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Personal
Fullname: Artur Boruc
aka: The Holy Goalie, THG, Boruc, Spaceman
Height: 6.04
Weight: 13.12
Born: 20 Feb 1980
Birthplace: Siedlce, Poland
Signed: 17 Oct 2005 (from Legia Warsaw)
Left: 15 July 2010 (to Fiorentina for £1.7m estimated)
Position: Goalkeeper
Debut: Celtic 4-0 Artmedia, European Cup, 2 Aug 2005
Squad No.: 1
Internationals: Poland
International Caps: 65 Caps
Summary
Born February 20, 1980 in Siedlce, Poland.
Initially on a year’s loan, Artur signed for Celtic from Poland’s Legia Warsaw on July 13th, 2005 [BBC] after Celtic failed with a £1.25m bid to sign the Finnish goalkeeper Antii Niemi [BBC].
After impressing in the first few months of his loan spell, interest from Arsenal was gathering momentum. Celtic moved to tie up the giant goalkeeper on a three-and-a-half year deal [BBC].
Boruc has appeared 65 times for Poland, and was the most impressive goalkeeper at the 2006 World Cup, getting plaudits in particular for a great performance v Germany, which sadly they lost by one nil through a late late goal by the opposition.
On 15 July 2010, Boruc sealed a move to Fiorentina for an undisclosed fee (estimated at £1.7m). The Holy Goalie and a much loved Celtic character had left the building.
Biog
| “Whatever I say, I feel like I’m the Commandant in the Great Escape and you’re Steve McQueen. You’re always trying to escape, but I always try to bring you back!” Celtic manager Gordon Strachan on trying to control Artur Boruc (Radio Clyde One interview, Dec 08) |
You probably already know that he’s holy, a goalie and err…. he hates the Huns. A great start on how to describe any player to have played for Celtic but who or what was the man that lies behind the song?
When Boruc was signed for Celtic we were never to know what to expect. One Polish colleague of this writer warned after he’d signed for us that he was a great goalkeeper with a bad habit of losing his concentration and was a bit of a maverick. So were we to get the same? Boruc early on said at one point that he was only interested in his home club Legia Warsaw (doing the “L” sign with his thumb and index finger which referenced them), and this created a mini hoo-haa, and he wished the atmosphere at Celtic was like as it was at Legia Warsaw. In fairness the home atmosphere at Celtic in those days was dipping until the emergence of the Green Brigade.
He actually was to help to bring back some colour to matches and played a part in the revitalisation of the stadium atmosphere through his bon homie with the younger elements in the support. In time he was to love the club as much as the support itself. If anything he was a catalyst to the rebirth of the Celtic atmosphere.
The first thing for Boruc was to bite his tongue and be patient (an admittedly difficult task for him) as David Marshall was the no.1 in goals. Poor form, bad luck and injury pushed David Marshall behind Boruc who took advantage. Early performances demonstrated a confident (even arrogant) goalkeeper who just seemed to be the answer to our goalkeeping dreams. For some reason, Celtic had not been blessed with many exceptional goalkeepers post-WW2, and to finally have two (potentially) was a bit of a shock to the system. David Marshall was a very good keeper, but Boruc was something more, and in time Marshall sadly had to move on for the benefit of his own career.
So how did it all turn out for Boruc? Crazy that’s how! Packed full of incidents both on and off the park and then more back on the park. Not since McAvennie or Di Canio have we had a character like Boruc, and that is always a mixed blessing. One major difference between them and Boruc is that Boruc ended up repeatedly getting involved in the divide issue between Rangers and ourselves, and in that made himself tabloid fodder. He shrugged it all off, due to naivety, arrogance and humour.
But what about his ability? If you want a measure of the quality of his goalkeeping skills, then possibly the best example is his performances for his national side (Poland). In Euro 2008, he was probably the most lauded of all goalkeepers in the tournament despite Poland getting knocked out in the group stages. A great performance between the sticks against Germany bestowed on him hero status despite a late winner for the Germans. Nevertheless, he’d made a name for himself, and others beyond Parkhead were noticing his undoubted talents. He got nicknamed “Spaceman” for these performances by the German press.
