Craig Gordon should be remembered as a Celtic legend. An Invincible Treble winner, the Scotland veteran played an integral role in that unforgettable history-making season. That iconic image of the keeper falling to his knees after Tom Rogic's Treble-clinching winner at Hampden as thousands of Hoops fans danced wildly in the stands will go down in folklore.
Yet one glance at social media last week shows that many diehards would rather erase Gordon from history. The Hearts hero triggered the Parkhead fanbase at the weekend when he brazenly branded his former club's last-gasp title triumph an 'injustice' on Instagram. He wrote: '... that day was one of the most emotional moments of my career. The anger, the disappointment, the injustice.'
A History of Tension
Gordon doubled down on those raw feelings during a World Cup press conference on Tuesday, admitting the pain of not lifting the Premiership trophy last month will never leave him. And while his choice of words riled the fans who once supported him, the truth is Gordon has always had an uneasy relationship with the green-and-white faithful.
The bad blood dates back to May 2005 when Gordon went up for a last-minute corner as Hearts chased an equaliser against title-chasing Celtic despite having little on the line themselves. More than two decades on, it still rankles with Hoops punters, even though Gordon went on to become a cornerstone of the club's unprecedented period of success.
Career Revival at Celtic
Celts offered Gordon a career lifeline after two years out of the game with a serious knee injury. Even after a training stint with Third Division Rangers, Hoops coach Stevie Woods convinced Parkhead chiefs to gamble on Gordon as a replacement for Southampton-bound Fraser Forster. Aged just 31, all Gordon needed was someone to believe in him after years in the wilderness following the one-time £9million star's release from Sunderland. The shotstopper repaid Celtic's faith in him and then some.
A stunning debut season brought a Double, SFWA Player of the Year honours and a return to international contention with Scotland. Silverware galore followed, and Gordon's incredible revival even saw Chelsea come to the table with a £4million bid in January 2017. A move to Stamford Bridge would have seen him pen a money-spinning deal and serve as back-up to then Blues No1 Thibaut Courtois. But gaffer Brendan Rodgers dug his heels in, and months later Gordon became a member of the Invincibles.
It was a remarkable comeback story for a player who rebuilt his career from the brink to re-establish himself as one of the best goalkeepers in Britain. A model pro on and off the park, Gordon was also a dedicated ambassador of the Celtic FC Foundation, supporting various fundraising causes including Sleep Outs, hospital visits and foodbank initiatives.
Departure and Further Flashpoints
Gordon and Celtic seemed the perfect fit over six trophy-laden years before he moved on in 2020 after rejecting an extension on reduced terms and slipping behind Fraser Forster and Scott Bain in the pecking order. A Treble-Treble winner and one of the most successful Celtic keepers of all time, Gordon left Glasgow with 12 major honours and the best wishes of all at the club.
A return to Tynecastle eventually transpired, and another flashpoint arrived during the 2020 Scottish Cup Final which once again strained his reputation with Celtic fans. Gordon reacted furiously to Odsonne Edouard's Panenka-style penalty at Hampden, grabbing the ball out of the net and launching it towards his former teammate as he celebrated putting Celts on their way to glory. It was a moment of pure frustration, and Gordon even copped a booking after the bizarre incident.
With the Covid Final played behind closed doors, Gordon wasn't exactly welcomed back to Parkhead with open arms as fans were allowed back through the turnstiles. There was often a tense atmosphere at Celtic Park when Gordon was between the sticks in maroon, with sections of punters giving their one-time hero plenty of stick.
Current Standing Clouded
Now aged 43 and possibly in the final weeks of his playing career, Gordon's Hoops standing seems to have been clouded. Perhaps the feeling's mutual, with Gordon no longer following Celtic or the club's charity arm on Instagram. The timing of his 'injustice' remarks while on World Cup duty with Scotland was also odd and unlikely to have gone down well with his Celtic teammates in camp.
They are the latest in a string of inflammatory comments to emerge from Gorgie since Hearts saw the title slip away on the final week. Boss Derek McInnes vented his fury at Celtic's 'disgusting' 99th-minute penalty at Fir Park, a controversial VAR decision that saw referee John Beaton publicly backed by refs' chief Willie Collum, who cited a 'clear' handball by Sam Nicholson.
Tynecastle shareholder Tony Bloom then claimed on national radio that Hearts players were 'assaulted' by Celtic fans as they ran onto the pitch to celebrate their dramatic league triumph. Police Scotland have since confirmed they have received no complaints from Hearts regarding the alleged assaults, while Cammy Devlin insisted this week that none of the Jambos players were hurt during the chaotic scenes. Former chairman George Foulkes even urged Martin O'Neill's champions to CONCEDE their crown to the runners-up.
Now Gordon's latest remarks, suggesting Hearts were denied the title after refereeing controversies, have added more fuel to the fire. A Scottish football great, Gordon's bombshell statement won't ever erase what he achieved in green and white. But for many Celtic fans, it will only reinforce how divided opinion on his legacy remains.
