Brendan Rodgers was accused of trading Celtic immortality for mediocrity - has another icon now done the same?
Tynecastle banner comes to mind as Kyogo heads for France
It probably requires a little more explanation to outline why, in the direct aftermath of one of the great cross-border Champions League battles, one which pulsated with six goals and included a penalty miss for the ages, I was thinking about Tynecastle.
Specifically, I was thinking about a banner once held aloft at Tynecastle, the home of Hearts. It had nothing to do with Hearts, who were playing Celtic on this particular occasion. In fact, it had nothing to do with anyone in the stadium that evening.
Instead, although not explicitly stated, it was directed at Brendan Rodgers, who had a couple of nights earlier performed a midnight flit to Leicester City. You’ll remember the message because it was a classic of the genre and still holds it charge today. “You traded immortality for mediocrity,” Rodgers was told. “Never a Celt, always a fraud.”
The Green Brigade might or might not be responsible for the flare thrown on the pitch against Aston Villa on Thursday night and which puts Celtic in grave danger of being hit by an away fans ban but they hit the mark here. Ouch. Of course, Rodgers has since returned.
He has to a certain extent been forgiven and might be granted further grace should he guide Celtic through an arduous knockout phase play-off assignment against either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid next month. But it wasn’t Rodgers I was thinking of when remembering this banner.
It was Kyogo Furuhashi, Celtic’s celebrated striker. Or, more accurately, their former celebrate striker. He wasn’t at Villa Park. Where was he? He was, presumably, in northern France, possibly following the action on TV, perhaps sipping a little dry Breton cider.
He was also likely digesting the news, which broke earlier today, that the Rennes manager who signed him last week was being sacked before Kyogo has even managed to make his debut, which is likely to be this weekend against Strasbourg. Jorge Sampaoli has been relieved of his duties despite being allowed to spend £10 million on the striker, with Jota heading the other way back to Celtic.
It’s good timing on the part of the Portuguese winger, who having missed out against Villa is now eligible for the next round. Not so Kyogo, whose bright, expressive features – he was recently described as the most photogenic Celtic player since Henrik Larsson – would surely have betrayed his emotions when news of who his old side would be playing reached Brittany. Real Madrid or Bayern Munich. The first leg will take place at Parkhead the week after next, either on Tuesday or Wednesday. It’s a big one all right, perhaps the biggest to take place in the east end of Glasgow since a Champions League last 16 clash against Juventus in 2013. But Kyogo won’t be there. He’ll be recovering from a Ligue 1 relegation clash against St Etienne.
Talk about trading immortality for mediocrity. That banner’s message seemed apposite on Thursday, though just the first part, not the second. Because let’s get this straight from the off. Kyogo’s not a fraud. He is the opposite. He is the absolute real deal. If not in the same breath as Larsson, then he deserves to be mentioned in the very next one.
It might have been the same breath had he stayed a little longer. Instead, he indicated to Celtic that he wanted out. He wanted to explore his options, as he is perfectly entitled to do. He wanted to try his luck in one of the big five leagues in Europe, perhaps increase his chances of starting for Japan at the next World Cup. Again, fair enough. But Rennes? Decent old club, plenty of history and clearly well off under the Groupe Artemis umbrella, but still hmmmm. They currently sit third bottom of Ligue 1.
He leaves behind him so much but it could have been so much more. There are only 30 players who have scored 100 goals and more in the history of Celtic, with James Forrest and Leigh Griffiths the most recent. It’s easy to wonder, as my former colleague Andrew Smith does in a recent blog for the Celtic Underground podcast, whether anyone else will even get close. Kyogo got close. He was on 85 goals when he left - 85 goals in 137 starts plus 28 substitute appearances.
Such impressive stats. It’s hard to see anyone getting near the goals total, let alone exceeding it, in the near future. Only ten of the 30 Celtic centurions are from the last 52 years. Players don’t tend to stay long enough these days. They are spirited away, lured by a number of factors with often the most persuasive one being the chance for a last big pay day. Kyogo is 30. The fact it hurts Celtic fans to lose him underlines why it’s the right time for the club to cash in. He isn’t getting better.
But it still feels like a matter of regret Kyogo won’t be lining up against one or the other of two true aristocrats of the world game in the next round of the Champions League.
It felt like a loss he wasn’t there against Villa, which turned out to be one of the great Battle of Britain tussles. Of course, he wasn’t missed as much as he might have been. Adam Idah, Kyogo’s replacement, scored a double to bring Celtic back into the tie and end his 14-game famine. It puts the striker on 20 goals for the Parkhead club. Just another 80 to go.
It’s possible Kyogo might even have reached 100 this season had he stayed. He could always return, like Jota has done, but now in his 30s, time is against him. He’ll always have the memories as he sits watching Celtic in a titanic Champions League battle while brushing his boots ahead of a game against Lille. It isn’t to be scoffed at of course, but it’s not, as a certain someone once put it, football heritage.
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