Celtic winger Jota has reacted to his first goal back at Celtic Park this afternoon against Dundee United in the Hoops’ 3-0 win.
With Jota having re-joined Celtic in January from Rennes in Ligue 1, the superstar from Portugal did return far from full fitness.
However, with a goal on his second Hoops debut at Fir Park, he has shown that despite a disastrous 18 months away from Glasgow, he is still as good as ever.
Building up his fitness over the last three weeks, he has hardly put a foot wrong. With Daizen Maeda and Adam Idah impressing in the same period, Brendan Rodgers now has three players who are really hitting form at the beginning of the business end of the season.
Jota would reflect on a special afternoon for himself, paying tribute to Celtic supporters who undoubtedly played a huge part in his return to the Hoops
He said: (Celtic FC), “Returning is definitely something special. Celtic fans always make me feel so happy. They’ve given me something that nobody has ever given to me.
“In the end, I just want to give something back to the fans and give them happiness and joy.
“I want to give the best of myself on the pitch, and as a group we want to deliver and win titles as well.”
Every Celtic supporter knows how special the club is to Jota. The way in which he has embraced the Hoops culture off the pitch, visiting Celtic pubs—something he simply didn’t have to do—shows what the club means to him.
Despite all the negative experiences away from Glasgow over the past year and a half, he has returned with a first-class mentality, not only to prove critics wrong but to repay the faith and support he has received from the Celtic faithful.
This puts him firmly in contention to start against Bayern Munich at the Allianz on Tuesday.
He is arguably the Hoops’ best left winger currently, and Daizen Maeda is arguably the Hoops’ best option up top, with the pair finishing the game against Aberdeen on Wednesday at Celtic Park. With Rodgers’ tactical tweaks, Celtic finished the game well and truly on top after a passive first 45, leaving the Irishman with a selection headache ahead of the second leg.
