Arne Engels shared a boarding school with RB Leipzig superstar Lois Openda. Now he can’t wait to spend time with his Belgium buddy in the Champions League playground.
Engels and Openda were educated at the same spot during their time in the Club Brugge youth academy. Both have now graduated to Europe’s elite competition as well as being team-mates with their senior international squad. Three years younger, Engels has followed Openda’s road out of their homeland and on to huge stages in foreign climes. The pair will cross paths again in Tuesday night’s showpiece and Engels, 21, said: “Yes, of course, you speak with everybody in the national team and you know him from there.
“In Bruges also, we studied in the same boarding school, so it was really nice to see him back in the national team and now play against him. It’s really amazing to see how far he’s going and how far he will be going. So, he’s an amazing player.
“He’s a striker, so every striker is a danger. But he’s a really good player, so of course we need to watch out for him. But every player in RB Leipzig is really good, otherwise they don’t play there, so it’s not only him.”
Engels smiled as he recalled his school days and added: “He’s already older than me, so we didn’t really speak to each other, but he was just there. But, especially in Bruges, he also played for older age groups. It’s normal when you’re 13 that you don’t speak to guys that are three, four years older than you!
“So I was just seeing him there. But it’s always nice to recognise a familiar face. I know some players there (at RB) of course, some Belgian guys. And also (Antonio) Nusa, played with him at Club Brugge. It’s always nice to see some former team-mates or team-mates from the national team back, so I cannot wait.”
Engels recalls those formative days fondly and he reckons the experiences have helped him as he’s taken his career abroad to Augsburg and now Celtic. He said: “Yeah, it was really great. Like everybody knows, when you’re with your friends, the time flies.
“That time also did fly, like it was nothing, but it was an amazing time. I was with a lot of guys there that played in Bruges that are coming from a bit farther. But it was really an amazing time, actually, being with your friends. It’s always nice.”
Asked if it’s helped down the line, he continued: “Yeah, I think so, in some way. Of course, when you’re really then going away from home, like I did in Germany, then you really start to think: What am I doing here? But it starts to settle in really quickly and you’re getting mature every day, actually. So, yeah, it really helped me, I think, from the person that I am.
“It’s not normal, it’s a big step, because I was quite close to home. Every weekend I was home, so that made it maybe a little bit easier, but it was still a difficult period. When I first came into Germany, the first months living on your own in a different country where they don’t speak the same language as you, then it’s always difficult, but it’s all about the football.”
Engels likens the bond and camaraderie with his mates in those boarding school days now to being amongst the group at Parkhead as he continued: “Yeah, exactly. It’s a really nice group and everybody is nice to each other and speaks to each other, so it’s not that they are like groups or something, it’s just a real team. I had a really warm welcome when I came here and it feels really familiar here.”
While Openda has been ripping it up in the Bundesliga with Leipzig, Engels has been strutting his stuff for Brendan Rodgers’ side. He’s settled in seamlessly at Parkhead and said: “I think it’s been amazing. It was always a dream for me to play in the Champions League and also to come to Celtic.
“It was also a big part to come here and to play on the biggest stage, so I think it’s going really well and I think I will improve still, and I will.”
Engels and the entire team will have to be on top form against the Germans. Although Leipzig have no points from their three Champions League games, they’ve performed with huge credit in losses to Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and Juventus. Engels knows their power and said: “I think we will not underestimate them.
“Everybody knows how good they are and you see it also in the Bundesliga that they are on top of the league – so we will not underestimate them at all. Everybody knows the size of the club of RB Leipzig and everybody knows that we need to be on top of our game to win.
“If you come here and play in Celtic Park, it’s going to be never a really nice game (for opponents). So they will think that they need to win it, but we also think that, if we play at home, we need to win every game here. So, it’s an exciting match, that’s why.”
“It’s the biggest stage that you can play, so everybody is prepared. Celtic played a lot of times already in the Champions League, so everybody knows what to expect.”