From 'living hell' to 'living the dream' - Champions League awaits Celtic's Sadiku

Elena Sadiku (centre) has led Celtic into the Women's Champions League group stage

Elena Sadiku has rarely taken the easy route in life. In fact, she's "been through hell" to get here.

Here, of course, is on the cusp of leading the first Scottish side to compete in the Women's Champions League group stage, since the competition underwent a revamp in season 2021-22.

It's a stage the former midfielder once would've set her eyes on as a player, but her dreams of a career pulling the strings in the middle of the pitch were brought to a brutal end at the age of 23 following 13 surgeries on her knee.

Instead, she will need to settle with shouting commands from the sidelines as one of the youngest coaches to guide a side in Europe's elite tournament when Celtic welcome Twente on Tuesday.

The 30-year-old does not see it as settling, though. No, with her players - who entered this stage by winning their first SWPL title last season - the Swede is "living her dream" as a history-making head coach.

'With togetherness, you’re always going to be successful'

When Celtic clinched their maiden league title back in May, in the most dramatic of scenarios with a 90th-minute winner, Sadiku said she had, "changed the mindset from being underdogs to dominating" since coming to the club.

It's easy to forget the former Everton under-21 boss only took the gig in Glasgow in January of this year. It's been a relentless run subsequently.

In the league, she's only suffered defeat once, in her first game, against the league's previous sole, dominant force, Glasgow City.

Since then, there have been last-minute winners and gutsy comebacks - as recent as last Thursday - against their arch rivals, Rangers, which have showcased that shift in mentality Sadiku set about implementing.

Even in this competition, way back in the semi-finals of the first round of qualifying, Celtic were staring at the exit door as they could not break down KuPS, until Saoirse Noonan equalised to force extra-time and then killed the tie by completing her hat-trick.

It's a never say die attitude that Sadiku has been forced to develop and deploy through self professed hell.

She was 19 when she first suffered an ACL injury. She went away, recovered and returned, and within three months, did it again on the same knee. Rinse and repeat the process.

The third time she sustained the injury, that had to be that. But there was no quitting, rather an adjustment in ambition as she turned her hand to coaching all but immediately and got right back to the grind.

"I’ve been in the dark, I’ve been through hell but I’ve also been a hard working person throughout my whole life – not only football," she said in the wake of the qualifying for the group stages.

"I remember the first time coming here, it was not a good mood in the group, but I think I’ve come in with energy and belief and I always think that with togetherness, you’re always going to be successful.

"That’s my values, I’m the kind of coach who has big belief in my players. They’ve been growing since I’ve come in."

'I'm living my dream with them'

Success in Scotland has been achieved, now it's about what noise Celtic can make on the European stage.

On the face of it, it's a tough task with Twente, Real Madrid and Chelsea also in Group B, but Sadiku is hopeful of "surprising a few teams".

She certainly does not want her side just competing. Mind, she settles with nothing.

Even in the aftermath of defeating Vorskla Poltava and sealing their spot among the top 16 teams in the competition, Sadiku said she was "never going to get comfortable in the moment," and was already eyeing up their next game.

"This is going to be the start, and it's a great thing for my CV, if I could say it like that," she explained.

"I wouldn't change it for anything else, I am so happy with the girls here at this club and it is about working them harder to do great things.

"I've told them, I am living my dream together with them. I don't think there is a better achievement than that."

It would be quite the achievement if Celtic could make a dent at this level. Glasgow City reached the quarter-finals in 2013 and 2020 when it was a knockout phase rather than a group stage format, but the women's game across the board is rapidly rising.

Keeping up with the Dutch league winners, a Spanish heavyweight and the champions of England seems a daunting task, but Sadiku is no stranger to skipping over the odd hurdle or two.

Now her side need to show the same kind of bravery to make history once more.