Islam Feruz had a bright future in the game but his football journey was nothing short of baffling
14:55, 17 Mar 2025
Scotland under 17s including Islam Feruz, Lewis Kidd, James Wightman, John Herron, Mohammed Yaqub, Marcus Fraser and Joseph Chalmers, pictured with Tommy Boyd
Scotland under 17s including Islam Feruz, Lewis Kidd, James Wightman, John Herron, Mohammed Yaqub, Marcus Fraser and Joseph Chalmers, pictured with Tommy Boyd(Image: Daily Record)
Celtic has a long history of bringing through some of the most talented players in Scottish football history.
Kenny Dalgish, Charlie Nicholas and Callum McGregor come to mind when thinking about the white and green football factory. But in 2005 there was a new talent that took just 20 minutes to convince Celtic talent scouts of his raw potential.
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Islam Feruz was just a 10 year old playing football at Castlemilk Sports Centre when he caught the eye of Hoops youth coach John Simpson.
Feruz, whom emigrated from Somalia as a child, was so far ahead of the game he featured for the under-14 team at age 11.
The team's manager John Sludden was so impressed by his potential he compared him to Paul McStay, Charlie Nicholas and Aiden McGeady.
When Feruz was aged 12, he and his family were threatened with deportation back to Somalia. But Celtic youth coach Tommy Burns was having none of it and stepped in to successfully campaign for them to grant British passports to the Feruz family and keep them in Scotland.
The club had gone above and beyond as they went all in on Feruz, who had also pledged his international career to Scotland. But that all changed in 2011 as Feruz was on the cusp of first team football.
Touted as one of the most exciting prospects Scottish football had seen in years, the 15 year old quickly caught the attention of other major clubs and Chelsea swooped to sign the speedy striker in September 2011.
Despite his age and the fact he had not made a single senior appearance, the Blues handed over £300,000 in compensation for Feruz, with a contract worth a reported £2,500 per week.
Considering Celtic had recruited Feruz as a 10-year-old and done everything to help his career, then manager Neil Lennon was left seething by the loss of a potential star, registering most blame on the player's agent.
"We have done everything we can to keep the player and done more than enough to make him feel at home here," the Irishman said at the time.
"He does have other people in the background who are advising him. My take on it is that they are advising him wrongly, but we seem to be powerless in that situation.
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"He's only 15, so there are other people in the background who I'd rather point the finger at than the player himself."
He had shown no signs of slowing down at Stamford Bridge, scoring a superb brace in the first leg of the 2012 FA Youth Cup final.
But Lennon's words would prove very wise, as Feruz got lost in Chelsea's loan system and never managed to make a name for himself at senior level.
In 2013, he was handed a first-team debut by Jose Mourinho during Chelsea's pre-season tour of Asia, making two appearances in total, against the Indonesia All-Stars and a Malaysia XI.
The Portuguese boss was said to be keen on getting the best of Feruz, and Chelsea rewarded the young striker with a long-term contract extension in early 2014, reported to have a £25,000 per WEEK salary.
But first team football eluded him and he embarked on a nomad football career of loans.
Feruz's first move was Russian side FC Krylia Sovetov in August 2014 - but his ended after just two days.
"I am very sorry that this happened, I cannot imagine the disappointment of the fans, who had hoped that I could help the team get back to the Premier League," Feruz wrote on social media. "But I want to explain the reasons for his action, and hope that you will understand.
"After a few days in Russia, I realised that I was not yet ready for such a dramatic turn in my life. I have no complaints with any employees of the club, who surrounded me with care and were extremely hospitable, nor to the fans, with whom I had a chance to talk.
He added: "Maybe I’ll regret the decision I've taken but I’m doing the right thing."
But oddly enough, Feruz moved to another club just days later, joining Greece's OFI Crete, coached by Rangers icon Gennaro Gattuso.
However, Greece didn't agree with him either and he made just one league appearance during his six-month loan stay. NEx ton the menu was Blackpool in January 2015.
Feruz fared even worse in the Championship, with just two substitute appearances accompanied by a galling tweet after a heavy loss at Brentford.
"This team takes more kick-offs than corners," Feruz allegedly posted.
Those remarks unsurprisingly brought a swift end to his time at Blackpool and Feruz was sent back to Scotland , this time with Hibernian
"Can I still be a first-team player at Chelsea? Of course I can – I know I can do a job there," he said after arriving at Easter Road. "I played in the first-team in pre-season two seasons ago under Jose Mourinho.
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"I have a long term-contract and it's up to me to do well during my loan spell here and get back on that path. I've always believed in myself and my ability as footballer even during the past couple of years...
"It would be nice to be judged on what I do at Hibs and how I behave in Scotland. I’ve got wiser. I’ve made mistakes, got into trouble, but I’ve learned from them."
Just 24 hours later he was stopped by Glasgow police and charged with driving while banned, driving without insurance, and perverting the course of justice.
On the pitch did not fare any better for him. Six substitute appearances without no goals equalled a loan termination in January.
A trial with FC Aktobe in February 2016 followed - and again ended after just a day. Feruz disappeared from the Kazakhistani club's training camp in Turkey, before he reappeared at Belgian side Royal Excel Mouscron later in the same year.
The former Scotland's Under-21 international made a career-high eight appearances, but yet another loan deal as cut short. This time he made it all the way to midway through the season.
At the age of just 22, Feruz's reputation was now set in stone. He did secure one final chance in January 2017, with League One outfit Swindon Town, but four goal-less appearances followed.
A near 18-month limbo followed and he was finally released by Chelsea in January 2019 having neither made a competitive appearance for the first team nor scored a senior goal while out on loan at all his various clubs.
In April 2020, it was reported that Feruz had given up football permanently to set up a company selling designer caps.
Feruz revealed part of his new business venture is a line of baseball caps with the logo “Tajirii” – translated to “rich” in Swahili – with “Controversial One” stitched on the back.
However, Feruz has flirted with a return to the beautiful game in his late 20s. In August 2023 he signed a contract with Radnički Niš only to be released two months later without making a single appearance.
And that appeared to be that, until February 2025 where Dubai City FC announced that Feruz had signed up for the club on their Instagram page.
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The club said: "Excited to welcome Islam Feruz to the City FC Family! Islam Feruz began his youth career at Celtic before moving to Chelsea, where he developed his skills alongside some of the best in the game.
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"Known for his technical abilities, agility, and vision on the field, Feruz has the potential to make a significant impact at City FC."The collaboration between seasoned players and fresh talent like Feruz could lead to thrilling performances on the pitch!"
Could he finally fulfil his promise from his Celtic days all those years ago? Time will tell...