Ballon d’Or winner reveals why he was frightened by Celtic Park

Last night, against Real Madrid, we saw a glimpse of the atmosphere that Celtic Park can produce under the lights on big European nights. It was a shame that the Hoops could not find the back of the net. Callum McGregor struck the post while Liel Abada and Daizen Maeda failed to convert very good chances. If they had scored, the place would have come unglued.

Ultimately, it turned out to be a 3-0 win for Real Madrid, who took control of the game after the break and scored thrice. They deserved to win based on that second half display, but Celtic could have come out with a lot more from this game themselves.

It was a good showing for Celtic nonetheless, and they showed that they have quality to make it into the next round.

Anyways, one of the talking points on the night was the Celtic Park atmosphere. And former Ballon d’Or winner, Michael Owen, has revealed what he found frightening when he played in the stadium during his playing career. As reported by Glasgow Live, while speaking as a pundit on BT Sport, he said:

"“It’s a long time since I’ve been here. I played here twice early in my career.“I always remember the atmosphere. I’ve played in a few big games. El Clásico for Real Madrid is one of the loudest, unbelievable atmospheres but I’ve never heard anything like this stadium.“You’ll Never Walk Alone got played before the game then the flow through the game was absolutely frightening. I maintain to this day, the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in.”"

Owen declares Celtic Park to be the best atmosphere he has ever played in

That is high praise coming from Owen, who played for some of the biggest clubs in the world during his playing career – Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United.

It is not uncommon for players to call Celtic Park as one of the best atmospheres in Europe though. The likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Kaka, and several other legends of the game have praised the Parkhead experience over the years as well.

Celtic will need to capitalise on the atmosphere and convert it into some wins against RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk, if they are to make it to the next round of the Champions League.