Playing Champions League football is the pinnacle for every player in the world.
Oh Hyeon-gyu is not different. The South Korean has made no secret of his desire to feature on the biggest stage of them all.
The opportunity to sign for Celtic was one he simply couldn’t turn down. He’s been slowly getting used to life at Parkhead.
Last weekend he netted a penalty after coming on as a substitute versus St Mirren in a 5-1 Premiership win.
Fleeting cameos appears to be the way of it for now, especially with Kyogo in the form of his life.
Buying his time is no issue for Oh, though. He just hopes that he’s more settled in the team by the time next season’s Champions League games come around for the Hoops.
He said: “All the players, all the coaches, all the staff are doing everything they can to help me settle in in Glasgow and at Celtic.
“I believe I have a lot to show to the fans and am conscious always to do my best for them so they will not be disappointed in me.
“I am very much looking forward to the possibility of playing Champions League. These were the games I watched on television in Korea when I was young.
“The games at this level give you the chance to play against the best players in the world so I will do my best to prepare for next season as well I possibly can.
“I always supported Celtic but I also watched the games of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich to learn everything I could from their quality.
“I was particularly interested in front line players, those were the ones I tried to learn from. Karim Benzema and others too.”
Reports have suggested that Celtic could be headed for Oh’s homeland this summer as part of a pre-season tour.
The Scottish champions could be joined by PSG, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, although these matches will be played in Japan.
“I could never have imagined I would have the chance to go to Korea with Celtic,” Oh admitted. “If it were to happen it would be a new experience for me and I would be very proud to show them my country.”
On playing for his national team later this month, he conceded that he’s unsure if he’ll get the chance having not played much for his club in recent weeks.
He added: “I have not heard from the national coach yet. All players dream of playing for their national team and if were to get the chance to be involved again I would be very grateful and give everything I have got for my country.
“I played at different representative youth levels and last year I was given my debut for the senior side (vs Iceland in a friendly).
“That was the realisation of one of my childhood dreams and since then, with my passion for my country has grown ever bigger.”
