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Fullname: Andreas Hinkel
aka: Andy Hinkel
Born: 26 March 1982
Birthplace: Backnang, Germany
Signed: January 2008
Left: 1 July 2011 (free)
Position: Right-back, Defender
Debut: Celtic 1 v Kilmarnock 0, SPL, 19th January 2008
Squad No.: 2
Internationals: Germany
International Caps: 21
International Goals 0
Biog
“Once a Bhoy, always a Bhoy. Right?”
Andreas Hinkel
German international Andreas Hinkel was a £1.9m capture for the Bhoys in January 2008.
The Hoops got their man on 4th January 2008 when the Seville full-back signed a contract which tied him to Parkhead until 2011. Hinkel had moved to Spain in 2006 for a reported £3m after making his name with Vfb Stuttgart.
Capped 17 times by Germany the defender had previously played against Celtic for Stuttgart in the 2003 UEFA Cup. Having lost his place at Seville to Brazilian ace Daniel Alves, regarded as the world’s best right back, Hinkel was expected to return home, but Celtic beat off competition from Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg to win the race for his signature.
Despite picking up a couple of niggling injuries Hinkel’s first six months proved to be a success and on the whole the full back proved to be an asset. Technically assured, comfortable in possession and not afraid to burst forward, the German was a fine attack-minded full-back. Defensively his critics will however point out a tendency to be caught out of position and could be prone to not cutting out crosses from attackers, but no more than many others. In some ways, much better going forward than defending at the back.
Having settled into life in Scotland on and off the pitch, and with a Championship winners medal secured in his first season, Hinkel looked a much more consistent performer in his first full campaign (2008/09) and although Celtic would lose out on the title the German was one player who emerged with credit after a fine season.
Following the departure of manager, Gordon Strachan, Andreas remained a key member of the Celtic side under new boss Tony Mowbray as the Bhoys set out to reclaim their title. Despite the team making a poor start to the 2009/10 campaign the German remained a reliable performer. His ability to get forward proved fruitful and by the start of 2010 he had already a dozen assists to his name.
Hertha Berlin were rumoured to be keen to take him back to Germany in January 2010 but Hinkel remained at Parkhead. Although he failed to maintain his early season form he remained easily one of Celtic’s better performers. Celtic continued to struggle though, and after a 4-0 thrashing by St Mirren, manager Mowbray was axed.
Luck didn’t appear on his side during 2010, and Hinkel was unfortunate not to make the cut for the Germany squad for World Cup 2010. Given the talent he was up against that was no disgrace. He even went on German TV and sang some German country & western song in the street for some local show which was a bit surreal if you ever watch the video.
Under interim manager Neil Lennon, Hinkel found himself on the bench for several encounters but by the end of the 2009-10 season he seemed to have again made the right-back slot his own. But with the player entering the final year of his contract, Lennon admitted the club were trying to offload the high-earner rather than lose him on a free transfer in the summer of 2011. He was conspicuously absent from the European squad list, while the inferior Cha Du-Ri was installed as the first choice right-back. However, two weeks before the close of the summer transfer window disaster struck when Hinkel ruptured his cruciate ligament in training.
That cruel injury meant the talented German remained a Celt but missed the entire 2010-11 campaign. With Hinkel now to be a free agent and expected to return to Germany, he spent a year rehabilitating from injury which was a sad end to the Hoops career of a quiet yet popular player. Undoubtedly one of Strachan’s better signings, Hinkel was a player who deserved to achieve more during his time in Scotland, but difficult periods under two two managers and then injury curtailed this.
Hinkel was a class player, despite lacking some pace. It was seen as a poor reflection on the club that he did not leave with more silverware for the time, effort and professionalism that he put in at Celtic, but this was before the ‘revelations’ about Rangers’ financial cheating.
Post-Celtic
Sadly, at the age of 30, he was forced to retire from playing due to persistent injuries. A popular guy, and he later made a greater name for himself by criticising Rangers for cheating him out of medals.
He went on into coaching firstly moving up the grades at Stuttgart, then onto Spartak Moscow. He then became the assistant manager at the much maligned RB Leipzig.
In 2022, RB Leipzig side faced Sevco in the Europa League but lost and then later that year, but he got a dig into Sevco in a press conference which made all Celtic fans smile. By incredible coincidence, his side were then to face Celtic in the Champions League, but after a poor start to the season, his manager and himself were both cut before he had a chance for a reunion with Celtic.
