Izaguirre, Emilio

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Fullname: Emilio Arturo Izaguirre Girón
aka: Emilio Izaguirre, Izzy
Born: 10 May 1986
Birthplace: Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Signed: (1st stint) 8 Aug 2010 (from Montagua for £580,000); (2nd stint) 10 Sep 2018 (free)
Left: (1st stint) 20 July 2017 (to Al-Fayha (Saudi Arabia) for £1.25m); (2nd stint) 25 May 2019
Position: Defender, Left-back
Debut: (1st stint) Motherwell 0 – 1 Celtic, SPL, 29 August 2010; (2nd stint) Partick 1-3 Celtic, League Cup, 18 Aug 2018
Squad No: 3 (1st stint); 3 (2nd stint)
Internationals: Honduras
International Caps: 109 [Apr 2020]
International Goals: 5 [Apr 2020]

Biog

“I love you Celtic forever” Emilio Izaguirre (2017)

Honduras international full-back Emilio Izaguirre was signed by Celtic in August 2010 as new Bhoys boss Neil Lennon set about rebuilding the Hoops with a comprehensive and cosmopolitan overhaul of his squad.

The left-sided player – quickly nicknamed Izaguirre by the Bhoys faithful – was highly rated in his homeland and prior to arriving at Parkhead had previously been linked with a move to England and Ipswich Town. Lennon had monitored the player’s progress at the 2010 World Cup and, impressed by what he saw, he moved to bring Izaguirre to Scotland.

An undisclosed fee was agreed with his club Montagua and Izaguirre signed for the Hoops on August 18th subject to a work permit. Handed the No.3 shirt, the Tegucigalpa-born ace was handed the unenviable task of filling Celtic’s troublesome left-back berth.

The early signs were most encouraging. Izaguirre made his debut for the Hoops with an impressive performance in a 1-0 SPL victory at Motherwell on August 29th. This was followed by a series of displays where the player caught the eye with some fine performances. A solid defensive full-back with a seemingly devastating ability to get forward, the Honduran swiftly established himself as a fans favourite. Naturally an attack-minded player he excited and entertained in equal measure, while displaying fine stamina and a constant willingness to work hard for the team.

While several of Lennon’s new arrivals took time to settle in Glasgow and the SPL, Izaguirre quickly became a key man for the Celts. While the Hoops early season form was not always convincing Izaguirre frequently impressed and his eye-catching displays saw him linked in the Scottish media to moves to several top English Premiership sides. As Celtic eventually hit their stride in the title race it was no surprise to see Izaguirre frequently integral to some very pleasing performances and victories.

His dashing runs forward became a key feature of Lennon’s new look Celtic and his exciting play won him plaudits from opponents and pundits alike. It was no real surprise then that on May 1st Emilio won Scotland’s PFA Player of the Year award. He would also pick up the Football Writers Award.

Although Celtic agonisingly missed out on the title, Izaguirre would add a Scottish Cup winners medal to his trophy haul as Celtic defeater Motherwell 3-0 in the Hampden final. Injury would thwart his ambitions of playing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States in June, but for Celtic fans that should mean the player returns to Glasgow fresh for the challenges of the 2011-12 campaign.

However, disaster struck on August 7th in Celtic’s 1-0 win at Aberdeen. A hard but fair challenge from the don’s Peter Pawlett ended with Izaguirre landing on the ground awkwardly which resulted in a broken leg. He was out of action for a minimum of 4 – 6 months. On his return he was lauded and feted by the welcoming support like a lost son. However, he couldn’t manage a place in the side, and his form was still way off. Possibly the biggest issue was mental, and it wasn’t until the 3-0 home victory over Rangers (one of the last games of the season) that his best form was back. The season was much of a write-off sadly for him.

It was though a false dawn, from then on in he never captured the great spirit and form of his first season. At worst, he looked to be afraid in tackles, and challenges were avoided too often and he simply wouldn’t often take a man on the outside. A shadow of his former self since the injury, and on occasion a liability to the team.

