Where are they now? The last Celtic XI to play Champions League knockout football

Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic saw their latest Champions League journey ended early by Greek Champions AEK Athens on Tuesday night.

A 2-1 victory for AEK on the night saw Celtic beaten 3-2 on aggregate, piling the misery on manager Brendan Rodgers, who is said to have been left disappointed by the boards’ reluctance to strengthen the Hoops’ squad this summer.

Celtic will now drop into this seasons Europa League and face a play-off tie against Latvia’s Spartaks Jurmala or Suduva Marijampole of Lithuania. The last time The Bhoys were able to reach the Champions League knockout stages was in 2012/13, where they were beaten 5-0 over two legs by Juventus.

So what’s happened to the players that took part in Celtic’s most significant European tie in recent years? We’ve got the lowdown.

Goalkeeper: Fraser Forster

Career path: Newcastle, Stockport County (loan), Bristol Rovers (loan), Norwich City (loan), Celtic (loan), Celtic (loan), Celtic, Southampton

Age: 30

It was Fraser Forster’s Champions League campaign in 2012/13 that caught the eye of a number of Premier League clubs, with Southampton going to on to sign him in the summer of 2014.

Forster’s first two seasons with the Saints were a huge success, leading to several call-ups to the England squad. But a drop-off in form towards the end of the 2016/17 season has ultimately seen him lose his place as the clubs’ first choice goalkeeper. Alex McCarthy is currently keeping him out of the side.

Right-back: Adam Matthews

Career path: Cardiff City, Celtic, Sunderland, Bristol City (loan), Bristol City (loan)

Age: 26

Matthews was another player in this Celtic team that was tipped to play at the top level, with Liverpool credited with an interest in the full-back while Kenny Dalglish was in charge.

Eventually, it was Sunderland that snapped up Matthews in 2015, but a ruptured ankle ligament within weeks of his arrival brought a halt to his progress under Dick Advocaat. The Welshman has since had two loan spells with Bristol City but is now back at Sunderland, playing the full 90 minutes in both of their first two league matches this season.

Centre-back: Kelvin Wilson

Career path: Notts County, Preston North End, Nottingham Forest, Celtic, Nottingham Forest, Rotherham United

Age: 32

Wilson joined Celtic in the summer of 2011 but endured a frustrating first season, with limited first-team opportunities. His form during Celtic’s 2012/13 Champions League campaign proved to be a turning point, with fans delighted by his performances against Barcelona in the group stages.

The centre-back played the full 90 minutes in both legs of Celtic’s last 16 tie with Juventus. He rejoined his former employers, Nottingham Forest, the following summer and is currently without a club after a brief stint with Rotherham United.

Centre-back: Victor Wanyama

Career path: Beerschot, Celtic, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur

Age: 27

Lennon used Wanyama as a centre-back on a number of occasions during his time with Celtic.  The Kenyan scored a header in Celtic’s 2-1 group stage win against Barcelona.

Wanyama went on to join Southampton in July 2013 and eventually moved on to Tottenham Hotspur, where he is currently struggling for game time.

Left-back: Emilio Izaguirre

Career path: Motagua, Celtic, Al-Fayha, Celtic

Age: 32

Izaguirre has become something of a cult hero during his time with Celtic and won the Scottish Premier League Player of the Year award in 2010/11.

He played both legs of this tie and has recently returned to the club following a brief spell with Saudi Arabian side Al-Fahya.

Centre-midfield: Charlie Mulgrew

Career path: Celtic, Dundee United (loan), Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southend United (loan), Aberdeen, Celtic, Blackburn

Age: 32

Mulgrew scored the all-important winning goal in Celtic’s 2-1 win over HJK Helskinki in the first-leg of the Champions League qualifying round.

The Scotsman is currently captaining Championship side Blackburn Rovers and has completed the full 90 minutes of both of their league matches so far this season.

Centre-midfield: Beram Kayal

Career path: Maccabi Haifa, Celtic, Brighton

Age: 30

The Israeli international did not start the first leg but was brought into the side for Celtic’s trip to Turin to try and deal with Juventus’ all-star midfield of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba.

Kayal is now with Chris Hughton’s Brighton, having signed for the Seagulls in January 2015. He was on the bench for their Premier League opener against Watford last weekend.

Centre-midfield: Joe Ledley

Career path: Cardiff City, Celtic, Crystal Palace, Derby County

Age: 31

Ledley was used on the left side of a midfield diamond in the second-leg after being left on the bench for the first tie at Celtic Park. He played a vital role in the clubs’ Champions League run, appearing in five of their six group games.

The midfielder went on to spend two and a half years with Crystal Palace and is now playing his football in the Championship with Frank Lampard’s Derby County.

Attacking midfield: Kris Commons

Career path: Stoke City, Nottingham Forest, Derby County, Celtic, Hibernian (loan)

Age: 34

Commons was the man deployed at the tip of the diamond and tasked with trying to get in between the lines.

The midfielder is yet to have confirmed his retirement but is unlikely to return to the game having been thwarted with back problems in the later stages of his career. He often appears as a pundit on Sky Sports.

Striker: Gary Hooper

Career path: Grays Athletic, Southend United, Leyton Orient (loan), Hereford United (loan), Scunthorpe United, Celtic, Norwich City, Sheffield Wednesday (loan), Sheffield Wednesday

Age: 30

Hooper was perhaps the star of Celtic’s 2012/13 campaign, having turned down interest from Southampton at the start of the season. He went on to score 31 goals in all competitions that season and moved on to Norwich City the following summer.

The striker is currently plying his trade with Championship side Sheffield Wednesday but is yet to make an appearance this season having spent much of the summer recovering from a long-standing hip injury.

Striker: Georgios Samaras

Career path: Heerenveen, Manchester City, Celtic (loan), Celtic, West Brom, Al-Hilal (loan), Rayo OKC, Real Zaragoza, Samunspor

Age: 33

Samaras managed five goals in the 2012/13 Champions League and captained the side for this match.

It was Celtic where the Greek striker spent the majority of his career. He is currently without a club having spent the previous campaign with second division Turkish side Samunspor.

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