Celtic, as a club, are a major pull for many players, especially for fans.
Many Celtic supporters have dreamed of pulling on the green and white Hoops and running out onto the Celtic Park turf.
Many have also dreamed of rejecting some of Europe’s top clubs to play in the famous Parkhead stadium.
Sadly, for many of us, that dream will remain just that but for one ex-teenager that became a reality as he shares how he rejected Liverpool, Everton and Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.
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Josh Rae’s ‘opportunities’ with Liverpool & Everton before Celtic ‘came up’
Former St Johnstone goalkeeper Josh Rae who is now at Raith Rovers, has shared how he once had trials at Liverpool and Everton before an opportunity at Celtic came up that ‘done’ a potential move to the Premier League clubs.
Rae told The Sunday Post [print edition page 70], “I went over to Madrid for 16 days, came home and was meant to go back over again.
“Hamilton were great with me. They were pushing me to go out and train with these teams because it’s good for them as well.
“I went down to Liverpool and Everton, too. Those were great opportunities and experiences.
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“But then the Celtic opportunity came up and that was it kind of done.
“It was probably my heart that took me to Celtic. Maybe it wasn’t the right thing to do at the time but you can’t do anything about the past.
“You’ve just got to look forward. I feel that everything happens for a reason, though.”
How a ‘Celtic opportunity’ made Josh Rae tell Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid ‘no’
But not only did Rae reject Liverpool and Everton, even after having a trial at Atletico Madrid, the former McDiarmid Park goalkeeper admits that once Celtic came calling, it was easy to tell Diego Simeone no.
Rae continued, “And I feel I’ve done quite well for what I’ve been through and where I’ve been.”
“I was in Spain, just down at a local park, kicking the ball about with my dad.
“A woman from a team in Jordan asked me to play in some tournament for them. An Atletico Madrid scout went up to the coach and my dad afterwards and asked if I would go over and train with them for two weeks.
“After that, they wanted me to keep going over every so often then, when I was 16, move over there permanently.
“Then the Celtic opportunity came up and I decided to go there. Looking back, I don’t know…but I can’t do anything about it…”
Rae did eventually get to realise his dream of playing at Celtic Park after appearing for St Johnstone in the Bhoys’ 6-0 rout of Simo Valakari’s men last season.
At just 24, Rae has plenty of years ahead of him to play at Paradise again but it’s unlikely to be in the famous Celtic colours.