The loss of a key goal v Spartak in the Champions League group games in 2012 was a class example. Granted he wasn’t the only one at fault, but it was Izaguirre’s man who lost him and scored a goal that was crucial and very nearly lost Celtic a place in the KO stages (saved by a late penalty won by Celtic). It was something that was not happening before in Izaguirre’s career and concern was high. The formerly highly feted player was on a downer and really his form never rose too far ahead of this level again. The heady early days now felt like as if they were an aeon ago.

From there on in he was still kept on as a regular first team player, and on any runs of good form, a section of the support would praise him to the hilt. Very popular, and repeatedly supporters would convince themselves that he was retuning to his best form but he wasn’t. Maybe he got stuck in a rut somewhere, and got comfortable and stopped progressing.

He was still a very fine reliable defender, and his record of silverware clearly was well earned at Celtic. He scored only a handful of goals in his time, but he will have savoured each and every one of them.

He clearly showed he appreciated the support, and a teammate once tweeted about Izaguirre whistling the Celtic Song whilst walking around in the team hotel. He really loved Celtic, and we all loved him. He never hid and you could see him work away. Even when things went against him, he never shirked, and he kept on. Part of this was due to his homely life and faith, which was clear to all. He was no ‘lad‘ but was a humble man with a gift to play football.

The major problem was the loss of his pace as time went by. He was a decent defender who was often guilty of some terrible lapses in concentration, his vulnerability at the back post became a real weak spot in the Celtic defence. He always gave his all, but against tougher opponents he could be a weak link. In Europe he could be targetted, and many thought he should have been pushed up into the midfield. The problem is that Celtic were struggling with full-backs, and that always gave him opportunities in defence but never then considered for a change to the midfield.

The rise of Kieran Tierney in 2015-16, meant that finally Izaguirre could take a back seat. Tierney was gathering praise from many quarters, and with the lull around the club’s form as Ronnie Deila’s reign floundered, changes were needed. Rumours were rife that Ronnie Deila didn’t rate Izaguirre, but he still remained.

Izaguirre unintentionally was to signal a key weakness in Ronnie’s decision making. Against Ajax in the UEFA Cup, Izaguirre was having a torrid time and to all it was obvious he should have been subbed off after a yellow card. Soon after he was still committing fouls and duly sent-off after a second yellow. Deila looked weak and indecisive, and Celtic conceded a late goal to draw 2-2. Neither side was anything special on the day. It showed also that Izaguirre’s tenure at Celtic was now to rundown.

It has been a journey for Izaguirre, and in personal terms it has been a great experience for him. It’s so easy to be cynical about modern footballers (and justifiably in many cases) but in Izaguirre’s case Celtic was clearly in his heart, and not in some cod-melodramatic sense.

At the end of the season 2015-16 when the first team finally clinched the title, Izaguirre joined his colleagues on the pitch, and you could see he was in tears. It was an emotional moment as it was clearly close to the end of his time at Celtic. It was touching and a bittersweet moment for us all. We loved him as a person and in this modern age, it is great to look back on him as part of the Celtic family. As a tribute in his final match, the Green Brigade displayed a tribute banner in his honour a rare but worthy dedication from a thankful support.

He had a stay of respite for Season 2016-17, getting the odd game and short spell when Tierney was injured or rested. He was a welcome addition to the first team, and got to play in the wonderful Celtic treble winning side that remained undefeated the whole season domestically.

He left in July 2017 for Al-Fayha in Saudi Arabia, but then admitted part of the reasons for his departures was generated due to agent wrangles.

Next thing you know, surprisingly he was to return to Celtic as cover for squad support. Few saw that coming

Second Stint (2018-19)
Izzy returned in August 2018 as Celtic seemed to be struggling to get new players in. Celtic had just completed a back-to-back treble but the defence was still a major concern. As the prodigious talent Tierney was regarded to be overplayed, cover was needed, and Izaguirre was an easy (for some cynically cheap) choice for the management to make. In truth, as much as he was welcome back as a person, it was seen partly as a backward step, but the squad needed cover.

He had a disaster of a game v Valencia in the first leg of the UEFA Cup knockout stages at Celtic Park, playing in place of Tierney. He was clearly off pace and was badly guilty of the first goal by enabling the players to play onside. It just highlighted that Izaguirre was way past his best but you couldn’t fault effort.

