From foreign shores to Paradise
Mohammed Abdul Salim (born 1904 in Calcutta, India) was an Indian footballer. Famously the first Asian to play for a British football team during a short but significant spell with Celtic F.C.
After showing amazing skills as an essential member of Calcutta's Mohammedan Sporting Club side in colonial India, a cousin urged Salim to try his hand at European football. In the summer of 1936 Salim arrived in Glasgow by ship. In August of 1936 Salim was signed for Celtic by manager Willie Maley after impressing and winning over doubters in a trial. Mohammed proved to be an extremely skilful and daring winger at Celtic and became popular with the Parkhead faithful during his time in Glasgow. Salim also became famous for playing the game in bandaged bare feet instead of the customary football boots. On his debut in 1937 Salim, in bare feet, proved exceptional helping Celtic win 5-1. In his second match against Galston, Celtic won 7-1 and his performance led the Scottish Daily Express to write: "Indian Juggler - New Style." Ten twinkling toes of Salim, Celtic FC's player from India, hypnotised the crowd at Parkhead. He balanced the ball on his big toe, lets it run down the scale to his little toe, twirls it, and hops on one foot around the defender. Despite the attempts of the club to persuade him to stay Salim left Celtic, feeling deeply home sick, after only a few months. He returned to Calcutta where he continued his career with the Mohammedan Sporting Club. Celtic had discovered a true gem but the culture shock ultimately prevented the Scottish public from witnessing the full extent of this talent.
Giles 'Gil' Heron (born 1922) was a Jamaican footballer. He was the first black player to play for Glasgow Celtic, paving the way for other black players, most notably, Henrik Larsson.A centre forward, Heron was born in Kingston, moved to Canada as a youth and was later enlisted in the Canadian Air Force, where his footballing talent first shone. After that he signed for American club Detroit Corinthians, and was spotted by a scout from Celtic, while Celtic were on a North American tour; he was later signed up by the Scottish club in 1951. Heron went on to score on his debut, but only played three first-team matches in all. He was released by the club the next year and joined Third Lanark, and then English club Kidderminster Harriers before moving back to Detroit Corinthians.
Before his move to the UK, Gil Heron had been the top goalscorer in the 1946 season of the American Soccer League, playing for the Detroit Wolverines.
Gil Heron is the father of poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron, known primarily for his late 1960s and early 1970s work as a spoken word performer, and his association with African American militant activism.
Rudi Vata (born 1970) was the record cap holder and captain with his native Albania, winning a total of 59. He came to Celtic in October 1992 via Paris. Albania had just played France in a World Cup qualifier for USA ‘94. With unrest in his native land he made moves to start a new life and ‘done a runner'. When the game was over, Rudi left his international colleagues and found his way to Glasgow, got a trial and ended up playing his part for the Celts for four years. He returned to the international fold a few years later. He famously slated the Albanian FA. He called them "a bunch of amateurs" for organizing cheap flights for the national team! He was a fairly decent full-back. He was with us during a difficult spell. In his time with us he made 45 appearances, scoring 4 goals. Recently signed for St Johnstone from Yokohama in Japan!
Johannes Evaldsson played at centre- half for the Bhoys from 1972-76. The giant defender won two league titles three Scottish cups a League cup, a Glasgow cup (shared after a 2-2 draw with the ‘huns'). He also helped Celtic win the Polar Bear Trophy against his old club Valur of Iceland. He won 34 caps for his country captaining them on 27 occasions and scoring 2 goals. He left us in '76 for Motherwell and later finished his playing career with Holbaek in Denmark.
Lubomir Moravcik came on the scene in 1998. The former Slovakia/ Czechoslovakia international joined Celtic from Msv Duisburg (Germany). He played under four different managers at Celtic, Dr Joe, Kenny D, Barnes and MON, in four years.
He scored quite a few goals for us. In fact his first two goals were in the 5-1 demolition of the huns. He was part of the treble winning team in season 2000-01 under MON. He left the Celts to link up once again with Dr Joe with Ichihara in Japan. He was a class act for the Celts. Pity we didn't get him when he was a few years younger!!
Henrik Larsson MBE (born September 20, 1971 in Helsingborg, Skåne, Sweden)
He is best known for his seven very successful years with Scottish club Celtic, in which time he won the Golden Boot. He subsequently had a two year spell at Barcelona of Spain where he won the Champions League. Having left Barcelona in the summer of 2006, he is currently playing for his hometown club of Helsingborgs IF.
From 1993-2006 Larsson played international football for Sweden. He announced his international retirement after the 2006 World Cup.
Larsson started his professional career playing for Högaborg at the age of 17. He subsequently moved to Helsingborgs IF, where he scored 50 goals in 56 appearances. It was this sensational form that attracted the interest of Dutch club Feyenoord, who signed him for £295,000 in 1993. This was despite the fact he was negotiating a contract with Grasshopper-Club Zürich at the time.
