Artur Boruc

Still got so much love for the guy, would love him to retire here even as back up.

 

ARTUR Boruc found his football Paradise at Celtic. Out of all the clubs he has spent time with, his five-year spell with the Hoops was the best time of his career.

The former Polish internationalist made over 200 appearances for the club between 2005 and 2010, following his transfer from Legia Warsaw.

A firm fans’ favourite for his heroics between the sticks, including priceless penalty saves against the likes of Manchester United and Spartak Moscow, the 37-year-old will go down in history as one of the great goalkeepers to have starred for the Celts. This is also reflected in his impressive silverware haul which numbered three league titles, one Scottish Cup and two League Cups by the time he left for Fiorentina.

After his stint in Serie A, the shot-stopper moved to English football, starring for Southampton and his current side, Bournemouth, helping establish them in the Premier League.
But, wherever his career has taken him, Paradise has always remained close to his heart – he wasn’t just a Celtic player, he was a fan of the club, and that never changed.

Here, in an exclusive interview with thsi week's Celtic View, Boruc reminisced about some of his Hoops highlights and revealed why he will always be a Bhoy.

What does Celtic still mean to you after all these years?

Celtic is still huge for me, even these days. I had some of my greatest memories when I was there and that’s why the club is still in my heart. When you spend a couple of years in the club and you get all that appreciation, it makes you feel valued, which is a big thing for me, and I tried to give it back. Celtic was a big part of my life, along with my family and friends, so I like to stay in touch with some of the people who helped me through my football adventure. Woodsy (Celtic goalkeeping coach Stevie Woods) is a very good guy, and I’m sure everyone else at Celtic Park would say that as well so that shouldn’t be a surprise. We talk to each other quite often. I like him as a person and his coaching skills are excellent.

What is special about Celtic?

Everything at Celtic is special. It’s hard to describe in a couple of sentences. I remember a conversation I had with Stiliyan Petrov when I asked him why he left the club and his thoughts on moving away and he said to me that as soon as he left Celtic, he realised how big a club Celtic is. After I moved away to Fiorentina, I had the same feelings as well. It’s a huge club.

How tough was it when you left the club for Fiorentina in the summer of 2010

Celtic had a couple of other great goalkeepers and I was really happy about it ended up. I missed Celtic, but I knew I had to do something with my life because I’m the type of person who needs a new challenge from time to time, and I felt it was the right moment for me to have that.

You enjoyed hero status at Celtic. How did it feel to be idolised by the fans?

At the time I never really thought about it, to be honest. I don’t really believe in all that hero stuff but I enjoyed my time at Celtic and I wanted to give back everything that I received from the fans and the club. That’s why I did what I did.

Why did forge such a strong relationship and rapport with the Celtic supporters?

It’s because I am a normal guy who wanted to give something back to the Celtic family, and to the club, as they gave me a chance to play at a bigger level and to make my name in the game. I wanted to repay them. I never thought about what I was doing at the time but it turned out that they were good things to do. It’s an amazing feeling when I speak to people who still go to the games and find out that the Celtic fans still sing my song. It’s incredible. To be honest, it sums up my time up at Celtic, and I hope it’s going to stay that way.

You enjoyed many memorable moments at Celtic, but what stands out from your highlights as a Celtic player?

I couldn’t go with just one, but the Champions League home games and the Glasgow derbies were huge things for me, and I had never experienced anything like it before in my life. These were games I was really looking forward to and I always tried to play to my best. In the last couple of weeks, I have heard some people mention the Manchester United Champions League game and the famous semi-final in the League Cup when we beat Dundee United on penalties. Those two nights were special but I don’t want to miss anything out.

 

Big mad Artur

 

Good keeper no doubt and had some great games for us, but think some people only remember the good things about his time here. A hero to some cause he loved to wind up the Huns but he had plenty of poor games too and towards the end you could see that he just wasn’t interested anymore

 

Bring him home

 

is he still as fat??

 

Been told he can leave Bournemouth.

 

What a signing he'd be.

 

He could sign and not even play a game and I'd still be happy to see him back

 

Dubbed ‘The Holy Goalie’ for blessing himself before matches, Boruc’s time at Celtic was punctuated by saving a pregnant woman from a racist attack, getting a tattoo of an *-baring monkey mocking their fierce rivals, and some incredible goalkeeping. A true maverick, he was a rare cult hero of genuine quality, and to this day you’ll still hear his name chanted at Parkhead. Here he reminisces about the intensity and atmosphere of the Old Firm …

“Before I joined the club, I’d watched Celtic a couple of times on Polish TV, mostly Old Firm derbies—but I didn’t realise it was that big. I don’t think anybody realises how big it is, and the expectations, until they come to the club. But as soon as you’re there, you feel the tension. Leaving Legia Warsaw, the team I supported, was quite a big deal for me, but I wanted to do it really badly. I wanted to try something else for a bit of my life. The early stages of my time at Celtic weren’t that bright, we didn’t start the season very well, and I wasn’t automatically first choice, but I worked hard and then fortune gave me a little bit back.

“I had started the previous two league matches when my first Old Firm fixture came along, and in the week leading up to the game, I didn’t really pay it that much attention. We ended up losing 3–1 and had two men sent off. I don’t really remember much about it, just the atmosphere. Until then, I didn’t realise how big it was for the club and the supporters, but from that moment on, I knew: these are the kind of games you have to win.


“As it turns out, those were some of the biggest games I’ve ever played in—it’s the kind of game I’d like to play in again. There’s nowhere else with an atmosphere like it, whether it’s Ibrox or Celtic Park. Obviously, I preferred Celtic Park, but the thing is, the noise was just incredible. The passion at the game was amazing, I’ve never really experienced anything like that, and won’t in my life again.

“Later that season, we went back to Ibrox and won 1–0, after it, the police cautioned me for blessing myself in front of the Rangers fans. I didn’t realise before I came to Celtic that there was a religious aspect to the rivalry, I didn’t expect it. It was just a routine that I had which I did before every half, which turned out to be a very annoying thing for the Rangers fans. But I did enjoy the relationship I had with the Rangers fans, to be honest, it kind of makes you feel alive, makes you feel like the things you’re doing makes them go insane. I did enjoy that.

“Those kind of games brought out the best in me. You didn’t have anything to lose in a way. You don’t worry about anything, you just try to live in the moment and make the best saves you can, and that’s what was always good about it. I think I’m still like that. Those big games at Celtic, in the Champions League, and against Rangers, were a highlight of my life. I watched my penalty save from when we beat Manchester United on YouTube one day, I was watching it with the commentary on, and it gave me goose bumps. It was amazing. The atmosphere at those games was just insane. I really miss that. As soon as I left, I never saw anything like that again in my life.”

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What a man he was. One of my favourite ever Celtic players.

 

Come back where you belong, Artur.

 

His attitude and lack of professionalism was atrocious.

 

Perhaps I just see a bit of myself in him.