ANITA Marcos, who joined Celtic on loan from from Atletico Madrid last week, hopes the switch to less agreeable climatic conditions will be compensated by considerably more first team football and opportunities to score goals.
The 19-year-old striker – her designated name is Anita - is under contract to Atletico until 2022. She will stay with Celtic until the end of June, with the option of extending until the conclusion of the Scottish season in November.
“Two years ago I joined the first team at Atletico and trained with them, but played with the second team,” she pointed out. “This season I only train with the first team but didn't get a lot of minutes so I need to come here for more minutes and to score goals.”
Celtic's bid to win a first-ever Scottish title will be boosted if Anita regains the scoring touch which brought her 54 goals in 61 games for Atletico's B team, which plays in Spain's second tier. Her limited first team experience includes a goal against Rayo Vallecano and a Champions League substitute appearance against Wolfsburg.
The forward's whirlwind introduction to Scotland included a start in the opening SBS SWPL1 game between Celtic and Glasgow City at the K Park on Friday night, some 72 hours after her arrival in the country. Despite the atrocious conditions she very nearly scored with a header after just six minutes, but with Scotland goalkeeper Lee Alexander well beaten the ball struck the far post and rebounded out.
“When I see the ball is not in I think: 'Oh my god, I feel so bad',” she said with a wide grin in the media room at Celtic Park. Her side won 2-1 against thanks to a winner at the death from captain Kelly Clark, and Anita says she will enjoy playing in a league which has more emphasis on physical and direct football than in her native Spain.
She is one of several players on professional contracts at Celtic, a new development which facilitated the move to Glasgow. Her opportunities were limited in Madrid because her parent club has a multi-national squad, including England forward Toni Duggan.
Atletico have been champions of Spain for the last three seasons, but now trail Barcelona by nine points with time running out in the Primera Division. She will have a second chance of a 2020 league winners' medal at Celtic.
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