OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH ARTUR BORUC THE HOLY GOALIE,HE HATES THE HUNS . . . .
THE HOLY WARSCELTIC legend Artur Boruc has ended his tempestuous love affair with the Parkhead club exactly five years after bursting onto the Old Firm scene.
The Polish star joined Italian side Fiorentina for £1.7million last week, leaving only memories of the dozens of flashpoints he ignited.
The goalkeeper had shaken Scottish football to its core for his £30,000 a week pay cheque and it was time to go.
Flamboyant Boruc, 30, flew into Glasgow in July 2005, signed from Legia Warsaw in Poland for £600,000.
He was immediately taken to the hearts of adoring Hoops fans - and HATED by opposition supporters.
His barmy antics on and off the pitch led to furious rows, punch-ups, political controversy and even death threats.
He was a one-man hurricane who had blown in to Glasgow's East End and out again, left it reeling with his barmy antics on and off the pitch... and moved on.
GERRY DUFFY takes a look at how Boruc became one of the most controversial players to grace our game.
THE Holy Goalie was at it again.
He had already sparked uproar by blessing himself scores of times at matches in front of home and away fans.
But this would be devout Catholic Boruc's defining moment.
Celtic had just clinched a nailbiting 3-2 victory over Rangers at Parkhead in April 2008.
Boruc stood tall and looked round at the 60,000 capacity crowd. Then he raised the yellow keeper's jersey over his head.
Underneath he wore a T-shirt with a message that sent the home fans into a frenzy and the travelling Rangers fans into a fury.
It simply said: "God Bless The Pope" alongside a picture of late Polish Pope John Paul II.
Boruc appeared to revel in the storm he was causing.
His Hoops team-mates struggled to hide their smiles as the proud Pole marched off the field.
They congratulated him and Aussie striker Scott McDonald, in particular, was in stitches.
But Hoops boss Gordon Strachan recognised the danger and tried to defuse the situation.
He said after the game: "If it was 'God bless Myra Hindley,' I might have a problem.
"He's not a bad lad to be fair - the Pope I mean!"
But Boruc was blasted as a BIGOT by Gers supporters.
And, more damagingly, anti-sectarian group Nil By Mouth put out a statement.
It said: "We are concerned at the risk of provoking a sectarian reaction in the context of an Old Firm match."
Even Celtic legend and Lisbon Lion Billy McNeill criticised the star's antics, branding him BONKERS. McNeill said: "I couldn't believe what Boruc did.
"Why, oh why, did he feel the need to brandish it? Boruc is just bonkers at times. He has to be more careful in how he exhibits his religion.
"An Old Firm derby is not the occasion to do it."
Boruc escaped punishment by footy bosses over the incident but the SFA were on to him.
It's thought they warned Celtic in writing that religious messages were banned by FIFA.
The incident even lead to MPs raising a motion in the House Of Commons.
Hand signals ... Boruc was fined £500 for this gesture to Rangers fans during an Old Firm defeat
Gregory Campbell, the DUP MP for East Londonderry, said he was particularly angry that Celtic had failed to publicly condemn his actions.
Rangers fan Mr Campbell hit out: "If this was a first offence committed by an 18-year-old player who wasn't aware of what in the past has been quite a volatile match, you could have at least overlooked it.
"But this is about the third or fourth occasion in which there has been some controversy surrounding Boruc."
The Holy Goalie got his own warning letter from football chiefs. They warned him in POLISH that the gesture was way out of order. But by then Boruc was used to taking flak for his religious beliefs.
So what if the rival fans didn't understand his religious expressions?
He had pictures of Pope John Paul on his website and was even snapped in a full MONK'S outfit on the internet.
The nickname The Holy Goalie had stuck fast from his early days at Parkhead.
He had a pre-match ritual that included blessing himself with the sign of the cross. The star claimed he only ever made the sign of the cross in memory of his mum, Jadwiga. She had died of cancer when he was just 20 - before he made his pro debut.
But rival fans didn't care about that.
Many people wrongly thought he'd been ARRESTED by the Glasgow polis after Rangers fans erupted in fury when he blessed himself in front of them at Ibrox in 2006.
He was given a police caution - but it was for childish gestures to the packed stand just feet from his goal and not for making a religious sign.
However, the incident prompted a massive row with high-profile politicians as Scotland's leading RC paper launched a petition to get the caution overturned. It argued that nobody had ever been prosecuted for making the sign of the cross. Boruc was defiant.
He accused Gers fans of sour grapes because Celtic won 1-0.
He said: "The Rangers fans were furious at the failure of their team. My ritual was not meant to be offensive to anyone."
Eventually Crown Office bosses took the unusual step of issuing a statement confirming that Boruc was rapped for TAUNTING the Ibrox crowd - and not for making his religious gesture.
Prosecutors said the star was caught "smiling or laughing."
Boruc then made a "come on" gesture to the stand just feet from his goal, they said.
He said: "I crossed myself once in front of the Celtic stands and after half time in front of the Rangers stands.
"I didn't provoke anyone. I don't care if they bring their complaints to the police.
"I cannot be locked up for making the sign of the cross. It's Great Britain and not some kind of uncivilised place."
A year later and the Pole was on the front pages again - this time for charging across the Ibrox turf with a 'champions' flag in Celtic colours.
That was swiftly followed by a £500 fine when he gave Gers fans the FINGER following Celtic's 4-2 defeat by Rangers at Parkhead.
The Holy Goalie was clearly not in the mood for repentance.
GOD BLESS ARTUR BORUC 
von McCeltic » Sa 15. Mai 2010, 12:34 
East Kilbride
