Whatever happened to Celtic cult hero Georgios Samaras as maverick Neil Lennon feared the sack for turns club supremo

It's hard to find a Celtic player who defines the term 'cult hero' more than Georgios Samaras.

He is a player that split opinion throughout his Parkhead career, but always shared a special bond with the Celtic Park fan base.

A haul of four league titles during his time in Glasgow's east end doesn't quite tell the towering 6 ft 4 forward and his enigmatic spell in Scotland.

Samaras was a player that had that special something and would give everything for the Celtic cause whether playing out wide or as the lone striker.

And that's not to forget his trademark long locks that immediately made him stand out on the park when he picked up pace.

As part of our series on Scottish football cult heroes, Record Sport looks back on what made Samaras so popular and what he's been up to since.

Before Manchester City were splashing the cash, Samaras was pulling on the light blue jersey.

At the time it was a big money move for the club at around £6million from Heerenveen, but the Greek striker courted controversy as City languished in the lower-reaches of the English Premier League.

In his first season he earned the ire of skipper Richard Dunne, who claimed that his performance was impacted by players who didn't work hard enough - and would go on to name check Samaras.

Samaras would then point the finger at boss Stuart Pearce claiming that the manager's lack of faith impacted his form, and insisted that his "high transfer fee" had put him in the spotlight.

The next season, Sven Goran Eriksson arrived in Manchester and decided Samaras had no place at City.

After struggling to the end of an 18-month slog in the Eastlands, Celtic offered an olive branch with a loan exit for the striker in the January 2008 window.

Looking back on the