Ntcham: I hope it’s and not a load of
m.gannon@dailyrecord.co.uk Parkhead men to prove the Scottish game isn’t just a comb-over and the Hoops can cut it against the best.
The 21-year-old admitted he’d never even heard about Celtic until they beat Barcelona in 2012.
The stunning win sent shockwaves across the continent and Ntcham is hoping the class of 2017 can have their own magical moment against PSG.
He said: “It would mean a lot to get a win. It’s a chance for us to show Scottish football is not like people in the world think.
“Sometimes when Celtic win a game 5-0 you don’t hear people say, ‘That Celtic team are good’.
“You only hear, ‘The other team is s***’. For me that is not the case.
“That is unfair and we maybe do not get enough credit.
“But these are the games that can get Celtic recognition and respect on a worldwide stage. When Celtic beat Barcelona everyone knew about Celtic.
“After that game I started to know Celtic. Just from this game. Not before.
“That was the first time I really knew of the team.
“If we get a win or a draw against Paris it would be a result that would go around the world.”
The fact it’s his hometown team just cranks it up a notch for Ntcham. This was his boyhood team and he grew up idolising Ronaldinho.
He said: “I am very excited. To play against them is close to a dream come true for me.
“I didn’t have a PSG top when I was a child but when Moussa Dembele was playing for PSG he brought me a top.
“I might still have it somewhere but I don’t think it will fit! When I was young my favourite PSG player was Ronaldinho.
“Is he better than Neymar? I don’t know. Ronaldinho is a legend and Neymar is going to be a very famous and big player in the world.”
Ntcham was overlooked by the big guns when he was a kid but doesn’t bear a grudge.
His family remain big PSG fans – apart from when they face Celtic.
He said: “When you are young everybody has different paths to go and I went to Paris FC then Le Havre and Manchester City.
“So I am not disappointed to not play for PSG.
“I don’t know if they ever came to watch me.
“All my family are PSG supporters though. They have all said they support me and I have to win. I know they are all PSG fans but for me they are going to support Celtic.
“I have 14 friends and family coming over for the game but they are not all staying with me!”
MICHAEL GANNON