fans to sing that song to me that, for nine years, they dedicated to me, where they say that they love me more than you will know. The fans also write to me, they want me to come back and go on the pitch to sing for me. That’s something very nice. I have noting prepared. I want my wife and children to be there.”
While he may not have anything prepared, it’s clear Izaguirre is thinking about a return to Celtic at some point, even if it is just to receive the adulation of the fans, with his family by his side so they can experience the atmosphere first hand.
