Scottish football icon Craig Gordon has brushed aside talk of any ill-feeling following his departure from Celtic to Hearts. Two clubs extremely close to the veteran goalkeeper's heart will go head-to-head on Saturday in a title-deciding clash for this season's Scottish Premiership crown. Hearts sit top of the table by just a single point, with Celtic looking to overtake them with nothing less than a victory. A draw in Glasgow would be enough to seal their first top-flight title since 1960.
Gordon's Move Wasn't Motivated by Money
Five-time Premiership champion Gordon, 43, had fallen out of favour with then-Celtic manager Neil Lennon when he left on a free transfer in the summer of 2020. Yet there was no bitterness as he headed back to his boyhood club. 'Things just petered out over the last few weeks,' he said upon his return to Edinburgh. 'The one thing I always wanted to do was get back playing football. The money side was always going to be secondary. It was about doing what was right for me.'
At the time, Gordon faced fierce competition for Celtic's No. 1 shirt after Fraser Forster caught the eye on loan from Southampton. The club then splashed the cash to sign Greek goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas from AEK Athens, though he struggled to make an impact in Glasgow, before Joe Hart took the reins in 2021.
Disrespect Claims Dismissed
The veteran, who has managed just three league outings this season, emphasised his boyhood support for Hearts and said he 'loved playing' for the club at the start of his professional career. The choice became considerably simpler when Celtic informed him he could only remain if he accepted a wage reduction, which he was taking regardless in pursuit of regular game time.
'Everybody seems to worry about playing against former teams,' Gordon continued at the time. 'I tried everything I possibly could when I was at Celtic to beat Hearts in those games and I would do exactly the same against Celtic now. People will look too much into that and say, "The player's not being respectful," but you have to go out and try and win. I've always done the best that I possibly could in every single game to make sure that my team wins.'
Gordon's Role at Hearts Today
Fast-forward to the present day and Gordon remains a dependable substitute option at Tynecastle. Alexander Schwolow is the goalkeeper expected to start for Derek McInnes' side, though Gordon will be prepared and eager should he be required against his former club. Having secured 12 major honours in merely six years at Celtic, he has already claimed silverware since returning to Hearts. He collected the Scottish Championship in 2021 following the club's drop to the second tier, supplementing the Scottish Cup he claimed as a youngster back in 2006.
And he'll have no hesitation about setting former loyalties aside in an effort to secure this Hearts team a place in the history books.
