I’M NO SHOO IN BUT NOW I CAN DUMP HIGH HEELS
Gamboa walks tall again under Rodgers
Cristian Gamboa jokes that he’d have needed a pair of high heels to get a game for Tony Pulis at West Brom.
But now the cut- size Costa Rican defender believes he has found the perfect fit in Celtic.
The 27- year- old endured a hellish 18 months at The Hawthorns where his manager had no interest in playing him.
Gamboa admits it badly dented his self belief. So much so, that he didn’t even feel like a footballer any more.
He needed someone to rescue him and along came Brendan Rodgers – a gaffer who was willing to pitch him in at the Nou Camp for his first Hoops game.
The 5ft 8in player might not be a nailed- down starter just yet, with regular right-back Mikael Lustig a staple in the Celtic side.
But unl ike his spell at the Baggies, he couldn’t be happier.
His family are settled off the pitch. And on it, Gamboa is convinced he can continue to give Rodgers a problem when it comes to picking his starting line-up.
Reflecting on his six months at the club so far, he couldn’t help but compare it to the rut he found himself in under Pulis.
He said: “The difference between the situation I’m in now and what I faced at West Brom is confidence.
“The manager here has faith in me to play big games. That’s the most important thing.
“For the first six months at West Brom under Alan Irvine, it was good. But then Pulis came in and I had no chance at all – not even on the bench.
“Pulis had no trust in me. He was never going to use me. To play for his team, I think I needed a pair of high heels. I said to my wife if I could borrow a pair for training.
“My confidence suffered at West Brom. It was difficult.
“There was a period when I didn’t even feel like a football player.
“In a way, Celtic have saved my career. I have to thank all the people who brought me here.
“From the first moment I’ve felt like I’ll get on the field.
“The gaffer told me he’d give me a chance, which was important for me. Because this is a big club.
“Also, my family really like it here in Glasgow. Everything is good. All the players have made me feel welcome. Emilio Izaguirre has been a big help.
“At West Brom, James McClean is a big Celtic fan and he told me that, if I had the chance, I had to come here.
“But all the guys were nice, people like Darren Fletcher. They knew my situation. So when I got the opportunity, especially the Scottish guys, just said: ‘Go.’ They knew I’d get the chance to play.
“It was a tough beginning. My f i rst game was away to Barcelona when we lost 7- 0 so that wasn’t a good memory.
“But everything has developed in a good way from then.”
Gamboa is rel ishing the challenge of ousting Swedish star Lustig as first pick at right-back.
So far, he has been used sparingly by Rodgers, mostly in cup games.
But Gamboa said: “The gaffer understands what I went through. So he’s building me up, giving me more minutes, and I’m progressing.
“Mikael has been here a long time and I respect him a lot. When he played at Rosenborg I was also in Norwegian footbal l so I remember him. He’s a good player.
“But I’m here to give my best and the gaffer will decide who plays. It’s a good competition with both of us fit now. It helps that we have different skills. It also depends who we’re playing against.”
Irrespective of how many games he plays, G am boa is on course to be part of a Treble-winning Celtic team.
Rodgers’ men have the chance against Hearts today to beat the Lisbon Lions’ record by going 27 domestic games unbeaten.
And Gamboa is learning all about the European Cup winning team from Parkhead kit-man John Clark, who was part of Jock Stein’s all-conquering side in season 1966/67.
He said: “I’ve won trophies in Denmark with Copenhagen and also in Costa Rica.
“Now at Celtic, we have a real chance of winning three trophies in one season. That would be great for my career and the club.
“I like to talk with John, I have a coffee with him. I didn’t know he was part of the Lisbon Lions because he’s such a humble guy.
“Now I talk to him about it. He’s small like me but he was a centre-back – he says he just played with his head.
“John tries to help me with everything. He has so much history here but he’s a nice guy.”