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Portuguese striker Jorge Cadete might not have been at Celtic for long, but he certainly made an impact, playing in an exciting team managed by Tommy Burns and featuring the likes of Andy Thom, Paolo Di Canio and Pierre Van Hooijdonk. It is just a pity that the team didn’t play together for that long.
Of course, one notable aspect of the Cadete signing that needs to be discussed is the fact that his signing was delayed for six weeks in 1996, as there were issues over his player registration. That delay eventually cost SFA chief executive Jim Farry his job.
Cadete’s debut was delayed until April 1996, and what a debut it was. He came on as a substitute against Aberdeen and made an immediate impact, scoring in a 5-0 win.
YouTube: Celtic 5 v 0 Aberdeen 1st April 1996
Sadly, the Hoops were unable to win the league in Cadete’s first season with the club, but hopes were high that the Bhoys could win the title with the likes of Cadete, Di Canio and Van Hooijdonk in the team.
That wasn’t to be the case, but Cadete did still manage to score a lot of goals for the Hoops. After scoring six goals in his first season at the club, he managed to score 32 goals in his only full season at Celtic Park.
That should have been 33 goals, but he controversially had an effort ruled out against Rangers for offside, when he looked to be onside, in a game which the Hoops lost. Cadete struggled against the Ibrox side, and failed to score in four matches against them.
That is always a black mark for a Celtic striker, no matter how well they perform against the other clubs, it is always important to do well against Rangers.
Despite not being able to score against Rangers, Cadete still managed to score on a regular basis, and he was a key man for Tommy Burns’ side. Unfortunately, both Burns and Cadete would not be at Celtic for the start of season 1997/98.
Burns lost his job after Celtic failed to stop Rangers winning their ninth title in a row, whilst Cadete wasn’t happy with his contract, and seemed determined to leave Celtic at the end of the season.
YouTube: Jorge Cadete Celtic Goals
Hoops supremo Fergus McCann and general manager Jock Brown wouldn’t stand in his way, and Cadete left the Bhoys to join Celta Vigo. Interestingly, he did later return to Scottish football, briefly playing with Partick Thistle in 2004, featuring against Celtic in one of his games for the Maryhill side.
If Cadete had helped the Hoops win the title in season 1996/97 he would have gone down as a Celtic legend, but sadly it was not to be.
Still, he should be remembered as a player who was part of an exciting Hoops side who scored a lot of goals and entertained the fans. It is just a pity that he didn’t manage to stay at Celtic a while longer, and help the Hoops win the league.