Following a complicated contract dispute with Feyenoord, he was signed by the then Celtic manager, Wim Jansen, in July 1997 for a fee of £650,000. His debut against Hibernian at Easter Road was less than spectacular: he inadvertently passed the ball to Hibs player, Chic Charnley, resulting in a 2-1 loss for Celtic. He didn't fare much better in his first European game, scoring an own goal, although Celtic did run out 6-2 winners.
Larsson scored 242 goals for Celtic, in 315 matches, making him Celtic's third all-time record goal scorer (in all competitions). This is more remarkable in the fact that he missed almost a year having suffered a horrific injury, breaking his leg in two places, whilst playing against Olympique Lyonnais in a UEFA cup match in France.
In 2001 he won the "Golden Boot" award for being Europe's most prolific goal scorer, with 35 league goals. His total in all competitions that season was 53. In 2003, he scored two superb goals in the UEFA Cup Final; although opponents Porto went on to win 3-2. His goal scoring feats on the continent for Celtic mean, he holds the record for number of goals scored for a club from British and Ireland in European matches. Celtic fans still hail him as a hero today, and he is considered the greatest ever foreign player in the history of the Scottish league.
At the end of the 2003-04 season Larsson signed a one year contract with Barcelona with an option for a second year. In his last appearance for Celtic, he scored twice to defeat Dunfermline Athletic and win the Scottish Cup. He gave a teary goodbye at his testimonial match against Sevilla.
Larsson's first season at Barcelona was plagued by injury, and he played only a nominal part in Barça's La Liga win. He did, however, score against Celtic in a Champions League match. After the game he said "It was very difficult for me to celebrate my goal because I had so many great times here..." Despite having missed most of the 2004-05 season, Barcelona took the option to extend his contract. In 2005-06 Larsson scored 10 goals as Barcelona won La Liga for a second consecutive year.
In January 2006, Henrik announced that at the end of his contract, which ended in July, he would leave Barcelona and return to Sweden to end his career. He revealed that he had politely refused a verbal promise by club president Joan Laporta to extend his contract to the end of the next season. News of his departure provoked praise from his teammates, including Ronaldinho - "With Henrik leaving us at the end of the season this club is losing a great scorer, no question. But I am also losing a great friend. Henrik was my idol and now that I am playing next to him it is fantastic."
In his final game for Barcelona, he won his first UEFA Champions League medal. Larsson came on as a substitute and assisted both of Barcelona's goals in a 2-1 win over Arsenal FC. Thierry Henry paid tribute to Larsson's contribution to Barcelona's win after the game, saying "People always talk about Ronaldinho, and everything but I didn't see him today - I saw Henrik Larsson. Two times he came on - he changed the game, that is what killed the game - sometimes you talk about Ronaldinho and Eto'o and people like that, you need to talk about the proper footballer who made the difference and that was Henrik Larsson tonight..."
After Sweden's elimination from the 2006 World Cup on June 24, 2006, Larsson joined up with new club, Helsingborg. He made his second debut for his hometown club against Hammarby in the Swedish Cup on July 6, 2006.
Larsson's international record is impressive with 36 goals in 93 games, many of which he played in midfield or as a winger. He has always made his mark on big occasions and has scored at three World Cups (1994 at which Sweden came 3rd, 2002 and 2006), and two European Championships (2000 and 2004).
Larsson originally chose to retire from International football in 2002. His decision was met with much dismay in his homeland and there was much clamoring for him to return to the team for their campaign at Euro 2004 in Portugal. Despite initially maintaining his decision to retire, turning down overtures from UEFA President Lennart Johansson and the Swedish Prime Minister in the process, he eventually returned to the national side at the behest of his son, and to great effect, scoring three goals in four matches and leading Sweden to the quarterfinals, where they were defeated in a penalty shootout by the Dutch. Larsson's tremendous diving header against Bulgaria was voted Best Goal of the 2004 European Championships.
Larsson also featured at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He scored in the final minute of the match against England for Sweden to draw the match 2-2 in their final game in the group stages, thus becoming only the sixth player to score in World Cup finals which are 12 years apart. The goal also sealed Sweden's qualification for the second round of the tournament. But in Sweden's Round of 16 game against host Germany, he blasted a penalty over the bar which could have given his team a lifeline after trailing 2-0 for most of the match.
He retired from International football for the second time on July 17, 2006. "It is time to quit now. It feels right. I'm done with the national team," the 34-year-old Larsson told TV station Canal Plus.Henrik's father is from the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of West Africa. He is married and has two children, Jordan (born 1997) and Janelle (born 2002).
Thanks to Omar Smárason of the Icelandic FA and Armando Duka former Chairman of the Albanian FA for their help in tracing details of former Celts, Vata and Evaldsson.