His greatest performances for Celtic? Well, there were loads of great saves and cheeky moments to make us smile and laugh. However, the penalty shoot-out v Spartak Moscow in the Champions League where he was immense and saved penalties to take us through was an amazing highlight. Only a truly world class keeper would have done as well as he did, and that he was. Best memory was his quirky little bird dance after saving the final penalty.
But there were so many more moments. One of the most dramatic for Boruc was in the Champions League in 2006-07, when Celtic played Man U in the group stages. Unfairly adjudged by the referees to have conceded a penalty to Ryan Giggs in the first match, in the second match v Man U a second penalty was again conceded late in the match (by Shaun Maloney) to help pull Man U back in. However, Boruc wonderfully and confidently saved the penalty to make many a Man U fan sick and send our support into raptures as Celtic went on to win 1-0 and qualify out of the group stages for the first time. Add some more further great saves in the game and you had a developing great player who was making the support proud to have him as one of our own.
Just strange that we had finally an incredible world class keeper. For some reason, Celtic had not been blessed with many great goalkeepers since the retirement of Ronnie Simpson. Boruc was so good, that in October 2008, he was one of 55 players shortlisted for the FIFPro World XI Player Awards, a well won achievement.
He had his flaws. For some reason the team went one whole season without a clean sheet in an away game in the 90mins, with one exception, and that was incredibly the Milan away match in the Champions League (although we conceded in extra-time). He had a poor habit of losing his concentration in some matches and could be the difference between 3pts due to his saves and none through a lackadaisical attitude. This stemmed in many ways from the strong point of his arrogance and self-confidence, but it was at times his Achilles heel. On the other hand, he had to play behind a defence which never settled or been organised properly, so maybe a better defence would have brought out the best in him. Didn’t happen with our defence in much of Boruc’s time at Celtic.
Controversies and dramas…
It can’t be avoided, so what about the controversies? There were many (mostly silly). Youth, naivety and arrogance (again) were a mixture which created explosions in Scotland.
One of the first overblown controversies (sic!) was when he arrived, he was repeatedly doing an “L” sign to supports with his thumb & forefinger. In some places (in particular the US) this means “LOSER” and some opposition fans translated it as that. Cheeky but not true. He is a big Legia Warsaw fan and that is their sign apparently. Daft but funny.
However, the most controversial episodes followed matches v Rangers. Firstly, was when he offended Rangers’ fans. Not a difficult thing to do, so what was it he did? When he was in goals, he blessed himself! You read that right, he simply blessed himself, and the next thing you know it got blown out the water. He wasn’t going to stop doing it and why should he? What’s the offence in it? None at all, and Rangers’ fans were making up nonsense and the guy was at the centre of it. Bizarrely, he was cautioned by the police for it. It reflected poorly on Scotland and really embarrassed the government and it even went far with the news travelling abroad (not exactly good for the national tourist board). The Celtic support summarised it well with a banner in support of Boruc: “Blessing yourself is not a crime!“.
From that last incident was born the “Holy Goalie” legend with the respective songs, and he was a cause célebre for the Celtic support, possibly our biggest idol since Henke (but in a very different way to Henke). The songs became the most sung by the support and he didn’t half love the attention.
In truth, Boruc played up to the worst of the controversies and just let it happen whilst he just sat back and laughed at the reaction. The Rangers’ fans are just a joke and Boruc played them like a fiddle. Not all were happy, and he was even chastised by a few sections of the Celtic support who wanted him to just concentrate on his game rather than winding up the hordes from Rangers.
One problem that arose was that in many ways being the cult hero meant that too many turned a blind eye to some of his performances and antics. It’s not always for the best. McAvennie back in the 80s suffered at the end due to a similar situation at West Ham and Celtic.
The final seasons…
Season 2008/09 was a nadir for Boruc. Too little went right that season. He became too much of a media staple after marital problems and then post-split affairs went public, but add in some silly antics (daft tattoos and lady issues) and giving the Rangers’ fans the finger at the end of a game v Rangers and you can see that he was pushing the boundaries. His form was dipping sharply and with no competition (only the hapless Mark Brown as reserve keeper) and he had little incentive to buckle up. Gordon Strachan (manager) should have booted Boruc up the backside but seemed not to. We lost the league but Boruc wasn’t the simple reason why we did but his form didn’t help.