[….]
We wish him all the best.
Quotes
“I always appreciated your support and enjoyed the unrivalled atmosphere at Celtic Park. I’m grateful for the experiences I made, the lovely people I met and the achievements during my two and a half years as a Bhoy. I’m not at Glasgow anymore, but: Once a Bhoy, always a Bhoy. Right?”
Andreas Hinkel
“Of course it’s not as good as Celtic Park (smiles).”
RB Leipzig assistant manager Andreas Hinkel on being questioned on the Ibrox atmosphere prior to UEFA Cup semi-final (2022)
Playing Career
| CLUB | FROM | TO | FEE | LEAGUE | Scottish Cup | League Cup | OTHER | ||||
| APPS | GLS | APPS | GLS | APPS | GLS | APPS | GLS | ||||
| Celtic | 04-Jan-08 | 01-Jul-10 | £1,900,000 | 78 (1) | 1 | 8 (0) | 0 | 5 (0) | 0 | 10 (0) | 0 |
| Seville | 01-Aug-06 | 04-Jan-08 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | |
| Stuttgart | 01-Jul-00 | 01-Aug-06 | 58 (2) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 14 (1) | 1 | |
Honours with Celtic
Scottish League
Scottish League Cup
| KDS Honours | ||
| MOTM Winners 2007-08 | ||
| 12-Jan-08 | Celtic 3 v 0 Stirling | Scottish Cup |
| 12-Mar-08 | Celtic 0 v 0 Dundee Utd | SPL |
| 18-Mar-08 | Celtic 0 v 1 Aberdeen | Scottish Cup |
| 29-Mar-08 | Rangers 1 v 0 Celtic | SPL |
| Mar-08 | Mar-08 Player of the Month | |
| MOTM Winners 2008-09 |
||
| 22-Nov-08 | St Mirren 1-3 Celtic | SPL |
| 29-Nov-08 | Celtic 1-0 Inverness CT | SPL |
| 07-Dec-08 | Hibs 2-0 Celtic | SPL |
| Dec-08 | Dec-08 Joint Player of the Month | |
| Apr-09 | Apr-09 Player of the Month | |
| MOTM Winners 2009-10 | ||
| 25-Oct-09 |
Hamilton 1-2 Celtic |
SPL |
| 28-Oct-09 |
Celtic 0-1 Heart of Midlothian |
League Cup |
| 31-Oct-09 |
Celtic 3-0 Kilmarnock |
SPL |
| Oct-09 |
Oct 09 Player of the Month |
|
Pictures
KStreet threads
Articles
Hinkel Signs for Celtic
CELTIC are delighted to announce the signing of Andreas Hinkel from Sevilla on a three-and-a-half deal.
The 25-year-old German internationalist has earned 17 caps for his country and previously played with top Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart.
Speaking after he completed the move to Celtic, Andreas said: “I am delighted to sign for Celtic Football Club and am really looking forward to joining up with my new team-mates.
“Celtic is a great club with a great history, having achieved such success at home and in Europe. It is a great honour to join the club and I hope to play an important part in the club’s future over the next few years.
“Having already played against Celtic in European competition, I am well aware of the magnificent stadium and wonderful passionate support which the club enjoys.
“I will be doing my very best to work as hard as I can to try and bring as much success as possible to the Celtic fans.”
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan said: “We are delighted to complete this signing. Andreas is someone who we have been looking at for some time and we are pleased to have finally got him to Celtic.
“We are sure he has all the qualities to be a great success at the Club.”
Chief Executive Peter Lawwell said: “We are very pleased to welcome Andreas to Celtic. He is a player with a fantastic pedigree and one who was in high demand, with a number of other clubs interested in him – we are pleased to have been successful in securing his signature.
“We are delighted once again to have invested in the first team through this signing and can assure fans that the Celtic Board will continue to do all we can to support Gordon’s plans for the development of the Celtic squad.”
Andy Hinkel says goodbye!
