Bitton insists overcoming injury down to national pride
NIR BITTON revealed his burning desire to help Israel to a major finals explained why he was able to confound Neil Lennon and play against Scotland.
The 28- year- old defender suffered an ankle injury in Celtic’s Europa League win over Sarajevo last week and missed the Premiership victory at St Johnstone on Sunday.
After Israel coach Willi Ruttensteiner included Bitton in his squad for the Euro 2020 play- off semi- final at Hampden Park on Thursday night and Nations League games against Czech Republic and Slovakia, Celtic manager Lennon claimed it would be “impossible” for the centre- back to be fit in time. But Bitton played 120 minutes against Scotland before scoring in the penalty shoot- out, although Steve Clarke’s side won 5- 3 to set up a final away to Serbia next month, leaving Israel looking back to 1970 since they qualified for a major finals.
Bitton said: “Celtic is the club who pay my salary but as a person, as a professional athlete, I couldn’t give up on this game.
“These are the games you dream of playing when you are six years old. Even the day after the injury I told the medical staff at Celtic that I wanted to give myself a chance. I twisted my ankle very badly away in Bosnia and I didn’t believe I could make it.
“On the way back home on Friday I was on crutches, I was in a wheelchair and I couldn’t even walk on the foot. But I wasn’t going to rule myself out of the game until I knew that I couldn’t play.
“The medical staff here did an unbelievable job, they treated me like their child with treatment three times a day.”