ASK ANY Celtic supporter and they will tell you that Lubomir Moravcik was a ‘Gift from God’.

In fact, the former midfielder once said of his time at the club: "It was the opposite – Celtic was a gift from God to me."

Whatever way both parties chose to interpret it, the Slovakian is still revered in Paradise. Moravcik spent four seasons at the club and carved an indelible mark in the hearts and minds of the Hoops faithful.

The mercurial, two-footed midfielder lit up Parkhead and those who were privileged to witness him in his pomp and ceremony in Glasgow knew they were watching something special whenever he took to the field.

Moravcik arrived in Scotland under Dr Jo Venglos and spent a season under John Barnes and Kenny Dalglish, yet it was his fourth and final boss at Celtic – Martin O’Neill – that brought about the most successful period of his career. After some initial doubts over his best position, that is.

“The opportunity to sign for Celtic came under Dr Jo Venglos,” Moravcik said. “I was blown away by the stadium when I first saw it. When they said 60,000 supporters came to watch Celtic I thought they were joking but it was true.

“I spent one campaign with Dr Jo, one season with John Barnes and Kenny Dalglish and the other two with Martin O'Neill.

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"We did not enjoy great success for a couple of years but then Martin came in and he turned the club upside down. We won the domestic treble in the first season followed by another league title in the following campaign. It was a privilege to play under Martin.

"In the early days, I didn't think it was going to work for me as he wanted me to play as a left wing-back and that just wasn't my game.

"Eventually we had a conversation and he decided to give me a chance in my preferred position further up the field in the number 10 role, where I would often come in off the left-hand side.

"I never looked back after that and things worked out fantastically well. I had an absolutely brilliant time when I was at Celtic."

By the time he departed the club, Moravcik had won a total of two Scottish Premier League titles, a Scottish Cup and two League Cups. He amassed nearly 130 appearances and scored 35 goals for the Hoops, leaving supporters with a treasure trove of memories in the process.

Chief among those was scoring twice on his club debut – a 5-1 win over Rangers in 1998. He also notched a brace in a memorable 3-0 Ibrox stroll during the treble-winning 2000-01 campaign.

On top of the derby feats, Moravcik says the famous 4-3 win over Juventus in the 2001 Champions League group stages will live with him forever.

“My Celtic highlights were scoring against Rangers which was always incredible,” he said. “The derby debut against Rangers when I scored two goals and Celtic won 5-1 was special. Any goal against Rangers was brilliant but to score twice at Ibrox in that 3-0 victory in 2001 made it all the sweeter.

Celtic Way:

“But I'm always indebted to Martin for giving me a Champions League farewell that night against Juventus. He started me in the match that we won 4-3 at Celtic Park.

"Playing in front of 60,000 fans against Juventus in the Champions League was an incredible experience. It is one of the most special memories I have from my playing days."

There is, in fact, only downside to Moravcik’s time in Glasgow: not sticking around longer to become part of the side that reached the UEFA cup final in Seville in 2003.

"My only regret is that I left the club a year too soon,” Moravcik added. “Had I stayed on I would have been able to a part to play in Celtic's run to Seville.

“I was delighted to see the club do so well in Europe and to reach the UEFA Cup final.”

On leaving Celtic, the former Czechoslovakia and Slovakia international enjoyed a brief sojourn in Japan with J-League outfit JEF United Chiba, where he was reunited with Venglos.

Current Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou made the opposite journey last summer, taking the reins at Parkhead after a spell with Yokohama F Marinos. Kyogo Furuhashi made the same trip soon after in a multi-million-pound deal from Vissel Kobe while Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and Daizen Maeda joined them in January.

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Nobody, therefore, is more delighted than Moravcik to see the impact Postecoglou and the J1 League recruits have made in their first season.

He reckons that, in talismanic striker Kyogo in particular, the Hoops have bagged a player of immense talent but that all four J1 League recruits can aid Ange Postecoglou’s bit for European and domestic success next term.

“I have really enjoyed watching Celtic this season under Ange Postecoglou,” Moravcik said. “I have even managed to get over for a couple of games.

"I am delighted to see the impact made by the Japanese players. I enjoyed a short stint in Japanese football when I left Celtic. The one thing I knew those players would definitely bring to Celtic was their incredible work ethic.

"To see the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate doing what they do week in and week out was not a great surprise to me.

"I love the qualities of Kyogo as I believe he is a special player. But I think all the Japanese players – and I include Yosuke Ideguchi when I say this – are only going to get better with a full pre-season under their belts.

"They are the kind of players who I think can do well in the Champions League and also help Celtic retain the title."

You better believe it. When a football God speaks, people tend to listen.

  • Lubomir Moravcik will join Martin O'Neill, Chris Sutton, Paul Lambert, Jackie McNamara & Simon Donnelly at the SEC Armadillo in Glasgow on May 29 as part of An Unforgettable Experience 2. Tickets are available here.