MOUSSA WILL BE A REAL £50M STAR
Gamboa backing Parkhead pal as next Madrid marvel
CRISTIAN GAMBOA last night insisted Celtic team-mate Moussa Dembele can become a £50million Real Madrid player after witnessing his latest worldclass goal at the weekend. The young French sensation added another two strikes to his tally that now stands at 29 for the season as the Hoops made it 32 games undefeated domestically against Hamilton. And right-back Gamboa is convinced the 20-year-old is heading for superstardom. Gamboa plied his trade in the English Premier League with West Brom and has no doubts Dembele could play for one of the top clubs south of the border. But the Costa Rican is convinced his pal will end up starring for one of the best teams on the planet.
He said: “Moussa is on fire. Whenever he shoots he is going to score. When you have a player like him he has to be in the team.
“He’s showing everyone he deserves the price that has been put on him.
“The first goal he scored on Saturday was world class. I’d give you £50m for him but I don’t have the money!
“Just imagine what he’s going to be like when he’s 25 when he is a more mature player and has even more experience. I think he will be really
good, better than he is just now. He can go to Real Madrid or wherever he wants. He is a top-class player.”
Gamboa is convinced nobody in the Scottish game should want Dembele to leave because we should all enjoy having a player of his talent gracing grounds across the country.
He said: “We enjoy having Moussa here. We need him. I hope we can enjoy having him for a long time.
“He is a strong player and he shows everyone that in training all the time. Every day he gives 100 per cent.
“I wish only the best for him. He may go to another club but just now he is here until at least the end of the season so we should enjoy his football and his goals.”
Dembele might be one of the first names on boss Brendan Rodgers’s teamsheet but Gamboa believes that the squad’s strength in depth is the reason behind Celtic’s astonishing unbeaten domestic season that sees them 24 points clear of Aberdeen at the top of the table and massive favourites to win the Treble.
He added: “I came here because I want to play. I want to show everyone I can play at a good level. But the gaffer wants a good squad.
“It is a good squad and it is a big squad. When somebody drops out another person will do his best. I think this is the key.
“We have this run, we have gone unbeaten in a lot of games, because everybody is ready to play.
“For me, I just try to train hard every day. The gaffer has the decision on who is going to play and who is going to sit on the bench. You have to be ready.
“Costa Rica is a football country and all the players who play outside of the country get a lot of stuff written about them.
“Everyone back home is impressed with how we are doing and asking how we do it. It’s good.
“The people realise Celtic is a big club doing well in the Scottish league so everyone is interested in this.”
Gamboa insists Celtic are not thinking about going through season unbeaten, repeating the “one game at a time” mantra but he is well aware that next up is a trip to Inverness on Wednesday to play the only Scottish team to have taken points from them this term.
Caley Thistle grabbed a 2-2 draw in the Highlands with a last minute goal but Gamboa is adamant Celtic won’t travel north seeking revenge – only another three points.
He said: “For every game we don’t think about the record or how many games we have gone unbeaten. We just think about three points and going further and further away at the top of the table.
“This is the key to success and the gaffer says before the game to make sure everyone is in the same mindset to do whatever it takes to win.
“We like to press. We like to get the ball back as quickly as we can so I think it’s the right way to play.
“We try to get better and better and for me I enjoy this way. We don’t talk about the unbeaten run.
“We just remember that last game at Inverness and at the end they scored for a draw.
“We’re not thinking about revenge – just the three points.
“I think it’s football – sometimes it can happen that you draw. After that we realised we had to work harder and after the Inverness game we’ve been on our run.”