The former Hoops striker has opened up on why his football career spiralled downhill after a disappointing spell in Glasgow
Once a team-mate of Virgil van Dijk’s during his spell in Glasgow, former Celtic flop striker Amido Balde has revealed he’s now working in a brick factory in the Netherlands.
Signed by the Hoops for £2m from Portuguese outfit Vitoria de Guimaraes in the summer of 2013 under Neil Lennon, Balde’s time in Glasgow proved to be a disaster after scoring just three league goals in 20 appearances.
He was shipped out on two separate loan spells Belgian side Waasland-Beveren and Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel before having his contract terminated by mutual agreement, despite having two years left to run on his deal.
Balde - now 34 - embarked on a nomadic career after his ill-fated spell at Parkhead, turning out for clubs in France, Angola, Portugal, Albania, Libya and Indonesia. The last competitive game of his career was in Vietnam for Ho Chi Minh City in 2020.
Celtic flop refuses to accept football career is over
Six years on from last kicking a ball, the former Guinea-Bissau international isn’t giving up on his dream of resurrecting his career after refusing to accept his time in the game is over.
Now based in the Dutch city of Thorn where he works as a forklift truck driver, Balde 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.
Follow our GlasgowWorld - Celtic Facebook page to get all the latest news stories on the Hoops
“I will never forget the packed stands at Celtic cheering me. I was teammates with Virgil van Dijk, he is a good man. He took me to Edinburgh for dinner and shopping one day. 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 now 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.
Read More
“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.
“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 thig to me. I also pray and read the Bible. That’s enough for me. I just hope God gives me another chance in football.”
Continue Reading