Out of shape and of form, but it wasn’t just Celtic for whom things were going wrong. In August 2008 Boruc, along with his national team mates Dariusz Dudka and Radosław Majewski, were suspended from the team for breaching a curfew after Poland’s loss in a friendly against Ukraine, a game in which Boruc had not played. Most heated was a game v N Ireland, where Polish immigrants were increasingly being treated like mince, and Boruc was at the end of the worst treatment in a hot headed match. Sadly Boruc was woeful and conceded goals he shouldn’t have.
Must add that not all was bad in that season. Remarkably he became likely one of the first Celtic goalkeepers to have ever scored a goal for the club, scoring in a marathon penalty shoot-out against Dundee Utd in a League Cup semi-final. Bizarrely, it was the best penalty of the night by far and put our strikers to shame.
Season 2009/10 was not much of an improvement, and despite having Zaluska as reserve goalkeeper, he was never in much danger of losing his place. When Zaluska did deputise for Boruc, we suffered some of our worst results (4-0 loss to St Mirren). In the final quarter of the season, Boruc had a good return to form, partly attributable to the departure of Tony Mowbray as manager and Neill Lennon coming in as caretaker manager.
Must add that apparently he was said to have won a “Save of the Season” award from somewhere. We had a good run at the end, and Boruc played his part, but the season was a disaster. Frustratingly, Boruc remained a staple in the tabloid media spotlight (e.g. drink, women, relationship stuff etc etc). Some of which was proven to be false with tabloids having to retract and apologise. Still, it didn’t help his concentration on the job.
It was time for the adventure to end, and on 15 July 2010, Boruc sealed a move to Fiorentina for an undisclosed fee (estimated at £1.7m). The Holy Goalie, a much loved Celtic character, had left the building. Maybe he had now served his time and his best at Celtic was behind him. With only one season left, the club decided to cash in. Didn’t stop a vocal minority to continue to want him back at every opportunity.
Post-Celtic
He had a successful time across Fiorentina, Southampton and Bournemouth after Celtic, and even won a Supporters Player of the year in 2016-17 at Bournemouth. His only major honour post-Celtic was helping Bournemouth to a Football League Championship title in 2014-15, their first ever promotion to the top tier in England.
In 2019, TheRangers drew Legia Warsaw in the Europa League qualifiers. TheRangers won at home 1-0 but the Legia fans had a field day as just recently TheRangers had a part stadium closure due to racist chanting (anti-Catholic & anti-Irish), with the Legia fans displaying a massive Pope John Paul II tifo to wind them up at Ibrox. Boruc was in amongst them and made everyone smile.
In July 2022, on his retirement from the playing side, he was given the honour at Legia Warsaw of a testimonial v Celtic which ended in a 2-2 draw. You could see what it all meant to him, and the joker shed tears at the emotions of it all.
Post-Playing Career
So where to for Boruc from here? Who knows? He’s a cult personality at Celtic and will be forever loved, likely more for his character than anything else, but he was an excellent keeper. At his best, world class.
If anything, the combination of being both a great character as well as a great player helped to boost the Green Brigade, as both fed off each other and in some way the Green Brigade owe a debt to him. He was probably their first key cult player who helped fuel their development in the supporter/club relationships, and in turn their support helped to boost Artur Boruc too.
He made us all smile and will forever be welcome at Celtic Park, and he grew to love the club as much as he loved his home club.
We’ll miss him and we wish him the best.
We wished him the best.
Post-Playing Career
He never lost his Celtic roots, and he played in front of 48,000 supporters for a ‘Celtic Legends‘ select side at Anfield v their Liverpool counterparts in a charity match in March 2023, winning the chance to relive old glories.
[….]
