Moussa Dembele admits Celtic realisation only hit him after Parkhead exit

Moussa Dembele reveals the Celtic achievement he only appreciated after leaving Parkhead

Moussa Dembele has admitted that he only fully understood the scale of what he achieved at Celtic after bringing his time in Glasgow to an end.

The French striker spent two seasons with the Hoops before completing a move to Lyon in 2018 for a fee of around £19.7million.

Dembele played a major role in Celtic’s historic domestic treble campaign and quickly established himself as one of the most dangerous forwards in Scottish football.

His arrival, however, came at a difficult moment for Brendan Rodgers’ side.

Dembele joined the club shortly before Celtic suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Lincoln Red Imps in Gibraltar during the opening leg of their Champions League qualifying campaign.

The forward, who had just turned 20, still looks back fondly on his introduction to life in Glasgow despite that setback.

He recalled how welcoming the people of Scotland were and how quickly he felt part of the Celtic environment.

Celtic responded to the Gibraltar disappointment by winning the return fixture 3-0 before progressing through the qualifying rounds.

Dembele then played a significant part in another memorable Champions League night against Astana.

With the tie finely balanced, Celtic were awarded a stoppage-time penalty after Dembele was brought down inside the box.

Leigh Griffiths had already converted from the spot earlier in the game, but handed the responsibility to his new teammate.

For Dembele, that moment proved to be an important turning point.

The striker explained that he has always been willing to take responsibility in high-pressure situations, even if it means accepting the possibility of failure.

He believes scoring that penalty helped establish the confidence of both himself and those around him.

That confidence quickly translated into goals.

Dembele found the net in the next qualifying round as Celtic booked their place in the Champions League group stage before producing some memorable performances against Europe’s elite.

He scored twice against Manchester City and also found the net against Borussia Monchengladbach.

However, his record against Rangers remains one of the biggest parts of his Celtic legacy.

Dembele scored seven times against Celtic’s city rivals and became a firm favourite with supporters during his spell at Parkhead.

Although his Celtic career ended with a move to Lyon worth close to £20million, Dembele now appears to have a greater appreciation of what he achieved in Glasgow.

The 30-year-old remains fondly remembered by Celtic supporters, with his goals, Champions League performances and Old Firm record ensuring his name remains firmly among the club’s modern-era striking greats.