Karamoko Dembele turned to Instagram to close down his Celtic chapter.
Incredibly he has spent 13 of his 19 years attached to the club, without question the most scrutinised prospect to emerge thanks to the impact of social media.
The incredibly talented kid was already in the public domain when he made his Development League debut as a 13-year-old against Hearts in October 2016. It isn’t often that The Guardian covers Scottish football down to that level.
Soon afterwards the SFA created a rule that players had to be 16-years-old to play in the Development League but the focus remained.
After 13 years at Celtic my time at the club has come to an end. I’d like to thank the fans and the people that helped me through this journey. Although not everything went according to plan…the challenges I faced over the past 2 years was not foreseen however with faith and the support of my family I knew it would come to pass. Greater things to come!
In May 2019 Neil Lennon sent Karamoko on for his top team debut, again against Hearts with a 45 minute appearance in direct opposition to another 16-year-old, Aaron Hickey. Sadly for Celtic the careers of the two players moved in vastly different directions.
Karamoko signed a three year Celtic contract, made sporadic appearances as a late substitute but never started a competitive game. Lockdown and a serious ankle injury hampered his progress but at the age of 19 he has a fresh start at Brest in the French League, a choice that is unlikely to have been overly influenced by finances.
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