Celtic's new signing Marc Crosas has revealed former Rangers hero Giovanni van Bronckhorst sold him the idea of a move to Glasgow.
The 20-year-old midfielder, signed from Barcelona on a four-year deal for an initial fee of £400,000, was introduced to the Hoops fans ahead of the 1-0 win over St Mirren at Celtic Park on Sunday.
Speaking at the club's training ground at Lennoxtown, Crosas, who rejected interest from Sevilla and several Italian clubs, told how it was Van Bronckhorst, rather than former Celtic hero Henrik Larsson, who encouraged him to make the move away from the Nou Camp.
He said: 'Henrik Larsson had left Barcelona before I arrived two years ago and I didn't have the opportunity to speak to him. But Gio van Bronckhorst told me about the city and it was good advice.
'I asked for advice and he advised me as a friend, not as a fan. He told me that Glasgow is a very nice city and that I would have no problems in adapting.
'He also said that Celtic are a very good team and it would be like home here. But I had heard of Celtic, they are a good name in Spanish football.
'We watch a lot of British football in Spain and Celtic are well known.'
Crosas is hoping to repay the Parkhead faithful for the 'amazing' reception he received before the St Mirren game.
He said: 'The fact that there was 60,000 there and cheering for me was amazing. It was unbelievable. You could see from my face I was a bit scared.
'I want to repay that by playing well for the club. I'm grateful to the fans and my team mates who have made it easy for me to integrate quickly.
'And I think training at Lennoxtown is going to make it easy for me to fit in at the club.'
