Nickname: The Lisbon Lion
Height: 5.09
Weight: 10.10
Date of birth: 27-08-1968
Place of birth: Mozambique
Position: Forward
Nationality: Portugal


Kstreet

• How good was Cadete
  

One of the colourful triumverate of forwards signed under the stewardship of Tommy Burns in the mid 1990s (along with Pierre Van Hooijdonk and Paolo Di Canio), Jorge Cadete's period at Celtic was brief but steeped in controversy from the moment he arrived.

An established Portugese international striker of some repute, Cadete had already previously sampled the atmosphere of Celtic Park, albeit in the colours of Sporting Lisbon, in a UEFA Cup match in 1993, where the Glasgow hoops triumphed 1-0 through a Gerry Creaney strike though the tie itself was lost in Lisbon.

Cadete arrived in Glasgow in the spring of 1996 for an undisclosed or nominal transfer fee, and was introduced to the Parkhead crowd with much fanfare at a home game against Partick Thistle; little were the 35,000 crammed into the still-two-sided Parkhead to suspect that 'irregularities' over Cadete's registration were to delay his signature for almost six weeks, a controversy that was to ultimately cost SFA Chief Executive his job, but perhaps more pertinently see Burns' Celtic drop crucial points in drawn matches with Motherwell, Falkirk (both 0-0) and Kilmarnock while their highly prized new striker sat in the stands, paralysed by red tape.

Upon his eventual introduction to the first team, Cadete's impact was immediate, and memorable. In pouring rain on a rare Monday night televised match, Cadete was introduced from the bench as a hapless Aberdeen side were being put to the sword, already 4 goals adrift. Nonetheless, with virtually his first touch, Cadete displayed what was to become his trademark lightning pace and predatory awareness, sprinting on to a Peter Grant through ball and deftly lifting the ball over the advancing Dons keeper for the fifth goal in a memorable rout; such was the uproar from the half completed stadium, that the volume blew Radio 5 Live's microphones and the live commentary was lost.

Cadete went on to grab a further 5 goals in the remaining weeks of the season, though it was too late to salvage the title, and many supporters still speculate with some justified bitterness over what might have been had his transfer been concluded more efficiently.

The following season was of course the ill-fated attempt to stop 'the nine'. Cadete, who had formed a highly promising partnership with Pierre Van Hooijdonk continued his prolific form, and for his awareness, skill and variety of lethal finishes, Cadete on footballing ability can be described in the same context as one of the sharpest finishers seen at Celtic Park in recent times.

Less reliable than his ability to beat goalkeepers however, was his mental state, and throughout the turbulent 1997-98 season, became increasingly vocal through the media about his dissatisfaction with his contractual terms, as did fellow forwards Van Hooijdonk and Di Canio, with the Dutchman first to be offloaded to Nottingham Forrest mid-season.

Despite his contractual dispute, Cadete continued to be a prolific contributor to the attack, now partnering the talented but erratic Di Canio. One of the defining moments of the controversial NIAR season came in the New Year's Day Old Firm match at Ibrox, with Cadete again at the centre of attention, when with Celtic trailing 1-0, he superbly controlled a lofted pass on his chest and volleyed home a spectacular 'equaliser' only for the linesman to flag for a non-existant offside. Despite a rally inspired by Di Canio, Rangers won the match 3-1, and thereafter remained in pole position for the flag.

In the traumatic fall out of the season with Burns sacked, Van Hooijdonk gone and Di Canio beginning his own one-man insurgency, Cadete agitated for and eventually won the transfer he craved, to Celta Vigo, though he was to later return to the UK first with Bradford City and briefly with Partick Thistle, a shadow of his former glorious self.

Something of a minor celebrity in his native Portugal where he competed in and won their equivalent of Celebrity Big Brother, Cadete was a colourful, unforgettable character whose time at Celtic was truncated by his own avarice and attitude. With a goalscoring record to rival the very best, it remains a daydream as to what might have been achieved had he been retained for a further season and paired in tandem with the young Henrik Larsson.

Had that been the case, the career of such a devastating talent may have more to show for it than winning a reality TV contest.





[Picture Gallery]
Celtic Controversies - Cadete and Farry