Playing Career
| Club | From | To | Fee | League | Scottish/FA Cup | League cup | Other | ||||
| Fiorentina | 15/07/2010 | Signed | No appearance data available | ||||||||
| Celtic | 17/10/2005 | 15/07/2010 | Signed | 153 (0) | 0 | 15 (0) | 0 | 11 (0) | 0 | 30 (0) | 0 |
| Celtic | 14/07/2005 | 16/10/2005 | Loan | 9 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 |
| Legia Warsaw | 01/07/2001 | 17/10/2005 | No appearance data available | ||||||||
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
[Appearances for Legia Warsaw only includes league appearances, no information on dates and appearances for Dolcan Zabki and Pogon Siedlce]
(Full Celtic Stats at end of this page)
Honours with Celtic
Scottish Premier League
Scottish Cup
Scottish League Cup
| KDS Honours |
||
| MOTM Winners 2006-07 | ||
| 13-Sep-06 | Man Utd 3 v 2 Celtic | Champions League |
| 17-Dec-06 | Rangers 1 v 1 Celtic | SPL |
| 30-Dec-06 | Motherwell 1 v 1 Celtic | SPL |
| 07-Mar-07 | Milan 1 v 0 Celtic | Champions League |
| 2007 | ***2006-07 European Player of the Year*** | |
| 12-May-07 | Celtic 2 v 1 Aberdeen | SPL |
| May-07 | May-07 Joint Player of the Month | |
| MOTM Winners 2007-08 | ||
| 29-Aug-07 | Celtic 1 v 1 Sp Moscow | CL Qual |
| 18-Sep-07 | Shakhtar Donetsk 2 v 0 Celtic | Champions League |
| 24-Oct-07 | Benfica 1 v 0 Celtic | Champions League |
| 01-Dec-07 | Hearts 1 v 1 Celtic | SPL |
| 27-Jan-08 | Falkirk 0 v 1 Celtic | SPL |
| 2008 |
***2007-08 European Player of the Year*** | |
| MOTM Winners 2008-09 | ||
| 15-Feb-09 | Celtic 0-0 Rangers | SPL |
| MOTM Winners 2009-10 |
||
| 30-Aug-09 |
Hibernian 0-1 Celtic |
SPL |
| 17-Sep-09 |
Hapoel Tel Aviv 2-1 Celtic |
Europa League |
| 28-Feb-10 |
Rangers 1-0 Celtic |
SPL |
Quotes 
“The man is a maverick and out of control. Something must be done about his actions.”
Rangers Supporters Trust (Apr 08), shows that Boruc must be doing something right to rile those muppets up, not that it takes much to do so.
“The best opinions come, of course, from Artur Boruc. When asked about Scottish journalists who call him a clown he answers that he doesn’t give a shampoo. He accuses Scottish media of being pro-Rangers and claims that if it was Celtic which lost the Uefa Cup final there would be no excuses for the team’s poor performance (apparently the Scottish media try to justify Rangers’ horrible output in the final). ”
Boruc on the Scottish Media, June 08 (Source)
“There was lots of talk about me leaving in the summer but I’m still here and I’m happy with that. It is not a problem for me to stay here and that’s what people have to understand. There was no point in me changing club for a team that was a similar size to Celtic but one which does not always make the Champions League or have 60,000 fans behind you.
“To me there is no point when I have all that at Celtic. I’m really happy in my football and in my life right now. I’ve a new child and things are settled with my football and that’s good. The aim for this season is simple. Win the title again for the fourth season and then do better in the Champions League.
“Of course it’s great that the fans like me. But a hero? Listen, I’m just a goalie, nothing more.”
Boruc (Aug 08)
After the game, Boruc, nicknamed the ‘Holy Goalie’ by the Celtic fans, took his goalkeeping shirt off to show a t-shirt with a picture of the Pope and accompanying slogan.
But Strachan joked: “He’s not a bad lad, to be fair (the Pope). If it was ‘God bless Myra Hindley’, I might have a problem.”
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan after 3-2 win v Rangers on Artur Boruc and his t-shirt (Apr 08)
“Whatever I say, I feel like I’m the Commandant in the Great Escape and you’re Steve McQueen. You’re always trying to escape, but I always try to bring you back!”
