Celtic celebrate Jota milestone as remarkable 20-month statistic emerges

Jota returned from a 533-day injury absence to make his 100th appearance for Celtic during a 2-0 victory against Motherwell. Manager Martin O'Neill brought the Portuguese winger on in the 73rd minute for Sebastian Tounekti at Fir Park, following goals from Camilo Duran and Benjamin Nygren. The match marked Jota's first competitive action since suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury in March 2025.

The milestone appearance highlighted an unusual timeline, with Jota recording only 16 appearances over the previous 20 months between his second Celtic debut and his century game. Overall, 83 of his 100 Celtic appearances came during his initial spell before moving to Al-Ittihad, with the winger scoring 33 total goals for the club.