Deep within the bowels of The Linc stadium in Philadelphia, Neil Lennon is writing names on a whiteboard.
Sergio Ramos and Sami Khedira kicked it off. However they preserve coming. Xabi Alonso, Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain. He even jots down the subs who embody Iker Casillas, Rafa Varane, Angel di Maria, Alvaro Morata, Mesut Ozil – and Karim Benzema. When he lastly will get to the tip, virtually in unison, the complete Celtic squad burst out LAUGHING.
It’s the summer time of 2012 they usually’re on a pre-season tour of America. Greater than 3000 miles away, Outdated Agency rivals Rangers have drawn 2-2 with Peterhead of their first sport in Scotland’s backside tier. In the meantime, Lennon’s crew are dealing with Actual Madrid ’s Galacticos in a pleasant in entrance of 40,000 followers. It’s the final time the golf equipment met. And for one former Celtic participant particularly, he’ll always remember it. The Hoops misplaced 2-0, courtesy of targets from Jose Callejon and Benzema.
Contemplating Lennon’s facet began with the likes of Lukasz Zaluska in purpose, Thomas Rogne at centre-back and Daryl Murphy up entrance, they had been in all probability grateful to get off so calmly.
They received out of Philly with their delight intact. However the identical couldn’t be stated for Dylan McGeouch’s jaw. After 78 minutes of his finest efficiency in a Celtic jersey, he was clattered by Turkish midfielder Nuri Sahin.
What adopted is only a haze for McGeouch. The subsequent factor he knew he was waking up in a hospital mattress. However he remembers the build-up, the place Lennon needed to preserve Actual’s crew a secret till shortly earlier than kick-off.
McGeouch instructed Report Sport : “We thought they'd in all probability play their reserves or youth crew. Perhaps they’d carry one or two massive names off the bench.
“However I bear in mind earlier than it within the altering room, Lenny got here in with their team-sheet and began writing the names up. He wouldn’t inform us their crew up till that time. So the names begin, Ramos, Alonso, Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo.
“It was unimaginable. It was their strongest XI and our boys simply began laughing! We anticipated one or two massive hitters – nevertheless it was all of them. However I used to be buzzing. It was a sport towards Actual Madrid.
“And it was one in all my finest video games for Celtic. I’ve all the time thought I performed very well. My angle was that I had nothing to lose.
“I used to be up towards the very best gamers on the earth so I used to be going to take pleasure in it. There have been 40,000 individuals within the stadium, it was insanity.
“Throughout the warm-up it felt like the total crowd moved to Actual Madrid’s half of the pitch simply to get photos. They had been screaming for Ronaldo. It was surreal. I spent half of the warm-up stretching as a result of I simply needed to observe what they had been doing.”
With 12 minutes to go, McGeouch jumped for a header and BANG. He was knocked unconscious.
When he opened his eyes once more, a health care provider was slicing his Celtic strip off his physique. He stated: “I all the time blame Zaluska for this. The ball went again to him and as a substitute of simply placing his laces by means of it, he side-footed it up within the air.
“It was a giant, floaty lob and I believed: ‘F**ok, I higher go for this one.’ Sahin got here by means of me and gained the header. However his shoulder caught the facet of my jaw and I used to be out chilly.
“That’s the very last thing I bear in mind on the pitch. I woke as much as a pair of SCISSORS coming in the direction of me, up the center of my strip. I used to be in an American hospital and there have been machine in every single place, doing scans.
“I used to be in a nasty manner. The medical doctors weren’t certain if I had suffered mind injury or snapped my neck. I spent the evening there they usually quickly realised that I’d damaged my jaw.
“I flew house with Celtic the subsequent day and once we touched down, I went to Ross Corridor for an operation to place a plate in. I feel it might have price Celtic a fortune to have the operation in America!”
The harm had an affect on McGeouch’s possibilities of turning into a first-team common at Celtic. He wasn’t match sufficient to return to motion till September 2012 and was a bit-part participant for Lennon’s first crew.
However certainly he would not less than have a memento from the day he took on Actual Madrid? Particularly after being stricken on a stretcher by full-time. Or so that you’d suppose.
The midfielder, who later went on to play for Hibs and Aberdeen, stated: “It in all probability did hinder me a bit at Celtic. You by no means actually know, do you?
“I may need come again from America and kicked on. If I’d received a begin and carried on from there, who is aware of? However I used to be out for nearly eight weeks with no contact. I needed to spend my time simply operating round a pitch.
“Once I received again in, it was stop-start for me at Celtic. I received completely nothing from the Actual Madrid sport.
“I didn’t even get my very own strip as a result of the medical doctors had ripped it up. Once I received house I believed, ‘Certainly the kitman could have received me a strip after what occurred to me and with me enjoying nicely.’
“However no. I received again and he had nothing for me. I came upon from the boys that Ronaldo had come into the altering room afterwards with two shirts.
“Adam Matthews took one in all them and apparently wee Joe the kitman received the opposite. So he received a Ronaldo strip however the one factor I ended up with after enjoying Actual Madrid was a sore face.”
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