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan jokingly on trying to control the character that is Artur Boruc (Radio Clyde One interview, Dec 08)
Interviewer: “Is he the best goalkeeper you’ve worked with?”
WGS: “I’ve played with some good ones who are my friends, but I’d say yeah!”
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan praises Boruc (Radio Clyde One interview, (Dec 08)
“I feel proud to have represented Celtic for so many years,” Boruc told www.celticfc.net.
“Some people don’t realise just how big a club it is and how much it means to people.
“Joining Celtic has had a massive impact on my own life as well. It has changed my life in so many ways.
“A lot has happened in the last years and I will always have a strong connection with the club.
“Celtic is now a part of me. I look upon myself as a Celtic supporter.
“Before I signed, I thought Legia was the only club in the world for me, but coming to Celtic has changed all that.
“The people who know me back home in Poland can’t believe the way I feel about Celtic.
“It’s even had an impact on all of my friends – they look for the Celtic score every week.
“Celtic mean a lot to me and I look forward to coming back to watch the team when I am an old man.
“I will travel to an away game, have a few drinks with the fans and then cheer on the team in the stands.
“I would love that. It would be really nice.”
Artur Boruc on www.celticfc.net. (Dec 09)
“Being a goalkeeper is like being the guy in the military who makes the bombs – one mistake and ‘bang’, everyone gets blown up!”
Artur Boruc
“Before I signed, I thought Legia was the only club in the world for me, but coming to Celtic has changed all that.”
Artur Boruc
“Celtic mean a lot to me and I look forward to coming back to watch the team when I am an old man.”
Artur Boruc
“I don’t have to like anybody – and I don’t. I don’t like them, I don’t like the club and I don’t like the players – end of story.”
Artur Boruc on Rangers
“He helped me and our team to win championships and get to the last 16 of European Cups. He has the ability to win games for you. He has an incredible presence in goal. When you see him in there when he is at his best, you think: ‘How do I beat this man?’ He has incredible confidence and all the ability in the world. And he has a great big-match temperament. Nothing bothers or fazes him.”
Gordon Strachan on Boruc (2013)
“They are different to anything, anywhere else in world. The stadium under lights, the noise, the passion, the atmosphere. Nothing else compares.”
Artur Boruc
Articles
- “Sign of the Cross” caution
- Alarm at ‘cross’ player’s caution (BBC)
- Celtic player gets police caution (BBC)
- Artur Boruc – Pope t-shirt hoo-haa (Apr 08)
- Gives the finger to the Huns (Aug 08)
Songs
Pictures
KDS
Links
Boruc finds Old Firm rivalry remains stained by history
From The Sunday Times
The decision to caution Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc for crossing himself at Ibrox shows how Scottish football is still torn apart by sectarianism,
(Richard Wilson)
IT IS a derby match rooted in a hatred that stretches beyond football, and Artur Boruc has become its latest victim. The Celtic goalkeeper was cautioned by police on Friday after blessing himself in an Old Firm game at Ibrox last February. For the Polish international, a committed Catholic, it is a chastening experience, but for the game north of the border it is a reminder that sectarianism remains a malignant, stubborn presence; it is Scottish football’s form of racism. Celtic, predominately supported by Glasgow’s Catholics, and Rangers, historically the city’s Protestant club, remain bound to an intractable religious enmity.
Several Rangers supporters complained to police after the match, which Celtic won 1-0, accusing Boruc of crossing himself in front of the Copland Road stand at the start of the second half. Following a six-month investigation, the procurator fiscal issued the caution — in effect a formal warning that is an alternative to criminally prosecuting the player — because his behaviour “provoked alarm and crowd trouble”. It seems a damning indictment of Scottish football, and the country’s society in general, that a religious gesture can be regarded as inflammatory and insulting, although it clearly also depends on the nature and intent of Boruc’s actions.
“I didn’t see the incident myself, but I was aware of a commotion behind the goal and many fans on the supporters bus saw Boruc cross himself and were angered by it,” says John McMillan, of the Rangers supporters federation. “I find it difficult to believe that he didn’t know what he was doing. We have a particular situation in Scotland, particularly on the west coast, where people are sensitive to such actions.
