Celtic is a club not without its fair share of cult heroes.
These are players who never quite gained the acclaim of full-blown legends like Billy McNeil and Henrik Larsson, but still drew a following for what they did in the famous green and white hoops.
Here are five Celtic cult heroes from down the years.
Didier Agathe
An integral part of Martin O’Neill’s legendary Celtic side of the early 2000s, Didier Agathe didn’t warrant the billing of some of his more illustrious teammates like Larsson and Chris Sutton, but still performed an important role for the Hoops.
He left the club with three league titles, three Scottish Cups, one Scottish League Cup and a Treble.
Agathe famously had no cartilage at all in his right knee, lending him even more to cult status, and was a true bargain signing, costing just £30,000 from Hibernian.
Agathe left Celtic in 2006 for Aston Villa, but only played five times in England before returning to his homeland of Reunion where he set up a youth academy.
Bobo Balde
Much like Agathe, there were more illustrious members of O’Neill’s Treble-winning Celtic team, but Bobo Balde was one of the most important.
Renowned for providing a solid presence at the back, the French-born defender spent eight years in Glasgow, making 161 appearances in the green and white hoops.
Balde won five league titles, three Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups, also playing in the UEFA Cup final against Porto in Seville, where he was sent off.
There was always a sense that O’Neill got the best out of Balde, illustrated by his less than impressive career before and after his lengthy spell at Celtic.
Paulo di Canio
He only spent one season at Celtic, but Paulo di Canio made quite the impression at Parkhead.
The Italian forward brought a dose of flair to a team that was, at the time, struggling to escape the shadow of Rangers. A stunning goal against Aberdeen on Boxing Day in 1996 still lives in the memory to this day.
Di Canio left the east end of Glasgow amid a contract dispute with Celtic owner Fergus McCann.
The Italian refused to travel to the club’s pre-season training camp in the Netherlands and was duly sold to Sheffield Wednesday, sending him on a route that would also see him attain cult status south of the border.
Frank McAvennie
He is arguably the name most worthy of being on this list. Indeed, the term ‘cult hero’ was invented for players like Frank McAvennie who contributed just as much to their folklore off the pitch as they did on it.
If you’ve ever caught the Hogmanay staple ‘Only An Excuse’ you’ll have an idea of what McAvennie’s off-the-pitch antics were.
Indeed, McAvennie was renowned for his womanising, inducting himself into the celebrity culture in London as a West Ham player.
It was with Celtic where he first earned his reputation as a maverick, though, scoring goals for fun in the green and white hoops. It’s often forgotten just how good a player he was.
Paddy McCourt
In terms of sheer talent, few have been better in Celtic’s recent history than Paddy McCourt.
There was a sense that everything came easily to the Northern Irishman nicknamed the ‘Derry Pele’ during his time in Scotland, playing the game with a languid, effortless style that instantly made him a fan favourite.
Ultimately, McCourt failed to find consistency to add to his undeniable natural ability and left Celtic for Barnsley after five years.
Supporters were left with fond memories of the man who could conjure up a magical moment out of nothing.
