Celtic's well-kept Jota secret is out after big Bernabeu cameo

It's official: Celtic's well-kept Jota secret is out of the bag after his big Bernabeu cameo.

He might well have only been on the pitch for 27 minutes during Celtic's 5-1 thrashing by Real Madrid as the Hoops concluded their Champions League group stage campaign, but Jota certainly made his mark.

The Portuguese winger had three shots, put in two crosses, played a key pass and drew a foul. He also produced a genuine moment of stunning quality when he bent a wonderful free-kick over the Los Blancos wall and into the roof of the net past an inspired Thibaut Courtois.

Those figures are impressive. So too is his return of four European goals and two assists in the 10 European ties that he has played to date. You can add that goal in the Bernabeu to his strike against RB Leipzig in this season's Champions League group stages as well as counters against Ferencvaros and Bayer Leverkusen in last season's Europa League group stages.

Note also that every one of Jota's four European goals has come away from home.

The wonder strike on Wednesday also offered a small crumb of consolation for the travelling Celtic hordes. Jota knew in that instant he had done something special and the emotional goal celebration said it all.

Normally, netting a consolation goal would not matter in the grand scheme of things but this was a magnificent goal in an extraordinary venue. He knew it and so too did the watching millions around the world on TV.

If they hadn't heard of Jota before last night then they will have certainly heard of him now. The 23-year-old has never been capped by his country but national coach Fernando Santos has included the ex-Benfica player in his 55-man interim group for the 2022 World Cup finals in two weeks' time.

Jota faces an almighty battle to make the final cut for Qatar when the squad is slashed down to 26 players on Thursday November 10 but, even if he fails to make it this time around, his time with Portugal will surely come... and soon.

He has been building toward that moment in the Bernabeu his whole career. A moment to prove that he could mix it with the elite at the highest club level of all, the Champions League.

That touch of clinical finishing and class will have delighted Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou. It is not just Real Madrid who have players capable of performing in the Champions League.

It's also how a team of Celtic's stature learns how to cope and gain valuable experience at this level. Jota's goal against the current holders develops and helps the understanding of the process. It's called progress. That alone will not have been lost on the Aussie.

As the player himself said afterwards: "I think this was one of the best moments of my life. As a kid I always looked for these teams and this stage and to come here and score a goal, I think it's a very important moment for me and for my family. And they were in the stands so they could see this in person, so I am very happy."

How can anybody who loves football not genuinely be delighted for a player who achieved his boyhood dream? It was a beautiful moment in sport and the goal celebration said it all. It was the celebration of a player who now knows he is going places.

In layman's terms, Celtic are a better team when Jota is on the pitch. He is a gem of a footballer. Talismanic.

The wolves will not stay outside the Parkhead glass doors for much longer while he continues to tear it up in Scotland and make waves in Europe. It is no exaggeration to say that when he does check out of Glasgow he will surely do so with a record Scottish fee tucked away in the Hoops coffers.

Ironically, in the build-up to the Real Madrid game Jota was asked by yours truly if the Bernabeu was a good platform to for him to showcase his talents. It was just after he had marked his comeback from a five-and-a-half-game injury absence with a goal in the 3-0 win over Livingston.

Jota replied: "You are always under evaluation from your coach, other teams, your previous teams, Celtic, everyone. You just need to be ready for everything and to keep on the level, to be very consistent. That’s very important in football. In my opinion, every game is a good stage."

A good stage? The stage does not get much higher than the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Madrid. Celtic should enjoy this Portuguese genius while they still can.

This piece is an extract from today’s Celtic Digest newsletter, which is emailed out every weekday evening with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from The Celtic Way team.

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