Celtic new signing Haissem Hassan has revealed that his phone was ringing off the hook after his standout performances at the World Cup, but he always had his heart set on answering the Celtic call. The Egyptian winger completed a blockbuster move worth up to £10m and insists the deal was in the pipeline long before his heroics in the USA.
World Cup impact and interest
Hassan made a major impact across the Atlantic, sparking a stampede for his services following his display in the last 16 epic encounter with Argentina. Although Lionel Messi and co eventually came out on top, the wide man’s performance had his club Real Oviedo seeing pound signs.
Celtic were already at the front of the queue, and Hassan was happy to ignore the long list of suitors after being sold on a Parkhead dream by boss Martin O’Neill. He said: “I would be lying if I said my phone didn't go crazy. My agents had like a lot of work!”
Celtic's early interest decisive
“But I guess that's normal. Playing in the World Cup, one or two games can change everything, especially playing against Argentina as well. But I'm convinced that Celtic is the right step for me and I'm really excited to be here.”
“It took a bit of time and maybe it might have happened like earlier, but I'm really focused on Celtic now and really looking forward to it. I was pretty set straight from the beginning. I've always been interested by Celtic and the project.”
“Of course you never know until it's done, and because I've been to the World Cup as well, my club Oviedo was maybe also expecting a lot of money after that, so it took a bit of time with the negotiations and all that. But the fact that Celtic were already interested before the World Cup was a big one for me as well.”
From Paris streets to Parkhead
Hassan came from humble beginnings as a kid on the outskirts of Paris but was always convinced he could shine on the biggest stage. He said: “I was playing like every kid in the parks and all that. When I was playing for the club of my suburb, one of the teammates' fathers knew someone at Paris FC, and he said to my dad, ‘Well, your kid is pretty good at football. You should maybe try with Paris FC to do like a trial.’”
“A week later, when I was on trial over there, I just signed for Paris FC. So, that's like just how it started. I was just a kid chasing his dream and doing everything he can to make sure it happens.”
“Obviously you have a lot of players and not all of them make an incredible career like being at the World Cup. It's probably a massive achievement, playing against Lionel Messi. But I think even the kid at 13 years-old I would believe that story is possible because I've always been confident in my abilities.”
O'Neill's pitch and ambitions
That belief will go a long way in these parts, and Hassan revealed the role O’Neill played in wooing the attacker – with the promise of competing for trophies and competing in the Champions League. Hassan said: “He presented me like the project of Celtic. He told me a lot about the club, the history, the fans.”
“I already knew about the club because they've been in the Champions League a couple of times when I was younger playing on TV. Really it was like mainly about like the project, where I would fit. That we are here to win like every trophy, like a very ambitious club with like values, and it fits perfectly with what I was looking for.”
“The manager mentioned that we missed the Champions League last year, but we want to return this season and we are building a team to get back into the Champions League.”
Hassan wants to fire Celts past LASK next week and into the Champions League. But he also has another target at Parkhead – to get fans off their feet. He grew up watching Brazilian superstars working their magic and dreamed of becoming a crowd pleaser.
He said: “I want to be an entertainer. When I was young I watched a lot of videos of Neymar, Ronaldinho, and Robinho, like all the Brazilian players and like the showmen. Obviously, football becomes a bit more like a business, but in the end, it's like a sport and everything about like taking pleasure on the pitch and enjoying it.”
“That's what I want when I come on the pitch. I know we need to like win and play well, but like I want the fans to be excited when they come to Celtic Park watching us play.”
Hassan thrilled Real Oviedo fans with his dribbling, but the stats geeks have pointed at his numbers in terms of goals and assists. He said: “I'm pretty confident in my strengths like creating entertainment and like being that winger that dribbles and beats people.”
“I also know my areas of improvement, and I know that I need to be more decisive with goals and assists. I think Celtic will help me in that aspect as well, being like more dominant with better players and attacking football. That's something I want to work on this season, going from being just like a player that can beat someone to also being like someone that scores goals and gets assists.”
