Appearing regularly for Celtic would generally make any football player famous without the need for any other publicity.
Many players who have graced the Celtic Park surface become almost instantly recognised by millions of Hoops supporters worldwide.
Such is the draw of Celtic and the scale of their fanbase; players who play at Paradise receive the kind of support that they would struggle to replicate at any other club.
However, back in 1996, one Celtic player who was signed gained notoriety well before he pulled on the green and white Hoops, and his signing forced the SFA to sack their president and apologise to the club.
How Jorge Cadete signing for Celtic forced an SFA apology
Jorge Cadete was a cult hero at Celtic after signing for Tommy Burns back in 1996. Despite scoring over 30 goals in his first and only season at the club, the Portuguese striker was hitting the headlines way before he ever pulled on a Hoops jersey.
Cadete was bought in February 1996 as there was no transfer window at that time, however, his Celtic debut never materialised until April after issues with his registration delayed his Parkhead career.
It was found later that the then current president of the SFA, Jim Farry, had willfully held back Cadete’s registration documents, for which Farry was suspended and finally dismissed, and forced the national association to apologise to Fergus McCann and the Parkhead club. [The Scotsman]
Cadete scored 33 goals in 43 appearances in his one and only season but left the club the following summer due to a contractual dispute with McCann.
How Jorge Cadete went from being worshipped at Celtic Park to the Big Brother house
Cadete’s Celtic exit was precluded with moves to Celta Vigo in 1997, Benfica in 1999 and then loan spells to Bradford City in 2000 and then Portuguese side Estrela Amadora in 2001.
However, it was in 2002 that Cadete appeared in Portugal’s Celebrity Big Brother that caught the imagination of the Portuguese TV audiences when he was just 33 years old.
Cadete made it to week three of the then-popular reality TV show before being voted out by his peers. He also appeared of various popular Portuguese entertainment shows to showcase his footballing skills.
Cadete now runs a business buying and selling real estate.
