Former Celtic midfielder Efraín Juárez returned to Celtic Park last night, watching the Hoops’ 6-0 demolition of Dundee to go 13 points clear of Rangers.
Juárez, who joined Celtic in July 2010, made 21 appearances for the Hoops. His second season was spent on loan at Real Zaragoza in La Liga, before the Mexican midfielder left to return to Mexico in the summer of 2012.
However, despite his brief spell at Celtic, the Hoops still hold a place in Juárez’s heart. The Mexican midfielder was delighted to be back at Paradise to witness the Hoops’ 6-0 win over Dundee, thanks to goals from Arne Engels, Daizen Maeda, Adam Idah, and Nicolas Kuhn.
Always is nice to be back!!@CelticFC #hailhail pic.twitter.com/JhHvw16SlI
— Efraín Juárez (@efrajuarez) February 6, 2025
Juárez couldn’t have picked a better game to watch, with Maeda’s second goal arguably being the goal of the season in Scotland.
Celtic themselves put in one of their best performances of the season on a rescheduled midweek game. It was a statement to the rest of the league that the Hoops are firmly back to their best, having previously dropped points against Dundee at Dens Park three weeks ago.
In recent years, Juárez has worked alongside former Celtic manager Ronny Deila at New York City, Standard Liège, and Club Brugge before becoming Atlético Nacional’s manager in August 2024.
Celtic’s manager Ronny Deila
Action Images via Reuters / Graham Stuart
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In his first season, Juarez won both the Copa Colombia and the league title, becoming one of only three managers to achieve the double in Colombian football. However, in January, he stepped down as manager after disagreements with the national hierarchy.
