Celtic once had the ‘best striker’ after Larsson, now he’s in the 8th tier

Celtic are down however not but out of this season’s Champions League.

On Wednesday night time, within the first leg of their knockout section tie in opposition to Bayern Munich, the Hoops have been overwhelmed 2-1, leaving them with a mountain to climb in Bavaria subsequent Tuesday.

Daizen Maeda‘s header 11 minutes from time did spark a late onslaught, however the Bundesliga leaders held on for victory.

That purpose, whereas it might finally not be sufficient to see Brendan Rodgers‘ attain the spherical of 16, did set some Celtic historical past, however it’s a star from the final time Celtic reached the Champions League knockout levels 12 years in the past who’s been within the information since.

Daizen Maeda’s record-breaking tally

Maeda’s late purpose in mid-week was his fourth on this season’s Champions League, having beforehand netted in opposition to Slovan Bratislava, Borussia Dortmund and Membership Brugge through the league section.

This makes the Japanese ahead the primary Celtic participant since Joe Craig in 1977/78 to attain 4 or extra objectives in a single European Cup marketing campaign; three of Craig’s four goals got here in opposition to Luxembourgish outfit Jeunesse Esch, the opposite when then Austrian champions Wacker Innsbruck visited Glasgow.

Some significantly gifted strikers have reached three objectives within the intervening years, because the desk under paperwork.

In fact, Adam Idah might be part of his teammate on 4 objectives, albeit subsequent Tuesday’s journey to the Allianz Enviornment seems more likely to be his final probability to take action.

Nonetheless, one other former Celtic centre-forward, who performed a starring position within the historic Champions League marketing campaign of 2012/13, has been within the information this week, after making a quite uncommon profession alternative.

On Thursday night, Isthmian League North Division membership Maldon & Tiptree announced the signing of Gary Hooper.

Nicknamed the Jammers, they ply their commerce in England’s eighth tier, however have just been the subject of a ‘multi-million pound’ takeover by Barrie and Scott Drewitt-Barlow.

Former Manchester Metropolis and West Ham midfielder Kevin Horlock, who’s simply been appointed supervisor, says the club’s aim is to get into the Soccer League, a feat they’d require 4 promotions to realize.

Nicely, the brand new homeowners are actually spending large to realize this goal, first signing goalkeeper Elliot Justham from Nationwide League aspect Dagenham & Redbridge on Wednesday, however Hooper is actually the largest identify addition they’ve made to this point.

Maldon & Tiptree, who’re presently 15th in the table, go to Cambridge Metropolis at their brand-new stadium in Sawston on Saturday, so it’s going to be fascinating to see if Hooper debuts.

Throughout his time at Celtic, Hooper was, as Phil Gordon of the Times places it, completely ‘scientific’, described by then manager Neil Lennon because the membership’s “finest striker [here] since Henrik Larsson”, and his numbers are actually similar to the perfect.

Because the desk reveals, Hooper’s numbers at Celtic are on par with all the most effective strikers who’ve come since, boasting a greater minutes-per-goal ratio than each Odsonne Édouard and Maeda, scoring solely three fewer objectives than Kyōgo Furuhashi in 27 fewer video games.

The Englishman’s contribution to the 2012 Champions League marketing campaign, scoring home and away throughout victories over Spartak Moskva, because the Hoops reached the spherical of 16, won’t ever be forgotten.

This type earned Hooper a transfer to Norwich for £5m, however he did not dwell as much as expectations in Norfolk, and his profession has by no means actually recovered.

He was then moved to Sheffield Wednesday, and since departing the Owls in 2019, he has represented Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand, Kerala Blasters in India, Omonia in Cyprus and Gulf United of the UAE, earlier than returning to England, first with Barnet, then at Kettering City and now Maldon & Tiptree, who he beforehand performed for as a teen.

Only a few weeks on from his thirty seventh birthday, will Hooper nonetheless have his goal-scoring instincts at Isthmian League North Division degree?

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