I’ve written this article before.

I’m a serial lurker on fan forums where Aussies are playing and it’s quite incredible how consistently Aussies (even full internationals) are greeted with indifference when they arrive at European clubs.

That’s not to say every Australian overseas is a success – far from it. But if I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen a Socceroo bagged on arrival and then turn into a fan favourite… I’d have about nine dollars.

It happened with Mark Viduka at Leeds (he turned it around very quickly).

It happened with Tom Rogic and Ange Postecoglou at Celtic – both cult heroes now. It also happened with Daniel Arzani at Celtic and I’ve no doubt he would’ve been a star there if not badly injured on debut.

Then there’s Aaron Mooy.

He was mercilessly bagged at Huddersfield but was rated by many as the greatest player ever to pull on a Huddersfield shirt by the end of his first season.

He went to Brighton and the same process occurred – fans underwhelmed by his arrival but after a few weeks were waxing lyrical and by the time he left (for life-changing mega-bucks in China) was rated a very good Premier League midfielder.

An interesting feature of Mooy’s reputation – everywhere he’s gone (since leaving Australia) the fans have described him as slow. This, despite the fact of his obvious effectiveness.

The secret to Mooy’s game is that his football brain is the size of a planet.

He reads the game brilliantly and moves (as quickly as necessary) to wherever he has to be to help the team or win the ball. Then, in possession, he rarely loses the ball; has a passing completion rate in the high 90s; and has an uncanny knack of always knowing where his team mates are and who is making a dangerous run.

He has so much possession that it is simple for him to control the pace of the game. You’ll constantly see him just strolling about the edge of the enemy third knocking passes backwards and sideways… then suddenly he drops his shoulder, wins half a metre and plays a sublime channel ball or cross to set up chances.

He has any number of micro-movements on the ball that trick the marker into overcommitting, It looks effortless but it's the expression of sublime skill. It's the reason he's been such a fabulous international midfielder for so many years.

At every club he joined it took a while for the fans to appreciate what he was doing and that has happened again at Celtic. To be fair to the fans, he started slowly. There were always flashes of genius but the main aspects of his game (ball retention and consistent dangerous passing) were patchy as he slowly found his fitness after six months on the sidelines.

He was finally fit when he went to the World Cup and played well against the likes of Tunisia, Denmark and Argentina (no-one played well against France – they were awesome) and has returned to Celtic fit enough to play his usual role of dominating the midfield.

With Callum McGregor alongside him and Reo Hatate also – the trio are all very different players but form a devastating combination in the centre of the park and Mooy would be regarded by most as undroppable. He has become the Celtic metronome thus freeing up his colleagues to be even more effective in the opposition half.

And yet, despite several eye-catching MOTM performances, there are still fans on the Celtic forums complaining about his (so-called) lack of pace.

Modric isn’t a fast mover.

Pirlo was never pacey.

Yet these are the types of players with whom Mooy can be fairly compared. He does for Celtic (and Australia) what they did for their teams but no-one ever complained they were slow. They were effective, and that’s what matters.

After the match on the weekend – a 5 – 0 win in the Cup – Aaron, Aaron Mooy to the tune of Daddy Cool rang around Celtic Park with everyone finally perceiving the level of talent gracing Parkhead. His stocks have soared since the World Cup and the likelihood is he will keep his place in the team and contribute massively to a memorable season. A treble is very much on the cards.

But for Aaron, and for Ange, the true test is not domestic. A successful run in the Champion’s League is what will truly make their mark and have the fans constructing statues out on the Celtic Way.

They’ll still complain he’s slow though.

 

Adrian's books can be purchased at any good bookstore or through ebook alchemy. His first sci-fi novel (Asparagus Grass) will be published by Hague Publishing in early 2023.