A lifelong dream came true for Rocco Vata on Wednesday evening. The 17-year-old Irishman was allowed six minutes in Celtic Glasgow’s league game against Hibernian FC (4-0). With this, Vata celebrated his professional debut and took the next important step in his football career. The right-footer is still contractually bound to Celtic until 2025.
As the portal ‘Tuttomercatoweb.com’ reports, the youngster is on the list of some big clubs from all over Europe. This was due to outstanding performances in the UEFA Youth League, which put Vata in the spotlight. Borussia Dortmund, FC Bayern and Atlético Madrid are said to have put their scouts on the attacking midfielder. Juventus Turin, AC Milan and AS Roma are also interested.
Internationally not a blank slate
In the Youth League, Vata has already gained international experience against the youth teams of Real Madrid, Shakthar Donetsk and RB Leipzig. Despite his young age, Vata has otherwise mostly played for Celtic’s B team in the fifth division. There he recorded eight goals and one assist in 14 competitive games.
Vata has an Albanian father and a Scottish mother, was born in Glasgow. Due to an Irish grandmother, he is also eligible to play for Ireland and went through their youth selection teams from U15 to U19. However, he has not yet made a final decision about his national team career.
