Sports
Efe Ambrose relishes stint with Celtic
Former Super Eagles defender Efe Ambrose has thanked Celtic for putting his name up in lights as he reflects on his time in Glasgow.
Ambrose who is now at Morton and scored his first goal for the Ton in a 2-1 win- for Dougie Imrie’s Championship side.
He has represented Hibs, Livingston, St Johnstone and Dunfermline but it was at Parkhead where the defender was introduced to Scottish football.
He won while at Celtic and insisted that his entire nation was behind him as he played in the Premiership and Champions League. It all started to go downhill at Europe’s top table following defensive blunders against Juventus and being late for the team bus on the return leg, but Ambrose regrets nothing.
He told the Sunday Mail: “Being at Celtic put my name up there in football. Everyone in Europe, Africa, the world, they recognise Celtic. To play in the Champions League in front of those fans was incredible.
“Everyone in Nigeria was supporting Celtic. Whenever I went back home, I took strips with me for the people there. I have no regrets about what happened in the Juventus games.
“Maybe my only problem is that I’m too committed. I told the manager that straight after the African Nations, I’d be back to help the team. I could have gone back to Nigeria to pop champagne and celebrate but I didn’t.
“I didn’t feel a problem with fitness. The games just didn’t go the way we wanted to. A few things happened on the pitch but that’s football. I felt the team needed me so I’ll never regret it.
“People thought I shouldn’t have started that night and, of course, he could blame me for the goal. But the manager trusted me as a professional.”