As Tierney suffered from injuries through the season, Izaguirre filled in and did a fine job. Overall, he was a good stand-in but not a long-run squad member. He helped to play a part in the wonderful 2018/19 season which saw Celtic complete the Treble-Treble (the third domestic treble in a row). A historic season.

He had left as a player for the final time in May 2019.

His best may have been long gone, but he was still a favoured son and was to be very much missed.

Post-Celtic
After Celtic he returned to Honduras to play for local sides Motagua and Marathon, however the actions didn’t stop there.

There was an outbreak of violence outside Tegucigalpa’s National Stadium ahead of the derby between Olimpia and Motagua. Terrifyingly, he was injured during a riot in Honduras which left four dead and seven seriously wounded. The rioting forces postponement of league game in Honduras. He came out of the troubles with an eye injury, which he stated was nothing serious. He later moved onto wind down his playing days with Marathon, another local side in Honduras.

He never lost his Celtic roots, and 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. With all due respect to the others, few others were as well highly received as he was by the travelling support.

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Quotes

“And when I returned to the team against Dunfermline on last Monday and played 11 mins it was incredible, the fans were very beautiful.”
Emilio Izaguirre (Jan 12)

“Winning trophies and having medals in my house is better than all the gold in the world.”
Emilio Izaguirre (2015)

“I always want to play for the club because I love Celtic. All the people around Celtic are so good with me.”
Emilio Izaguirre (2015)

“The Azteca in Mexico is nice and Camp Nou is great but when Celtic Park is full, I love that.”
Emilio Izaguirre

“I’m very happy to have won the title. I’ve been enjoying it with my family, having dinner and thanking God for this blessing.”
Emilio Izaguirre (2015)

Playing Career

Honours with Celtic

Scottish Premier League

• 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16,
  
• 2016-17, 2018-19
  

Scottish Cup

• 2011, 2013, 2019

Scottish League Cup

• 2014-15, 2016-17, 2018-19

Scotland’s PFA Player of the Year

• 2011

The Scotsman Interview (Jan 2012)

EMILIO Izaguirre shakes his head furiously then buries it in his hands. The Celtic defender has fought back from a broken leg but still has one major hurdle to overcome. “In two weeks’ time I will have another go,” says the Honduran. He’s talking about his driving test which he failed for the third time on Thursday.

Izaguirre can mock distress over a minor pain because he is over the major one, a pain the 24-year-old suffered when he snapped his ankle at Pittodrie in the club’s second game of the season. It left last season’s player of the year unable to contribute to the first four months of this campaign. Yet however grievous the incident for the player, he felt compelled to watch television replays of it.

“I heard a click but I didn’t know what it was then reached down and felt the ligaments were swollen,” he says. “After the first month, I didn’t stop going to the gym. I was in there every single day.”

That is how he coped ahead of his return to the senior side on 2 January. With three starts since, the defender says every week he is feeling “better and better”. A deeply religious man, Izaguirre maintains he never felt low or isolated, even 3,000 miles from home and unable to immerse himself in his job.

“I actually never felt really sad, I was always focusing on getting better and that kept me going,” he says. “And I always felt part of the team anyway because I was there to support them. That made me feel stronger, work harder with my rehabilitation and make sure I got back in the team. It was very, very tough for me and my family for me to be out for so long but I am very grateful to God for helping me get back playing again.”

And Scott Brown. The attributes that make the Scotland midfielder a fit for the Celtic captaincy may sometimes escape outsiders but Izaguirre is gushing over what Brown brings to the squad dynamic. Sharing hour upon hour of gym-time with the fun-loving Fifer, who was building up his fitness following ankle surgery, has the full-back beaming from ear to ear.

“He is crazy, crazy,” says Izaguirre, the phrase the only one he provides in English in the course of an interview otherwise conducted through a Spanish interpreter. “Scott Brown, Kelvin Wilson, Mark Wilson, we were all in the gym together most days and we got support from each other. Spending time in the gym with Scott was crazy. He is very funny, but I think he is a very good captain, he gives us all a lot of support.

