McGeady ready for Ronaldinho

By Claire Nash

Celtic FC legend Henrik Larsson has tipped Aiden McGeady to follow in his footsteps as a hero of the Celtic Park faithful. Yet, ahead of the FC Barcelona striker's return to Glasgow, McGeady is seeking inspiration not from his former team-mate but from Ronaldinho.

Eye-catching displays
The Scottish champions' rising teenage star has caught the eye with impressive displays, albeit from the substitutes' bench at this early stage of his career, but his ambition is clear as he looks forward to a hoped-for encounter with one of the best players in the world.

'One of the best'
McGeady told uefa.com: "I will have to wait and see if I am selected against Barcelona but it would be a great experience to play against Ronaldinho. He is one of the best players in the world, if not the best.
 
Teenage daydream
"To see how he conducts himself and to see his ball control would be something special. It is great, at 18, even to be contemplating that prospect. A year ago I never would have thought this could be happening. It is strange how things work out. I'm enjoying every minute of it."

Larsson's verdict
Before he left Celtic in the summer, Larsson ran the rule over the young prospects in Martin O'Neill's side and said of McGeady: "He scored a great goal on his debut. Aiden has great feet and is obviously a player with a lot of promise. He's got everything in front of him and what he needs to do is to keep concentrating and learning from those around him."

Helpful advice
His debut in last April's 1-1 draw with Heart of Midlothian FC will forever be etched in McGeady's memory. "Henrik was really helpful that day," the Scottish winger recalled. "He talked me through my game as it was hard for me to come to grips with the pace at which Premier League football is played."

European prospects
It also gave the youngster a taste of the big stage which, he believes, should hold no fears at Celtic Park tonight. "I would love to be involved in this match with Barcelona," he said. "You want to play in the biggest games. I didn't suffer from nerves too much when I made my debut but I would have to wait and see if it is the same with a fixture like this."

Barcelona challenge
McGeady is confident Celtic can upset Frank Rijkaard's side in the same manner as they did in last season's UEFA Cup, despite the loss of a figure as pivotal as Larsson, to give them a platform in a tough Group F which also includes AC Milan and FC Shakhtar Donetsk.

Fond memories
"Barcelona were good in those games but Celtic played exceptionally well," he said. "There's every chance we can beat them again and it's a good fixture with which to be starting our group. I don't think we'll be favourites because Barcelona are such a good team. But we beat them last season and that will be in a lot of Celtic players' minds."
 
Aiden McGeady's personal website is at www.icons.com