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The Football Show · 6 November 2026
Why did Aiden McGeady leave Celtic for Spartak Moscow? He tells Peter Martin on Straight Talk (first published in August 2023) that he'd always wanted to try something else: "I'd look back in my career and regret it if I never tried England or tried somewhere else." Spartak had seen him play against them in the Champions League, and Celtic accepted the bid: "Russian clubs don't mess about."
What was Spartak Moscow like?
Valery Karpin was "quite a volatile character himself", with run-ins and clashes. A Europa League quarter-final against Hulk and Falcao's Porto, Barcelona in the Champions League, and a rule that you had to have six Russian nationals in your starting team. His daughter was born in Moscow but couldn't get a Russian passport. And at home at Christmas, people would ask where he was now: "I'm still in Russia."
Why did he leave Spartak for Everton?
Six months left on his contract, no new deal, and back with the under-18s. Then Everton came up. He joined in the January and they finished fifth: a good club, he says, but "unrealistic expectations from the fans". Ronald Koeman? "Didn't really like him", but "he was at least quite honest and fair with me".
Should Aiden McGeady have gone to England instead of Moscow? Tell us below.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Leaving Celtic: "What else was there really to win?"
1:33 Why Spartak Moscow: "Russian clubs don't mess about"
2:40 Four years in Russia: out of sight, out of mind
4:03 Porto, Hulk, Falcao and the six-Russian rule
5:11 Life in Moscow, and a daughter born in Russia
7:26 Everton's car park: Eto'o's Ferrari and a Ford Mustang
8:33 Everton: "unrealistic expectations from the fans"
10:08 Ronald Koeman, Bolasie and Zaha
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Part 1, McGeady on Martin O'Neill's Celtic, Larsson, Benfica and Tommy Burns: https://youtu.be/aP8e6O19LUw
Watch the full Straight Talk with Aiden McGeady: https://youtu.be/6Ht9HUIHjdc
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