Yet in the second half, there were signs the 31-year-old could be more than just a large relic left lying around the club. As the cobwebs came off his play and he attacked the ball lustily in the air and on the ground, glimpses could be seen of what he may still have to offer. With Caldwell now out injured for a month, Balde has a chance to reassert his worth.
That wage will prove a heavy burden, even for such an imposing figure. In the long-term, Strachan may hope John Kennedy recovers from his knee injury to offer an alternative to Caldwell and McManus. Yet writing Balde off would be an expensive business as his contract runs until 2009 and it is unlikely that one as lucrative will be offered elsewhere. Strachan may have to sift his performances in the coming weeks to see if he can become an asset rather than a liability.
Celtic conceded three goals at Old Trafford without Balde, but none at Celtic Park with him. Yes he gifted possession to Cristiano Ronaldo, but his recovery pace allowed him to put the Portuguese winger off his shot with a lunging challenge. Balde can play Celtic into trouble, but also bail them out of it. It was ever thus, as supporters who travelled to the Uefa Cup final in Seville, when he was sent off, or the Champions League match in Lyon, when his handball resulted in a penalty winner for the French, would attest. He still has a tendency to dive into tackles, as Paul Scholes discovered in the 28th minute, but nothing came of the resulting free-kick and the former England midfielder was more muted thereafter.
Balde is as straightforward in his answers as he is in his play and he holds his hands up to the first-half errors. “It was to do with match sharpness, but even then I should do better than that,” he said. “You try, but you would feel more confident with 10 games under your belt. I wasn’t nervous, but it was hard to get the right tempo for the game.”
In mitigation, Balde came into the Champions League after just two previous matches this season — the CIS Cup ties against St Mirren and Falkirk. “A few bodies in the team didn’t play at their standards in the first half,” said Strachan. “It was harder for him because he’s not played for a while and he could easily have buckled. I said to all the players at half-time, ‘You can be remembered for that 45 minutes or the next 45 — it’s up to yourself’.”
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Balde’s Celtic career could become one of two halves as well. The first four-year contract, awarded in 2001 and served until its completion in 2005. The second signed in O’Neill’s final season, with that controversial break clause that allowed him to talk to clubs on the eve of Strachan’s first campaign and which the new manager felt left the defender distracted during the 5-0 loss to Artmedia Bratislava. You sense Strachan’s doubts have never been quite dispelled.
The Champions League has held an allure for Balde since he grew up idolising the Marseilles team that won the first tournament in 1993, a triumph that was tarnished somewhat by the ensuing bribery scandal. Having been part of previous near misses, he and Neil Lennon could be forgiven for refusing to quite believe they had made the last 16. “At the end (Thomas) Gravesen was singing we were through,” added Balde, “but we didn’t realise, we were just enjoying winning the match. Then after five or 10 minutes everyone was saying we were through. It was hard to believe.”