A Double-treble winner with Celtic, Gordon was once Scotland’s most expensive transfer after making a £9m move from Hearts to Sunderland in 2012.
Injury almost ended Gordon’s career and in 2014, he signed for Celtic after two years out of the game.
However, prior to the move to Celtic Park, Gordon was training at Rangers and it was a request by the Ibrox club that made him turn them down and take the opportunity offered to him by Ronny Deila.
What Rangers asked Craig Gordon to do that prompted Celtic move
Gordon’s knee problem almost forced the former Celtic Invincible to quit the game back in 2011. However, Rangers offered him the chance to continue his rehab back at Ibrox in the summer of 2014.
But despite media reports that Rangers didn’t offer him a deal, it appears that was not the real reason Gordon never made the move to Glasgow’s south side.
Gordon told The Sunday Post, “Rangers were in League One at the time and they already had two senior goalkeepers.
“To add another one at that stage probably wasn’t financially the right thing for them to do. They wanted me to play in a couple of reserve games to prove that I was fit enough to stay.
“If I had done that, then my injury insurance would have been invalid. So, I couldn’t do that.
“That was the reason why that never happened. Then it was about looking for a club and I didn’t know what level I could get back.
“I spoke to Raith Rovers, they were interested. Then Celtic came in. So that was the reason I went there.”
The other two reasons Craig Gordon decided to join Celtic
It appears that there were also two other reasons why Gordon made the Celtic switch and even having Fraser Forster at the club didn’t put him off.
Gordon continued, “I knew I wasn’t going to be first choice when I first went in with Fraser Forster being there. But I knew I’d have, again, really good medical care.
“I could give it the best possible chance to continue my rehab and try and get some games.
“There was obviously speculation about Fraser, so there was a little chink of light there to potentially him moving on and getting a chance to see what I could do.
“You have a sliding doors moment, it all fell into place all in exactly the right time. I managed to go in and play 50 games my first season back after not playing for two years, which I didn’t know was possible until I managed to do it.”
Gordon had an incredibly successful time at Celtic winning six league titles, two Scottish Cups and five League Cups.
Making history as part of Rodgers’ Invincibles, Gordon is now back at Hearts where he has signed a new one-year deal at the capital club.
Now 42, the former Parkhead goalkeeper is nearing the end of his career and he must be delighted that he took the chance at Celtic to become part of the club’s illustrious history.
