Ask any Celtic fan of a certain vintage what the most passionate and heartbreaking away day they've experienced is and they might say the 2003 UEFA Cup Final.
A reported 80,000 Bhoys fans made their way to Seville for the showdown with Jose Mourinho's Porto, who claimed the Champions League title just one year later. Celtic scored twice through iconic hitman Henrik Larsson, but a Porto side featuring future household names such as Deco, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira and Maniche sealed a 3-2 victory in extra-time.
For Shaun Maloney, who had just broken into the Celtic team and who came on in extra-time, it was a night to remember.
"Scottish football was in a great place in the early 2000s," the current Wigan Athletic manager tells FourFourTwo. "I remember Henrik Larsson and John Hartson both being injured ahead of the UEFA Cup last 16 first leg against Stuttgart, and I got my first big start. We won 3-1 and I scored.
"We then beat Liverpool en route to the final and eventually lost 3-2 to Jose Mourinho’s Porto – I came on late in the game. I’ve still never watched that final again. We also lost the league title four days later, with Rangers pipping us on goal difference. It was heartbreaking but, looking back, what an incredible season for a youngster to experience."
Maloney would go on to become a mainstay in the Celtic team, winning five league titles and three Scottish Cups. His performances during the 2005-06 season even earned him Scotland's player of the year and young player of the year gongs.
"I’d missed most of the previous season through injury, then Gordon Strachan replaced Martin O’Neill as boss and was keen to develop more of the younger lads," recalls Maloney. "He changed my role from striker to left-winger and gave me confidence to go out and show what I could do.
"I remember seeing Andy play when he was about nine and he was already super talented," Maloney recalls. "I wasn’t quite as gifted but I tried hard. I opted for football instead and, thankfully, it turned out to be a pretty good choice."
Maloney won five Scottish titles and three Scottish Cups with Celtic, before heading south of the border to win the FA Cup with Wigan. Add 47 Scottish caps to that haul and it's fair to say Maloney made a very wise decision.
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