The ex striker moved to Parkhead 13 years ago but. managed just three goals
10:48, 17 Feb 2026
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Celtic duo Mubarak Wakaso and Amido Balde during training in 2014
Former Celtic flop Amido Balde has revealed he's now working making bricks in a factory in the Netherlands, but the former £2 million striker is still dreaming of resurrecting his career...six years after he last kicked a ball.
The 34-year-old - signed during Neil Lennon's spell in charge - was once a colleague of Virgil van Dijk at Parkhead after his move from Portuguese outfit Vitoria Guimaraes in 2013.
But his time in Glasgow was a disaster after just three league goals in 20 appearances and he was shipped out on loan twice before his contract was eventually mutually terminated despite having two years left to run.
A nomadic career then led him to spells at clubs in France, Angola, Portugal, Albania, Libya and Indonesia and his last game was in Vietnam for Ho Chi Minh City in 2020.
Balde now works in a brick factory in the Dutch city of Thorn, where he is also a forklift truck driver. And he refuses to accept his football career is over.
Soccer - Scottish Premier League - Celtic v Kilmarnock - Celtic Park
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Amido Balde celebrates his goal in the win over Kilmarnock(Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)
He said: "Maybe it's not realistic. But I'd love to have another chance to prove myself in football. I didn't realise how happy I was during my career.
"I will never forget the packed stands at Celtic cheering me. At Celtic, I was teammates with Virgil van Dijk. He is a good man. He took me to Edinburgh for dinner and shopping. I was on a long dry spell without a goal at Celtic and he sensed I wasn't happy. God bless him.
"But Virgil's in Liverpool, and I'm here... I didn't always have the right mentality. I lacked focus. Where exactly did it go wrong? I find that difficult to say.
"I stopped playing during the Covid period. I was busy with my family and thought everything would work out in the end.
"I have to provide for my family and this is a good job. I searched the internet for 'working in the Netherlands' because I had heard it paid well and clicked on the first offer I got.
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"I didn't make any money from my football career because I spent what I earned on clothes, watches and going out. But I never made millions.
"The only things I focus on are work, my family, and my religion. In the evenings, I call my wife and children. They are the most important thing to me. I also pray and read the Bible. That's enough for me. I just hope God gives me another chance in football."