“He is always a happy person and is one of a kind in a way. He is always first into training and first to show the rest of the team the way. He supports everybody, and the experience he has of playing here with Celtic and knowing other big players helps. The leadership he shows and the charisma he has is contagious in a way.”

Izaguirre’s warmth could be similarly described. He begins and ends sit-ins with the written media by going round each one and shaking their hands. An endearing affectation, the player is just too damn respectful to his God and fellow human beings to serve up any juicy titbits on his Honduran buddy Jorge Claros, currently on trial with Rangers.

The pair were pictured shopping in Glasgow this week, the same day that Claros was quoted as saying a move to Rangers would set him up with Scotland, his research having told him that the club had won more league titles and cups than any other in Scotland. What does Izaguirre think of that claim?

“As a player I wish him all the best, as I do with all other players. But if we ever get on the field against each other, we will not be friends. It is none of my business if Jorge signs for another team, but I only speak highly of other players, the decision will be down to the coaching staff at Rangers. He is a very good man marker and is very good at running. But I am at Celtic so I don’t want to say anything about any other team.”

Plenty was said over the summer about Izaguirre being the target for other teams, notably Manchester United. He signed a contract extension already agreed with Celtic during his time on the sidelines but says of the Old Trafford link: “My goal is to concentrate on Celtic then we will see what happens.”

The player doesn’t draw great comfort from the fact that, with his injury occurring right at the start of the season, he has been able to return for the title run-in and the decisive days in cup competitions awaiting Celtic as they chase the treble. He does admit, though, that there is a personal aim he wants realise.

“I was frustrated by the injury because I didn’t want my first season at the club to be like a ‘one-off’ thing,” he says. “I hope the second half of the season will show that I still have a lot to give to the club.”

So integral was Izaguirre to the Celtic cause that there is little doubt he will give them plenty; enough to see them atone for the defeat at Inverness that allowed Rangers to clinch their third consecutive championship.

“The title is an objective obviously that we want to reach,” he says. “Last season, for very little, that objective escaped through our hands.” His Celtic team are in the driving seat in a manner that shouldn’t have Izaguirre agonising.

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Former Celtic Invincible hero shares how he was wanted by Liverpool and Manchester United

Patrick Sinat

Mon 6 November 2023 11:52, UK
Updated Mon 6 November 2023 13:18, UK

Former Celtic Invincible hero, Emilio Izaguirre, has revealed how he was wanted by both Liverpool and Manchester United when he was at the top of his game at the club.

Izaguirre took Scottish football by storm when he was signed by Neil Lennon back in 2010. Winning the Scottish Player of the Year, Scottish Football Writers Player of the Year and Celtic’s Player of the Year in his debut season, Izaguirre went on to win six league titles, three Scottish Cups and two league cups before leaving as an Invincible Celt in 2017.

He then returned to Celtic again in 2019 after Neil Lennon took him back for the push for the Treble Treble where the 110-capped Honduran international made 19 appearances for the club. [Transfermarkt]

But it was during his first stint at Celtic that Izaguirre revealed that an agreement had been made to join an English club but a broken ankle put paid to that move. He also told how both Liverpool and Manchester United asked Celtic about him after the 2010/11 season.

Izaguirre said [La Prensa], “Both Manchester United and Liverpool asked about me, I was the best full-back in the Scottish league with around 20 assists.

“A lot of offers came from teams. Even my people told me at the beginning of the season not to play because I was already arranged with an English team.

“But I broke my ankle and Celtic were great with me. They renewed my contract and then I was so grateful to Celtic I never wanted to leave the club.”

Celtic v Hibernian – William Hill Scottish Cup Final
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Izaguirre was an outstanding find by Neil Lennon back in 2010. Despite his vast experience at international level, no one has really heard of him back then.

But by the end of his first season, he was the name on everyone’s lips. Unfortunately for the Honduran, he was never really the same player after his ankle break and despite having a very successful career at Celtic, he never did get to make that big move.

However, Izaguirre is enjoying life as a Sporting Director for Honduran side, Motagua, and also seems to be at hand to recommend players he thinks could do a job for Celtic.

Izaguirre was one of the best full-backs in Celtic’s recent history and will always be remembered fondly by the Hoops support for all the success he helped deliver to the club.

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