Welcome Back Georgios

Last updated : 08 August 2009 By Master Bob

Georgios Samaras make his return to Eastlands today as City take on Celtic in their final game before next Saturday’s opener at Blackburn.

The Greek striker started his career at Heerenveen, where he made 88 appearances for the Dutch side, scoring 25 times. He was then signed for £6m by former City boss Stuart Pearce in January 2006. He scored his first goal for the blues in a 3-2 win against Charlton Athletic, but only scored eight goals in 55 appearances.

Just over a year later, Samaras moved to Celtic on loan and scored 5 goals in 16 appearances, prompting manager Gordon Strachan to sign him on a permanent basis for a knock down fee of around £1.5m. Since that move, he has made 31 appearances for the Bhoys, scoring 15 goals in the process.

Let’s hope he’s on the score sheet when Celtic play Arsenal in the Champions League qualifiers.