Lucky Bhoy – Matt O’Riley on his playing for Celtic privilege | OneFootball

Matt O’Riley has opened up on how lucky he feels to have played for Celtic and also revealed that playing for the Hoops was a great for character building…

The Danish midfielder was brought to the club for a snip at £1.5 million from MK Dons in England’s League One at the time under Ange Postecoglou, when he was rebuilding the squad from the ground up and trying to re-energise a club and playing staff that had been to the well far too many times, in shades of the current situation we find ourselves in this summer window.

Ange Postecoglou signed Matt O’Riley for just £1.5m

That £1.5 million was money well-spent by the Greek-Aussie and the club, as O’Riley went on to prove his worth in a Celtic shirt for two-years after his arrival, combining grace and elegance in his role in the middle of the pitch, alongside his captain Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate for a couple of seasons.

Matt O’Riley of Celtic congratulates Kyogo Furuhashi after he scores his second goal during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Hearts at Celtic Park on May 04, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Matt went on to earn a money-spinning move to the English Premier League with Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer transfer window of 2024. That particular transfer saw Celtic break their records for fees received for any player, as he went for £25 million with add-ons – eclipsing the fee received for Kieran Tierney and Jota at that point.

The 25-year-old former Fulham academy graduate spoke recently about his time at Celtic once again, stating how lucky he feels to have played for both the Bhoys and French behemoth Marseille in his career to date.

When quizzed on the intensity of both clubs, O’Riley stated: “Definitely, yes. Even when I’ve been away, I was in Prague with some friends and I met Marseille fans,” he said.

Matt O’Riley of Brighton and Hove Albion looks to bring the ball under control during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion FC and Leicester City FC at Amex Stadium on April 12, 2025. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)

“You always find a Marseille or a Celtic fan everywhere”

“You meet them all over the world, similar to Celtic. In that sense, they are both massive clubs because you always find a Marseille or a Celtic fan everywhere.

“I feel very lucky to have played for two teams that size because not many people do. And, also as a person, it has probably set me up for a lot of challenging moments,” the six-times Danish capped midfield player said, as reported by The Argus.

Paul Gillespie

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