James Forrest heads to the Bernabeu with a bagful of Champions League memories to take on the plane.
But he believes Wednesday's run-out against Real Madrid is just a stop-off rather than the final destination for Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic and himself in this competition. At the age of 31, he’s seen and done plenty since first experiencing the qualifiers in Braga in 2010.
Two years later, he was part of the club’s first-ever away win in the group stage in Moscow when Spartak were sunk and ended up tackling Juventus in the last 16. Forrest scored the winner to get Celtic past Shakhter Karagandy and into the groups the next term and, when he got there, his penalty opener against Ajax helped Neil Lennon ’s team secure a 2-1 success. That result, in 2013, remains the last Champions League group stage win achieved on home soil.
Forrest has faced Barcelona, AC Milan, PSG and Bayern Munich and now it could be Madrid. Along with 101 club goals and 20 winner’s medals, it’s a phenomenal CV.
Yet the winger’s humble nature and the hunger that still burns inside him means it’s not enough. Does he have more Champions League campaigns left in him? The response is simple as he said: “Aye, hopefully, I signed the deal at the end of last season and I hope to be here for as long as I can.
“It’s massive. Every top European player wants to play in it. There are loads of boys who haven’t played in the Champions League before and they have loved every game we’ve played in, both home and away.
“They’ve seen the way the fans have been as well and for anyone, no matter what age you are, you always want that. You want to continue to be a part of that for as long as you can.
“Obviously this season, we’ve got so many good players, but when you are playing for Celtic you are in loads of competitions and being in the Champions League as well, there is nothing better. The hunger is still there, you still want to be a part of these nights.”
And Forrest believes these nights are not going to be in short supply. Asked if it feels like the start of something special at the highest Euro level for Celtic under the boss, the Parkhead star said: “I think that the performances in these games have definitely shown that.
“The club was desperate to be back here and all of the boys will have enjoyed this campaign – and maybe feel as though they are more eager to get back here again to put some results right. It’s definitely been positive, even though we haven’t managed to win a game.
“The way the manager has been, he wants everybody to be positive, to be attacking, and he believes that this is where we should be. You can hear that the fans are buzzing off that and the players have a good feeling about it as well.
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“But I felt the boys were well in every game, had our chances and sometimes we just didn’t manage to take them. We’ve played really well in every game in the Champions League this year.
“The next time we get into the Champions League, and hopefully that is soon, we can get the same performances and get results as well.
“I’ve said it to a few of the boys as well that we maybe won games where you got one cross, one shot and then you are defending for 90 minutes. Sometimes you can get a result that way.
It’s definitely promising the number of chances we’ve created in the five games in the Champions League.”
Forrest has made three appearances off the bench through the Group F campaign and believes displays have shown Celtic are on the right path. The Scotland star knows what it takes to deliver in this competition in terms of progressing beyond the groups given the fact he’s done it.
Forrest is excited by what he’s part of in Postecoglou’s unit as he said: “I think the performances have been really good. But it’s maybe just been a bit unlucky that we haven’t managed to get the results and that win in the Champions League that the players and the fans deserve.
“I said this to some of the boys who have played in the last couple of games, I think if you look at the number of chances we have created then we’ve been in every game home and away. We’ve had loads of chances and that all comes from the manager. Everyone is buying into the way he wants to play, real attacking football. And the more we put in performances like that then the results will come.
“It’s exciting, every player wants to play the way the manager wants to play and I think that will continue. The manager looks at every game and he’s been happy with the performances. Obviously some of it is results based and we don’t go through but I think there are a lot of positives.
“Most of the boys haven’t played in the Champions League before, sometimes you can dominate games and teams can hit you on the counter. So it’s great experience for everyone and I don’t even think it has just been about the experience. The boys have shown they can compete at this level.
“It’s just things like not taking our chances at certain times and the opposition have been clinical. At certain times of the game they can sometimes kill the game as well. Loads of the players have played international football as well, so they know that can sometimes happen when you are up against top quality players.
“They only need one chance in the game and they can score. Everyone knows that the standard in the Champions League is so, so high and that’s where we want to be.”
Forrest, who started at Livingston on Sunday, is happy to keep playing his part and added: “I know we’ve got a young squad but I still want to work hard and keep contributing to the team.
“I know what Celtic is like, throughout the years it has never been easy, we are always signing new players. Obviously I am getting older and we are signing younger players. But it’s always a great challenge and I am still working hard and fighting to play for Celtic. I just want to do that as long as I can.
“I’ve said it before, it’s obviously good for the other players as well, the manager can change the team so often and a quality player comes in for another quality player. You still can learn off the younger players as well, so I’ll just keep working hard.”
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