Earlier today I wrote a piece on where Celtic stands in the UEFA rankings compared to Rangers in the all-time standings for the Champions League since its 1992 restructuring.
You can read that here. But that piece got me thinking. With Celtic having a long history in the competition since the Martin O’Neill era, which former players at Parkhead have the most appearances in the Champions League?
If you think back, Neil Lennon, Henrik Larsson and Scott Brown all have great experience in Europe’s premier competition.
Even the likes of Thomas Gravesen has a decent record in the tournament for Celtic and for Real Madrid. But it’s none of those that have made the latest UEFA list for top players with the most appearances.
It’s a Brendan Rodgers free signing from the Celtic manager’s first spell at the club.
Kolo Toure’s Champions League record
Toure made 67 appearances in the Champions League with 61 of those for Arsenal, two for Liverpool, one for Man City and three for Celtic.
He is the only former Celtic player that made the 228-man UEFA list who has made over 60 appearances in the Champions League.
Rodgers signed Toure from Liverpool on a free transfer back in 2016 and went on to make 17 appearances for Celtic that season.
The former Liverpool man was not only an important player for the Invincibles season but he was also a rock at the heart of the Hoops defence for the three appearances he made for Celtic in the Champions League.
Toure played in the 7-0 defeat at the Nou Camp and the 2-0 home defeat by Borussia Mönchengladbach. However, he was absolutely pivotal in helping Celtic earn a creditable 3-3 draw with Man City at Parkhead in a game where Rodgers’ side led on three separate occasions. [Transfermarkt]
After winning the treble with Celtic that season, Toure moved into a coaching role with Rodgers but will always be remembered fondly by the fans as one of the Invincible heroes of 2017.