(From his FB page), August 2011
Dear Celtic supporters
It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me. So, it’s definitely time to date you up. It is certain that my contract with Celtic will not be extended. Unfortunately, I will not have the opportunity to say goodbye in person at Paradise. That’s why I have to do it here: I had an absolutely outstanding time with you guys. I always appreciated your support and enjoyed the unrivalled atmosphere at Celtic Park. I’m grateful for the experiences I made, the lovely people I met and the achievements during my two and a half years as a Bhoy. I’m not at Glasgow anymore, but: Once a Bhoy, always a Bhoy. Right? I hope you’ll stay connected to my page. I promise to keep you posted every once in a while.
Take care!
Andy
Ex-Celtic star Andreas Hinkel insists Rangers did him out of SPL championship medal
Daily Record
As Hinkel surveys the Scottish football landscape in the wake of Rangers’ financial collapse and subsequent slide into our game’s bottom tier, he admits to having no sympathy for the Ibrox side.
He can still recall the sickening feeling of losing a championship medal on the final day of the season back in 2009 and living with that disappointment as Rangers assumed the dominant role in the SPL.
But after seeing the Ibrox outfit’s kamikaze financial strategy laid bare in recent months, Hinkel is adamant they were gaining an unfair advantage over their rivals by spending cash they didn’t have.
The German defender was not referring to the possible use of dual contracts at Ibrox, which could yet become a key issue, but he feels he was part of a Celtic side unjustly denied a title through no fault of the players and management.
And if the consequences of wrongdoing are severe for Rangers then that’s a case of the punishment fitting the crime in Hinkel’s eyes.
The 30-year-old, who’s back in his homeland and looking for a new club, went to watch his old team take on Stuttgart Kickers on Sunday night.
After the 1-0 win for the German Third Division side Hinkel addressed the incredible state of the game in Scotland and revealed the first person he feels sorry for in the whole sorry business is his former Celtic boss Gordon Strachan.
He said: “When we lost the league title in 2009 it was such a tight race with Rangers and the manager had done a great job with the side.
“Now you can see what was going on and it’s a shame for him.
“It’s a shame because Rangers spent so much money on players when the truth of the matter was they didn’t have any to spend.
“My personal feeling is I could have won more titles as a Celtic player because the league in Scotland was so tight every season.
“I don’t know if what Rangers did back then could have been described as cheating, but it certainly wasn’t right.
“A lot of clubs did what Rangers did, but that’s not the point. They all have to be punished for wrongdoing.”
With newco Rangers set to start life in Scotland’s fourth tier next season, Hinkel credits the game’s governing bodies in this country for realising a severe punishment was the only way forward.
He said: “There have to be big changes in Scottish football and if that means making an example of Rangers, that’s how it has to be.
“There are times in life when you have to make decisions.
“How can you justify yourselves to the world, particularly during a time of financial crisis, if you don’t punish clubs who break the rules?
“But I admit the situation that’s now been created isn’t perfect for Scottish football.
“The Old Firm match made an impact on people’s minds all over the world. Everybody around the world loves watching that game.”
But Hinkel knows the loss of a derby isn’t the only consequence of consigning Rangers to the lower orders in Scotland.
He added: “The downside for Celtic will be that it could be difficult to entice new players to Glasgow if there’s no Old Firm games.
“That’s always been a big attraction for foreign players.
“It’s difficult to sign big-name players if you don’t have big games and money to attract them.
“Things have already changed a lot from the time when I signed for Celtic in 2008.
“Then we had the likes of Shunsuke Nakamura and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who were world renowned names.
“I sat in the crowd for the game against Stuttgart Kickers and the German fans didn’t know any of the current Celtic team, apart from Georgios Samaras, and he wasn’t even playing.”
But Hinkel refuses to join the body of opinion, led by SFA chief executive Stewart Regan, that Rangers in the Third Division means the start of a slow, lingering death for Scottish football as a whole.
He said: “I don’t agree with that assessment because in four years the game will be the same again.
“Maybe all of this will turn out to be good for Scottish football because one of the side effects will be that other teams get European places.
“If they have good, intelligent people at these clubs then they can profit from this situation.
“If they can get some extra money from Europe then a third or fourth team can grow and then you have more than two sides in Scotland who are fighting for honours.
“I certainly hope Scottish football will get better. I lived there and I love the country.”
Hinkel also has an admiration for Neil Lennon and the job he’s done since becoming Celtic manager.
He added: “Neil won all the league games when he became manager near the end of the season when Tony Mowbray left the club.
“But now it’s vital the manager reaches the Champions League.
“It’s so important because that tournament can bring you a lot of money and you can build things up at the club.”