Former Celtic striker Giorgos Giakoumakis has said he felt jealous when he saw Jota return to the club in January. The Greek forward left Celtic in February 2023, just five months before Jota moved to Saudi Arabia.

After struggling abroad, Jota came back to Celtic and got a huge welcome from the Celtic support. Watching that made Giakoumakis wish it was him.

Giakoumakis now plays for Cruz Azul in Mexico, but his heart still seems to be in Glasgow. During his time at Celtic, he scored 26 goals in 57 games and helped the Hoops win the league in 2022. He was known for his clinical finishing and strong mentality.

With Brendan Rodgers now in charge, Giakoumakis has opened the door for a potential return, offering strong praise for the Celtic support.

He said: (RecordSport), “When I saw Jota coming back, I got into his position and how amazing he would feel getting in there again.

“He went to Saudi, he went on loan to France. He probably wasn’t happy in any of these places.

“He didn’t have the same importance. He didn’t have the same happiness or freedom. But I felt straight away, like, how he must have felt.

“The moment he signed again and the moment he wore the jersey, the moment he entered the field for the first time… the fans were cheering his name like crazy, the whole stadium on their feet.

“The feeling would be amazing. It would be amazing. I just immediately put myself in his position.”

At 30, Giakoumakis is older than most of the players Celtic usually sign. The Hoops have been focusing on singing younger talent, players they can develop and maybe sell on for a profit. It’s unlikely they would bring him back unless they change that approach. But with Champions League qualifiers coming in August, Celtic need goals. And Giakoumakis has always delivered goals wherever he’s played.

Right now, Celtic’s forward options include Daizen Maeda, Adam Idah, and Johnny Kenny. Maeda often plays out wide, Idah’s form has been inconsistent for much of this season, and Kenny remains unproven due to a lack of first-team opportunities until the end of the campaign.

Giakoumakis clearly still cares about Celtic. He watched Jota’s return and pictured himself in the same moment, hearing the crowd roar and feeling that special connection again. Whether Celtic would consider a return is unclear. But if the Hoops want a proven scorer to lead the line in Europe, Giakoumakis has shown he can be that man.