ADAM Idah made Irish Champions League history on Wednesday despite Celtic ultimately falling short vs Aston Villa.
He temporarily silenced the home fans at Villa Park with a three-minute brace to level things at 2-2 – before The Villains went on to win 4-2.
Being chased by teammate Yang Hyun-Jun after sending the travelling Bhoys fans into rapturous celebrations[/caption]
International teammate Liam Scales has also proven his mettle at Celtic Park[/caption]
In doing so, he became the first Republic of Ireland player to score twice in a modern Champions League match proper.
Ronnie Whelan did achieve the feat for Liverpool in 1984 but that was before the competition was rebranded from the European Cup to the version football fans have become accustomed to since 1992.
Prior to this season, there hadn’t been an Irish goalscorer in the group or knockout stages since Darron Gibson in 2011.
But now the Cork native has three to his name – having netted against Slovan Bratislava in September.
He’s not the only current Irish ace to get on the scoresheet this campaign either as Liam Scales headed one in during that 5-1 rout of the Slovakian outfit.
Idah now sits third in the all-time standings of Republic of Ireland goalscorers in the Champions League.
His tally of three equals those of Damien Duff and Ian Harte while second-placed Denis Irwin has four to his name.
Roy Keane is way out on his own with 14 since he clocked up far more European appearances than any other Irish player of modern times.
In spite of the result, Wednesday night was surely among the career highlights for Idah who has had to endure near constant flak from Celtic supporters over whether he’s up to playing at such a big club.
Still only 23, here SunSport takes a closer look at his life away from the football pitch:
How old is Adam Idah and how many Ireland caps does he have?
Idah was born February 11, 2003 so he’ll be turning 24 in the next fortnight.
So far he’s accumulated 29 caps for The Boys in Green.
While his total of only four goals is disappointing, a significant share of them have come off the bench.
Whereabouts is he from?
Douglas in Cork is his hometown. College Corinthians were his boyhood club before he was snapped up by Norwich City in 2017.
Like many professional footballers, golf is his second sport which helps him to unwind physically and mentally[/caption]
His choice of vehicle fits the typical footballer bill too[/caption]
With friends during an exotic holiday judging from the palm trees visible in the background[/caption]
Savouring some valuable time in the sun by hopping on a jetski[/caption]
