The Truth Is…” – Luis Palma Finally Reveals the Real Reason Behind His Struggles at Celtic, Opening Up on the Hidden Challenges That Have Held Him Back Since Joining the Club

Luis Palma arrived at Celtic as one of Brendan Rodgers’ first-ever signings in the summer of 2023.

The winger arrived at the club as one of the most highly-rated players ever to have come out of Honduras which is why Celtic splashed £3.5m to bring Palma from Aris.

Palma quickly showcased his talent and after a purple patch of form at the start of his Celtic career saw the Honduran knock in ten goals and ten assists, and make his mark in the Champions League.

But since December 2023, Palma quickly fell from grace as poor form saw him fall out of Brendan Rodgers’ starting XI at Celtic and a recent interview in Honduras could explain why.

Celtic winger Luis Palma compares the standard of Honduran football to Europe
Luis Palma has 20 caps for Honduras and by the time the 25-year-old arrived at Celtic he was already well established in the national side.

But it was when the Hoops winger made the switch to European football from Honduran side Real Monarchs that Palma saw the real step up in quality. And it could be why he is currently struggling at Celtic.

Palma told La Prensa, “Well, I noticed it in Greece [the step up in quality], because that’s when I left Honduras directly for Greece.

“I went to Aris Thessaloniki and saw the kind of pace they played there. And then when I went to Scotland, to Celtic, playing in the Champions League was incredible, and you realize the pace there is in both Central America and Europe.

The truth is, we’re very far from that elite, but as I said, I hope that in the future we won’t be so far away.”

So it appears that the standard of football in Honduras is nowhere near that of Celtic, so it is little wonder Palma is finding life in Glasgow tough.

Luis Palma’s all-time career stats including short Celtic spell
Palma is clearly a talented football player but looking at his stats since he left Honduras it is clear that maybe playing at Celtic could be too much for him.

Whilst Palma enjoyed some good form in Europe, including at Celtic, clearly maintaining that standard appeared tough for the winger.

Even a return to Greece saw Palma struggle on loan at Olympiacos, so maybe the step to European football was just one that was too far for the inconsistent winger.