For Celtic, the 2003 UEFA Cup final evokes memories of joy and sadness.
Joy in the fact that supporters got to watch Celtic beat the likes of Liverpool, Blackburn and VfB Stuttgart on the way to Seville.
Sadness in that they also had to watch Jose Mourinho’s side dive to beat Celtic and lift the trophy in heartbreaking extra-time defeat in Spain.
That day in May is widely remembered by Celtic fans of my vintage but what they might not know is West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo also had a small hand in Porto’s UEFA Cup win.
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West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo hidden Porto role vs Celtic in UEFA Cup final
Nuno Espirito Santo was part of the Porto squad that reached the UEFA Cup final on that day in Seville.
However, many Celtic fans may not know that because Espirito Santo was an unused goalkeeping sub in the win but his influence was felt by his teammates behind the scenes.
Brazilian forward Derlei, who scored two goals in the final, shared back in 2019 how his Porto teammate was crucial in that 2003 win.
Derlei told The Guardian, ““In that UEFA Cup final, even from the outside, Nuno was one of the most helpful.
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“Leaders don’t need to be on the field. A few words are enough when necessary. And when someone needed that, he was there.”
What Martin O’Neill said about the UEFA Cup final when he was Celtic boss
Current Celtic boss Martin O’Neill was, of course, the man in charge at Parkhead on that day in 2003.
And here, O’Neill recalls how the Porto team dived and cheated their way to win the trophy in Seville.
O’Neill recalled back in January of this year, “Well, we, Celtic, got to the UEFA Cup final in 2003 against Jose Mourinho’s side, the same side went on to win the Champions League the following year.
“We got beaten in extra time, 3-2, with a man sent off in the game, we could have won.
“They play-acted for a lot of the time they didn’t need to, yeah.”