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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Aidan Macdonald

Forster opens up on swapping shirts with Messi after Champions League triumph

Celtic hero Fraser Forster has opened up on swapping shirts with Lionel Messi after the Parkhead side's 2-1 win over Barcelona in 2012.

Neil Lennon's side defeated the LaLiga giants in their way to qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League.

And Forster, who played for Celtic across two spells, has nothing but fond memories of the occassion.

Speaking to the Off the Shelf podcast, he said: "I've got a signed Messi shirt. Yeah (from that game). That is probably my favourite. I have always been one of them, where I am not big on looking back.

"It's nice to do with something like this but day-to-day I am more trying to look forward. It’s impossible to put into words.

"We’d played them away, I think, two weeks earlier and we lost 2-1 in the last minute and I’d made saves, but the performance we’d put in away from home really carried us into the home one because we knew we’d have the fans with us.

"But yeah, it was just one of those nights where everything, you know. You make a couple of saves early and you’re like, come on, bring it on.

"That team as well, if you don’t enjoy playing those games, do you know what I mean? But the noise that night as well – obviously we ended up going 2-0 up and they scored right at the end but it was just, kind of, unbelievable.

"It was just one of those days when you’re in the zone and everything goes your way. You’re seeing the ball like it’s a gym ball and it’s just amazing.

“I think that after that night I didn’t sleep after the game, it was just amazing.

"I’m obviously fortunate to have played in those types of games and like I said before, half of my memories in that game are the atmosphere and the fans and lots of it is that rather than that save or this save.

"It was just – the occasion.”

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