Brazilian World Cup winner Juninho made his debut for Celtic on 29 August 2004, just four days after arriving from Middlesbrough, to a standing ovation.
The 31-year-old winger played a key role in the first Glasgow derby of the season at Parkhead, when Alan Thompson’s stunning long-range shot burst past Rangers keeper Stefan Cross to score the winning goal late on.
It became.
Less than a year later, Juninho was forced to leave.
Whatever happened in his first appearance, in which he played 87 minutes and was sent off by manager Martin O’Neill, as Hoops fans stood en masse to applaud the effort of the clever little South American.
It was great for the players.
Juninho failed to adapt to Celtic’s demands and struggled to make an impact when given chances.
On 16 October, he scored his only goal for the club in a 3–0 win against Hearts in Glasgow’s East End.
He started just 14 games for O’Neal’s team.
By the turn of the year, it had become clear that Juninho was playing only a supporting role at Paradise, and his contract was released eight months after signing.
He returned to Brazil to play for Pameiras and then played for Sydney FC in the Australian A-League.
He joined in the summer of 2007 and announced his retirement the following year.
In 2018, Juninho said: “Celtic are such a great club, so it was a shame it didn’t work out there.
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