It comes as second nature for many players in Spain or Italy and I don’t think we should expect them to be aware of this, nor do they do it in an inflammatory manner. But perhaps some players in Scotland should be reminded of what could happen.”
It is common practice throughout Europe for many footballers of the Catholic faith to cross themselves as they enter the field of play, and in recent years even Rangers players, such as Lorenzo Amoruso, the Italian defender, and Shota Arveladze, the Georgian striker, blessed themselves at Ibrox without rancour. At the heart of this incident is whether Boruc did more than merely a reflexive act of blessing himself, or whether he deliberately set out to taunt the Rangers fans behind his goal.
“Like 96% of Polish people, he is very Catholic, it is a Catholic country,” said Boruc’s agent, Radoslaw Osuch, last night. “He was a regular church goer, everything you need to be a religious guy, he did in his life. He was a little bit surprised (by the police investigation) because he told me he didn’t want to hurt the Rangers supporters. He normally crosses himself on the field, like most Polish players. I know him very well and I know he doesn’t care about the religion of Rangers supporters. For sure, he didn’t make (the sign of the cross) especially.”
Yet only in Scotland could an act that is commonplace in a religious context provoke such an outcry, with church leaders and politicians becoming embroiled in a heated debate in response to the actions of a goalkeeper in a football match. “It’s a worrying and alarming development, especially since the sign of the cross is globally accepted as a gesture of religious reverence,” said Peter Kearney, a spokesman for the Catholic church. “It’s also very common in international football and was commonplace throughout the World Cup. It is extremely regrettable that Scotland seems to have made itself one of the few countries in the world where this simply religious gesture is considered an offence.”
Whatever might have been the intent of Boruc’s actions, he has become yet another Old Firm casualty. It is a fixture of straining wrath that regularly causes players to lose their sense of restraint. And this is only the latest in a long and inglorious line of Old Firm flashpoints. In 1987, Terry Butcher and Chris Woods, of Rangers, and Frank McAvennie, of Celtic, were charged with breach of the peace following an Old Firm game in which the three came to blows in the penalty box, while Graham Roberts, the Rangers defender, was charged with inciting the crowd to riot after conducting the Rangers fans’ sectarian songs like a choirmaster. That three England internationals can become caught up in the fixture’s poisonous undercurrents says much about its pernicious influence.
Paul Gascoigne was warned by the Scottish Football Association in 1998 after mimicking playing the flute like an Orange Order band member at Celtic Park, although the police did not become involved in that occasion. Mo Johnston infamously crossed himself after being sent off for Celtic in the 1986 League Cup final against Rangers, and when he joined the Ibrox club in 1989 from Nantes, becoming the first high-profile Catholic player to sign for Rangers, many supporters burned their season tickets and scarves outside the ground.
For a time recently, especially with Amoruso becoming the club’s first Catholic captain and the religion of players such as Arveladze and Paul Le Guen, the Frenchman who in the summer became the first Catholic to be appointed Ibrox manager, it seemed as though sectarianism might be on the wane. But periods of calm are often misleading.
For this is an issue that the country as a whole struggles to come to terms with and Jack McConnell, the Scottish Parliament’s first minister, described sectarianism as “Scotland’s shame” when he embarked on a drive to tackle the problem two years ago. Football, though, remains its most visible form of expression and it has taken the intervention of outside bodies to force the game to confront the issue. Uefa fined Rangers £13,300 over songs sung during the Champions League matches against Villarreal last season, and further sanctions remain a threat if supporters continue chants such as The Billy Boys, which contains the line “up to our knees in fenian blood”. Last month, the club issued a book to supporters providing alternative songs.
There is a moronic element of the Old Firm support that remains ambivalent to morality and when Le Guen attended the Hearts v Celtic game at Tynecastle earlier this month, he was spat on by a Celtic supporter as he left the ground. Songs such as The Boys of the Old Brigade, which celebrates the IRA, can still be heard being sung by the Parkhead fans. In the way that racism remains a virulent problem across European football, so sectarianism seems firmly embedded in Scottish football and Boruc has merely become the latest player to find himself embroiled in it.
