It’s not often a trialist earns the full 90 minutes to win a contract but that was the opportunity presented to a Mr Mystery unveiled to Celtic supporters 20 years ago.
And Charles-Édouard Coridon, a 6ft 2in playmaker sporting unmistakable dreadlocks, was hardly likely to fly under the radar during his big audition against Tottenham in 2004. Celtic were the masters of putting English opposition to the sword under Martin O’Neill and Jacques Santini’s side came unstuck in the glamour friendly thanks to goals from Craig Beattie and newly acquired Henri Camara – the most expensive British loan signing in history at the time when he attempted to replace Henrik Larsson in a £1.5m one-year deal from Wolves. It didn’t work and Camara was punted back in January when O’Neill landed Craig Bellamy.
But back to Coridon, and his dancing feet which belied someone of his stature, as he failed to make the most of his big audition at Parkhead. Everton manager David Moyes was back at his former club that night as he looked to beat Celtic to his signature. Coridon was still under contract at Lens but the Ligue 1 side were happy to allow him a shot to audition in Glasgow.
So what went wrong? Nothing egregious but there was a sense Coridon let the game pass him by and O’Neill conjured up the politest terms possible to describe a player blowing out his a*** at the final whistle. He opined: “He did okay. Obviously I will have to speak to him, but I don’t know the exact position with his club. It’s difficult to make an assessment after 90 minutes. Match fitness is another issue and he looked to be blowing quite hard at the end.”
His agent Willie McKay was more upbeat, insisting: “I spoke to Martin O’Neill this morning and negotiations are ongoing. He wants to see what he would cost in transfer fees, because he is still contracted to the club.”
The man himself, perhaps, could see the writing on the wall as he praised Celtic while hinting a mega money move to England was in the offing, stated: “I’ve enjoyed my time with Celtic and I want to thank the manager and the players. If Celtic decide not to take me then I have the opportunity to play in the English Premier League, but my first priority is to play for Celtic.”
So what happened next? Big Charles didn’t earn a move to Glasgow, or Liverpool, for that matter, as Paris Saint-Germain came calling. This wasn’t the Qatari-backed billionaires which modern football fans now know. But that PSG team was strong and Coridon was a key part of the side which competed in the 2004/05 Champions League.
He scored an iconic scorpion kick against Porto – a goal which was named as the best of the tournament by a fan poll on the UEFA website. Celtic did sign an attacking midfielder a fortnight after Coridon’s sliding doors moment as Juninho failed to recreate the magic which had been missing since Lubo Moravcik’s departure two years earlier.
Coridon technically wore the Hoops but he never earned a chance to become a bonafide Parkhead star. The French Eddy who might have been.