Some Celtic fans have been left to laud their former defender Paul Elliott when their Twitter account wished him a happy birthday.
The Hoops’ Twitter account posted about Elliott, wishing him well on his birthday and even posted some images of him playing in Celtic colours.
On reading this, many Celtic fans were left raving. Some compared him to Virgil van Dijk, while others could only imagine how good Elliott and Van Dijk could have been while playing together. Some simply raved about how good Elliott was.
Who is better: Elliott or Van Dijk?
Van Dijk, of course
Not a fair comparison!
Big man would be worth as much as VVD now a days.
— Kevin Hackett (@KevinHa26255509) March 18, 2020
What a player, imagine him and Virgil together ????
— Pedro (@Pedro29382540) March 18, 2020
An outstanding player for Celtic.
— The Void (@buckethead1985) March 18, 2020
No messing with this big fella! ?
— Terence Kelly (@Terence101961Au) March 18, 2020
Outstanding header of the ball.
— Andy Colley (@colley_andy) March 18, 2020
What a player that boy was, I remember the Jungle singing ‘Elliott must stay’ at the end of big Packie’s testimonal…..one of the best CB’s I’ve seen
— HughieBhoy (@ClydeBhoy) March 18, 2020
Elliott joined Celtic from Italian side Pisa in the summer of 1989 and played at the club for two seasons. He left Parkhead in the summer of 1991 and joined Chelsea.
Before Celtic and Pisa, Elliott had also played for Aston Villa and Luton Town. He retired from the game following his spell at Stamford Bridge.
What do we think?
The comments of Celtic fans show that they certainly remember Elliott fondly. But comparing him to Van Dijk or saying that he could have been as worthy as the Dutchman is speculative. Comparing two players from different generations can hardly be a fair comparison.