The Saudi Premier League dream might have turned into something more like a nightmare for Jota. But the returning Hoops hero insists he’ll never have any regrets over leaving adulation in Glasgow’s east end for abandonment in the Middle East.

Not when he says that experience means he is returning to Celtic Park as a stronger person with ambitions to be an even better player. Turfed out of Al-Ittihad’s domestic squad due to rules over the number of foreign players, the Portuguese wing king’s first and only season in the desert may have burned out faster than he could ever have imagined.

In total he made 16 appearances in the league for the Jeddah-based club before being moved on to Rennes last summer where again he found himself on the periphery of a starting XI. The 25-year-old admits the last 18 months felt more like 10 years. But he never downed tools. Never gave up fighting. The experience of training alongside superstars including Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante at Ittihad helped. As did appearing on the same park as his idol Ronaldo in one of his few appearances.

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Now his journey has landed him back at Celtic, quicker than he might have ever expected, he’s desperate to prove the risk he took leaving a place where he was loved was worth it as he looks to reconnect with his adoring fans.

He said: “Decisions happened and life happened. During our path, a lot of things you cannot control happen. Then you have to deal with it. I had to overcome those obstacles and difficulties.

“In the end I wanted things to be different and they weren’t. But that’s life. And the way I see myself throughout this moment is the way I come out from it, you know? So, I’m proud of the choices I’ve made and I’m proud of the way I came out from certain circumstances.

“It’s completely different when you play two, three times per week – then you stop playing. But that was due to regulations, the bureaucratic stuff. In the end, it’s difficult when you’re training and you cannot play because you are not on the list for the championship. That was tough. But I couldn’t stop because I knew the worst thing to do was to stop and to give up.

“I always kept on fighting to find the solution and life works in mysterious ways. And today the solution is Celtic. So, it’s funny how life works. I didn’t know it was going to be so fast like this but the last year and a half, it felt like 10 years. So coming here, it’s just like a great feeling of joy and happiness and I just feel at home.

“My last 18 months, they were much more mental than something else. I’ve discovered myself in a way I didn’t know. And that’s the beautiful thing in life because we need to be able to put ourselves in circumstances we are not comfortable.

“I’d rather take these risks instead of staying in the same place where you are comfortable and you feel like you’re never going away from it. You know, like so many people in the world, they don’t take risks because they feel uncertain about what’s on the other side.

“You get to see what it is to play with Ballon d’Or, with World Cup winners, Champions League winners. I mean, that’s the stuff you dream about, isn’t it? And I was no different from it. I enjoyed getting to know the details, the way they would move, would do things.

“Even against other teams where I was playing against very good players, I always felt like, wow, the level is quite good. So yeah, I try to learn as much as possible. I played against Ronaldo, which was a dream of mine. He was my biggest idol when I was younger. It was a dream to have stepped on the pitch with him. I think that’s something that I will always remember. That was a proud moment.

“We spoke before the game. Just casual stuff. We had to be concentrated for the game as well. Yeah, but it was a very good experience for me. Just drinking from their wisdom and the way they saw football.

“They’ve been in the top of football, they have conquered everything. And when you have the chance of getting to know these people, you can see another perspective.”

It’s a well-worn cliche in football that past heroes should never go back. Brendan Rodgers is a living example of why it doesn’t always ring true. The manager was a key factor in convincing Jota to head back to Glasgow where he said he can grow the legacy that saw him score 28 times in 83 appearances and win back-to-back titles among five trophies.

Above all else the player can’t wait to feel the love of the Parkhead punters again. He said: “The love I’ve been given from Celtic fans was something extraordinary. And let’s be honest, I’m probably never going to feel something like this again in my life because Celtic is definitely a different club from all of the others.

“I’m not someone that will be obsessed with a certain amount of statistics or titles or this or that. As long as there’s commitment, ambition, talent, and hard work and consistency, I think things will happen naturally, just the same way it happened two years ago.

“So, we don’t put that pressure on ourselves. We put the responsibility, which for me is two different things. And I can imagine things will just be great.”