£9m man Gordon is desperate for medals

CRAIG GORDON says he wants to be remembered as more than the goalkeeper with a £9million label around his neck. The former Hearts No 1 has just one Scottish Cup medal to his name. Now gunning for a domestic Treble with Celtic, the 31-year-old sees a chance to shake off a tag as the man signed by Roy Keane for Sunderland for a huge sum. ‘It’s a lot of money for anybody, never mind a goalkeeper,’ said Gordon. ‘It was a lot at that time and still is now. ‘I’ve never thought too much about the price tag. Every time I’ve been asked about it, I say it has its positives and negatives. ‘People will always ask “was it a burden, or is it still a burden?”. ‘But, at the same time, would I have got the chance to get back into the game if I hadn’t had that? ‘It gives you a certain appeal. That, at one time, I was a £9m goalie. In every article, it is always mentioned.’ Gordon wants a new story for journalists to write in the papers. ‘I’d love to be able to put some medals on the mantelpiece,’ he said. ‘Some players go through their whole career and don’t get any. I’ve got one and it means everything. ‘But I’ll definitely be looking to add a few more in the next few years. ‘Football careers are defined by success. Years from now, I want to be able to look back on what I won, how many caps I got. ‘That’s something that I would very much like to do… to make sure I’ve got a few more of those.’ Trusted with keeping goals out, Gordon has adapted to a new role at Celtic — that of a creator. ‘I’m playing a different style of football to what I’ve been used to before at Hearts or Sunderland, or the national team,’ he continued. ‘That’s been good. It’s a new challenge and I need to play in a different way, build from the back. ‘It’s not something I’ve done before, so that’s been exciting and new for me coming back. ‘All of the teams I’ve played in before have been very direct. Even with Scotland, there wasn’t much space to play from the back. ‘So it’s different but it’s good.’