**WHO** was the Manchester City player who celebrated scoring a Champions League goal against Manchester City?
It’s an excellent quiz question, but if you know the history, you’ll be aware of the answer.
Patrick Roberts was the performer with a unique place in history when he whipped one into the net of Pep Guardiola’s side at The Etihad on December 6 2016 in a dramatic 1-1 draw.
The winger, who cost City £12million when he joined at the age of 18 from Fulham in 2015, was on loan at Celtic at the time and, remarkably, was allowed to play in the game after his parent club admitted they had no objection.
Roberts joined the Hoops on a temporary transfer in January 2016 which was originally intended to run for 18 months, but it was extended by another year when the initial deal expired.
The wide Bhoy became a massive hit at Parkhead with the fans appreciating his mesmerising ball skills and his attacking instincts. Ronny Deila introduced him to the line-up, but it was Brendan Rodgers, who took over from the Norwegian in June 2016, who who really put the tricky performer in the spotlight.
Roberts played his part in The Invincibles sason when Celtic won the treble without a solitary loss in the Irishman’s memorable campaign.
James Forrest responded to the challenge of the loan star and Rodgers showed a preference to utilise a player under contract at the club as opposed to an individual who was the property of City.
Despite calls for the Hoops hierarchy to sign the player on a permanent basis, there was never any move to pay a massive amount of money on the wily attacker.
At the completiton of his two and a half years in Glasgow, Roberts returned to Manchester before being loaned out again the following season to La Liga outfit Girona.
His next temporary shift was to Norwich City, then onto Middlesbrough followed by a spell at Derby County. There was also a stint in France with Troyes.
Roberts was freed by Guardiola after a mere three first-team appearances for the club. In January 2022, he signed a six-month deal with Sunderland, then in the third tier of the English league system.
Thankfully, there is a happy ending to the Patrick Roberts story. He was allowed to flourish with the Wearside club, signed a full-time contract and was part of the squad that won two promotions to get back among the top flight.
A few years after leaving Parkhead, Roberts admitted: “I’ll always be a Celt and I’ll always have this club in my heart.”
**\* TOMORROW: Don’t miss the adventures of another former Celt in CQN’s EXCLUSIVE series.**
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