On the most recent episode of the A Celtic State of Mind podcast, former Celtic man Paul Lambert has been discussing his time at the club.
The retired midfielder joined the Hoops in November 1997, just months after winning the Champions League crown with Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund.
Lambert went on to form a formidable partnership with Neil Lennon in the Celtic engine room, winning eight domestic trophies with the Hoops throughout his eight-year stay.
However, leaving the Signal Iduna Park proved difficult for the Scotsman. He had formed a close bond with BVB’s fans throughout his stay in Germany, and although he found the transition back to life in Scotland on the pitch easy, he admits to struggling emotionally and mentally with the change.
He said: “No, the football was easy, no, that was easy. The emotion of what the fans had done for me at Dortmund, that was incredible.
“I never expected that last game against Parma where, I don’t know, 60,000 people, 70,000 people don’t leave the stadium, are singing your name, have banners everywhere and people were crying at my car, saying don’t go and things like that.
“It was just a horrendous thing. Going from Borussia Dortmund to Celtic was easy, it was easy in a footballing sense.”
TIF Thoughts on Lambert at Celtic…
Lambert formed part of a historic Celtic side that stopped Rangers from winning 10 league titles in a row in his first season back in Scottish football.
He then went on to enjoy tremendous success with the Hoops, winning four league titles and reaching the 2002/03 UEFA Cup final, eventually losing to Jose Mourinho’s Porto.
Lambert will always be remembered fondly at Celtic thanks to his performances and numerous trophies, and we’re sure his initial struggles will have been worth it, given the success that immediately followed.
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