Had things gone differently for Olivier Ntcham he could have had a career on the stage or in the air.

A competitive break-dancer who also almost quit football for basketball, Ntcham has discovered life with a different kind of hoops.

And, as he prepares to return to his home city Paris, the 21-year-old is determined to make sure that he is capable of putting on a show for his friends and family who will be in attendance when Celtic’s Champions League campaign gets going.

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Ntcham has revealed that it was only his Mum who dissuaded him from quitting football as a kid when a spell in Montreal had his head turned by basketball, making for a poignant moment when Celtic head to the iconic Parc de Princes.

“It will be very emotional for my Mum, Ann Marie and my Dad, Jules, and they will be full of pride,” said Ntcham.

“When I was young, in Canada, I wanted to stop playing football to play basketball instead. But my mother said ‘no, you don’t stop, you must continue playing football.’

“So it will be emotional for her now. I was 10, 11 years old in Canada. I feel I owe my mother a lot because of her telling to stick with football. It has worked out so well for me.

“I was very serious [about quitting football]. In Canada we didn’t play outside because it was too cold. We played five against five indoors and after two years of this I wanted to stop. But she said ‘don’t stop.’

“She never watched me play football, but for some reason she just felt I had to continue playing football.

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“When I was six or seven years old I didn’t play football. I only started playing when I was 10 years old. Quite late, yes, but before that I was a breakdancer. It was between breakdancing and football.

“I performed with my older brother, he still does it. I used to breakdance outside, in front of people, putting on shows in the streets.

A keen boxer, too, Ntcham has no fears that Celtic could end up on the ropes as they enjoy another season of Champions League football.

Celtic came out in Group B yesterday evening with this summer’s big spenders Paris Saint Germain, Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and Belgium champions Anderlecht. Whether they can lay a glove on any of three remains to be seen, but this is a group that contains glamour while also offering the tantalising possibility of prolonging European involvement after Christmas.

Neymar’s £198m transfer from Barcelona to PSG was this story of the summer while teenager striking sensation Kylian Mbappe is also set for the club.

The formidable squad list will ensure that Celtic’s injection of glamour from the continent is assured, but Ntcham believes that once there are 11 players on the pitch, transfer fees and who’s who of the game are disregarded.

And, if there is a moment to savour with goals against the French giants, Ntcham has promised to get going with the dance moves to celebrate.

“My Celtic team-mates haven’t seen my dancing skills…I also haven’t told them!” he joked. “I would hope to do that [dance if I score].

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“It’s a little bit special for me because when I was young I was a big fan of PSG. It’s the first time I’ll have played against their first team. My hero as a kid was Pauleta, the striker. I loved him when he was on the pitch.

“Everything can happen in football. Even if you spend £400 million on a player, every other player in the pitch has to fit around them as well.

“We don’t have a target, we will just go on the pitch and play.”

While Neymar and Mbappe have dominated the headlines, there will be another few familiar faces for Ntcham.

Celtic open their campaign with a home game against the French side on Tuesday, 12th September, and the midfielder will be in familiar company.

“I know the central defender Presnel Kimpembe and midfielder Adrien Rabiot. I played against them when we were younger a couple of times,” he said.

“Champions League football is a big part of why I’m here and was my target because we weren’t sure if we would go through. My first target has been achieved so I am happy.

“I also know Kingsley Coman at Bayern Munich because we played together for the national team.

“Franck Ribery is a player I have always admired a lot. I think it is incredible how is career has developed. In France we have an academy, but he didn’t come through the academy level.

“He went elsewhere and played a lot of football and got a move straight to Marseille. Then he went to Bayern Munich. The way he came through in football was a lot harder and he has been a big inspiration for me.”