Gam boa gets advice from a Lisbon Lion
Now the Costa Rican is loving life at Celtic and taking inspiration from a diminutive member of the Lisbon Lions.
Gamboa joined the Hoops last summer after a frustrating spell at the Hawthorns.
It’s a move that he believes has saved his career.
The full-back said: “I didn’t get a chance at West Brom under Tony Pullis. There was a period when I didn’t even feel like a football player.
“For the first six months, when Alan Irvine was manager, it was good.
“But then Pulis came in and I had no chance at all – not even on the bench.
“He had no trust in me. You know what he’s like as a manager, he was never going to use me.
“He wanted four centre-halves across the back.
“To play for his team, I think I needed a pair of high heels.
“My confidence suffered at West Brom, but I know someone would come in and change that.
“I think I found the perfect club in Celtic.”
The 27-year-old has been used sparingly this term but he believes his career is now back on with the help of Brendan Rodgers.
He went on: “The gaffer understands what I went through at West Brom.
“He’s building me up, gradually giving me more minutes, and I’m progressing.
“It was a tough beginning. My first 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 on.”
Gamboa is thrilled to be part of a club with a treble in their sights.
They already have the League Cup in the bag and are certainties to lift the title.
There could be a little bit of history today if they beat Hearts to break the Lisbon Lions’ record of going 26 domestic games without defeat.
Gamboa met a key member of the team that won the European Cup when he first arrived at Parkhead but didn’t realise he was in the presence of greatness.
Now he loves to hear stories of the glory days in the ’60s.
He said: “I like to talk with John Clark, our kit man at the club, 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.
“I’ve only seen photographs of the 1967 team. It would be good to see some footage of them.
“When you see someone like John you don’t think about what he did in the past and he doesn’t talk about it.
“Now I ask him all the time about it.”