Lewis Morgan’s move from being a Rangers season ticket holder to playing for Celtic might seem unusual, but it’s not as rare as some might think. Morgan, a self-confessed Gers fan, joined Celtic in January 2018. An impressive year at St Mirren had made him a sought-after prospect.
Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers even hailed the rising star as the future of Scottish football. The ex-Rangers youth player was given the opportunity to trade Championship football for the Scottish champions. This meant setting aside personal allegiances.
Navigating Divided Loyalties
Morgan addressed the controversy of his move. He told Record Sport: “Yeah, obviously pretty controversial. I mean, I was never going to come out and lie and say, ‘Oh, I supported Celtic.’ Scotland’s a goldfish bowl. I would have been outed in five minutes if I said that.”
Morgan explained his mindset as a footballer: “I feel like when you’re a footballer, it’s obviously completely different. Your job every day is to try and do the best for the club that is employing you. That’s really how I thought about it from a football development standpoint and playing.”
He added: “When I was younger, I came through the Rangers academy and obviously wanted to break through there and wasn’t able to do so. But I was a season ticket holder my whole life. Then it’s just trying to separate football from the team you support, to you’ve actually got a job to do.”
Famous Precedents and Hidden Affiliations
Many players have supported one club before making a name for themselves at another. Kenny Dalglish and Danny McGrain both had Ibrox leanings before becoming Celtic icons. Neil McCann and Mo Johnston both ended up in title-winning Rangers teams.
Morgan believes many more players have hidden affiliations. That’s why he didn’t hesitate in putting his boyhood loyalties to one side to join Celtic.
He said: “It’s hard to go back and remember exactly what you’re thinking. It was trying to separate the two. What I would say is that naturally Rangers and Celtic are the two biggest clubs in Scotland.”
Morgan added: “I’m not one of those people that say everyone is on one side of the divide because St Mirren fans just support St Mirren and probably hate when people say, ‘Oh, but who’s your second team?'”
Changing Room Secrets
Morgan revealed the potential for divided loyalties within teams. “Without outing and saying names, there’s obviously a ton of guys in both changing rooms, Rangers players that are Celtic fans and Celtic players that are Rangers fans. It’s impossible to avoid in Scotland when half the people you meet might be a Rangers fan, half are Celtic fans. There’s always going to be a crossover there.”
He concluded: “With me, maybe because I was in the Rangers academy and it was well known that I was a Rangers fan, it probably got a little bit more attention. But there’s certainly way more. There are hundreds more that people”