His caution raises the prospect of players being investigated by the police if a supporter takes offence at an innocent gesture. And what might happen if a Spanish team plays at Ibrox in a European match and one of their players crosses themselves when they score? It is an issue that continues to defy rational belief. Osuch says that Boruc who didn’t play against Hibernian yesterday due to injury, remains committed to Celtic.
“He will stay at Celtic, he is very happy there,” Osuch added. “I saw him one month ago when he was in Poland and I can tell you that he really feels like a Celtic player, It’s not like another country or another place to work now, after one year he is very close to Celtic.”
At the moment, he might feel too close to Celtic, and the stark realities of being an Old Firm player.
Boruc seals Viola switch
Goalkeeper’s Celtic exit confirmed after passing medical
Last updated: 15th July 2010 (Sky Sports News)
Goalkeeper Artur Boruc has completed his move to Fiorentina from Celtic after passing a medical with the Serie A side. The Polish shot-stopper, who spent five years with the Bhoys after moving from Legia Warsaw in 2005, has signed a two-year deal with the Viola.Boruc will now join his new team-mates for their pre-season training camp in Cortina d’Ampezzo ahead of the new campaign.The 30-year-old will compete with French goalkeeper Sebastien Frey for the No.1 spot at the Florence-based outfit.A statement from the Serie A side read: “Fiorentina announces it has completed the permanent transfer of Artur Boruc after a successful medical from Glasgow Celtic.”The departure of Boruc leaves compatriot Lukasz Zaluska as manager Neil Lennon’s first-choice goalkeeper at Celtic.
Statistics
| 2009/10 Statistics | |||||||||||
| TEAM | Competition | GS | SB | SV | W | D | L | FC | FS | YC | RC |
| Celtic | UEFA Europa League | 4 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish Premier League | 28 | 0 | 91 | 20 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Poland | International Friendly | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Poland | World Cup Qualifying – UEFA | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009/10 Season Totals | 36 | 1 | 108 | 24 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2008/09 Statistics | |||||||||||
| TEAM | Competition | GS | SB | SV | W | D | L | FC | FS | YC | RC |
| Poland | World Cup Qualifying – UEFA | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Poland | European Championship Qualifying | 9 | 0 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Poland | International Friendly | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish CIS Insurance Cup | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish Cup | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish Premier League | 34 | 0 | 118 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Celtic | UEFA Champions League | 6 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Poland | European Championship | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008/09 Season Totals | 64 | 0 | 184 | 27 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2007/08 Statistics | |||||||||||
| TEAM | Competition | GS | SB | SV | W | D | L | FC | FS | YC | RC |
| Celtic | UEFA Champions League | 9 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish Premier League | 30 | 0 | 109 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007/08 Season Totals | 41 | 0 | 139 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2006/07 Statistics | |||||||||||
| TEAM | Competition | GS | SB | SV | W | D | L | FC | FS | YC | RC |
| Poland | World Cup | 3 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Poland | International Friendly | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish Cup | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish CIS Insurance Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish Premier League | 36 | 0 | 118 | 25 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Celtic | UEFA Champions League | 8 | 0 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006/07 Season Totals | 55 | 2 | 161 | 36 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2005/06 Statistics | |||||||||||
| TEAM | Competition | GS | SB | SV | W | D | L | FC | FS | YC | RC |
| Celtic | UEFA Champions League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish Premier League | 34 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish CIS Insurance Cup | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005/06 Season Totals | 39 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2004/05 Statistics | |||||||||||
| TEAM | Competition | GS | SB | SV | W | D | L | FC | FS | YC | RC |
| Poland | International Friendly | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2004/05 Season Totals | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2002/03 Statistics | |||||||||||
| TEAM | Competition | GS | SB | SV | W | D | L | FC | FS | YC | RC |
| Legia Warsaw | UEFA Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
GS: Games Started, SB: Used as Substitute, G: Goals, A: Assists, SH: Shots, SG: Shots on goal,
YC: Yellow Cards, RC: Red Cards, FC: Fouls Committed, FS: Fouls Suffered, SV: Saves, OF: Offsides,
W: Wins, D: Draws, L: Losses