Alessandro del Piero still raves about Celtic atmosphere as ex Hoops star reveals what A-lister told him about epic night
Alessandro del Piero still raves about the atmosphere at Parkhead to this day, former Celtic star Ramon Vega has revealed.
Celtic had another special European night as they edged out Young Boys to qualify for the play-offs in the new format of the Champions League. Ex-Swiss international Vega knows all about the Parkhead atmosphere and he is friends with former Juventus icon del Piero - who is the second highest Italian scorer of all time with 346 goals in his career.
And del Piero recalled when he played and scored at Parkhead in 2001 in a thrilling 4-3 win for Celtic over Serie A giants Juventus in the Champions League.
He later claimed to have rejected an offer to sign for Celtic when he left Juventus in 2012 because he didn't want to play for another team in Europe - he signed for Sydney FC instead.
Vega said: "I met with Alessandro del Piero just two weeks ago. And he was still raving about the atmosphere at Celtic and the time he played there. But actually everyone who has experienced it does that.
"Even when you play for a big club like him, it still impresses enormously and they are all captivated. From the first second you walk into Celtic Park, you get goosebumps.
"The climax is when the team forms a huddle just before kick-off, the players push each other and the captain says the last words.
"It is dead silent. When the huddle breaks up, there is an eruption. The fans become deafeningly loud. The entire energy of this stadium literally flows into your body at that moment."
