Giorgos Giakoumakis nets first Atlanta goal – before emotional ex-Celtic hero delivers major dressing room promise
EX-CELTIC striker Giorgos Giakoumakis scored his first goal for Atlanta United - before delivering a major promise to his teammates in the dressing room.
The Greek international joined the MLS side from the Premiership champions last month last month and was making his third appearance for his new team.
Giakoumakis' time at Parkhead came to an end after negotiations over a new deal broke down.
Despite being under contract until 2026, the Hoops decided to cash-in on the 28-year old who had only joined in the summer of 2021.
Giakoumakis found himself often playing second-fiddle to current Premiership top scorer Kyogo, whose relentless goalscoring form saw him maintain his place as the Hoops' No.1 centre-forward.
There was plenty of interest in Giakoumakis from various clubs across the globe, but it was Atlanta who won the race to land him.
read more celtic stories
And he's wasted little time in making his mark, netting his first goal in his third appearance and second start for the club.
Wearing number 7, Giakoumakis thundered in towards the back post to head in his team's second goal in a 5-1 rout of Portland Timbers.
After the match, the Atlanta United Twitter account posted a video showcasing the goal from various different angles.
It also included a brief behind the scenes moment of an emotional Giakoumakis addressing his teammates - hinting that this is just the start for them.
Most read in Football
Clutching the match ball, the ex-Celtic tells the squad: "I'm really happy and I think we can do great things in the future."
The MLS side will be delighted to see Giakoumakis hit the ground running, having brought him in to replace Josef Martinez, who had became an icon in the eyes of the Atlanta fans.
He had joined Celtic in 2021 from VVV-Venlo for £2.5 million after their relegation from the Eredivisie.
Giakoumakis finished the season with the Dutch side as top scorer with 26 goals despite their exit from the top league.
The former Hoops striker then went on to score 26 goals in 57 games for Ange Postecoglou's side across his 18-month spell in Glasgow, and was last season's joint-top Premiership scorer.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page