Opinion: 15-goal Celtic star can take his game to a new level next season

Celtic winger Liel Abada has taken his excellent club form into the international arena.

The 20-year-old scored his first goal for Israel in the recent game against Iceland, and he also provided the assist for the team’s winning goal against Albania.

That will surely give the winger plenty of confidence going into next season, and if he can keep that run of form going, he can take his game to a new level in season 2022/23.

It seems to have slightly overlooked that Abada played 54 games for the Hoops last season, which is a lot of football for a player who joined the Bhoys when he was a teenager. 

The number of games Abada played is testament to how well he played and the faith that was placed in him by Ange Postecoglou. 

Abada was in and out of the team towards the end of the season, as Daizen Maeda and Jota were often preferred on the wing, but that shouldn’t take away from how vital he was to the Hoops.

He was involved in 26 goals last season, with 15 goals and 11 assists, and that is a superb number for any player, but even better for one playing in their first season in Scottish football.

Abada seems to be a very mature player for one that is only 20, and for evidence of that you only need to look at his winning goal for the Hoops in the game against Dundee United at Celtic Park last season. 

In a game which Celtic needed to win to keep the pressure on Rangers at the top of the league table, the ball dropped to Abada in the penalty box in injury time. He took his time, steadied himself, and hammered the ball into the net.

That one goal vindicated Postecoglou’s decision to show so much faith in the winger, and his celebration after the winning goal was one of the most memorable moments of a very memorable season for