The Big Interview Stiliyan Petrov

“Celts will still have to keep an eye on Kaka.”

He was arguably the most exciting talent in world football. In fact he was expected to become one of the best of all time.

At the age of 21, Kaka literally had the world at his feet when he arrived at AC Milan from Brazil.

The £8.5m transfer fee to land him from Sao Paulo was described as “peanuts” by club owner Silvio Berlusconi and it didn’t take long for the samba starlet to showcase his talents.

His first full season at the San Siro ended with the midfielder netting 10 goals in 30 league appearances to secure the title for his new club as well as the UEFA Super Cup.

And, despite his age, he was also nominated for both the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year, finishing 15th and 9th respectively as the man compared to the legendary Pele looked capable of following in the great man’s footsteps.

At the beginning of the following campaign, as Celtic prepared to head to the San Siro on Champions League duty, manager Martin O’Neill was spoiled for choice when he sought to identify the Milan dangermen.

Andrea Pirlo was pulling the strings in the middle of the park, alongside Dutchman Clarence Seedorf with Andrei Shevchenko leading the line.

But it was the man in the middle Kaka who O’Neill identified as undoubtedly the true star for the Italian giants.

It’s just a week shy of nine years ago that the Brazilian first crossed swords with the Parkhead side and he made an immediate impression on Stiliyan Petrov that night.

“We lost the game 3-1 and, if memory serves me correctly, he was at the heart of all their best moves,” recalled the former Celtic midfielder.

“We were obviously well aware of him before the game because his move to AC Milan made a lot of headlines.

“I’m not so sure he was as well-known back then as he is now because it wasn’t until he eventually moved to Real Madrid that he really became one of the most famous players in the world.

“But Kaka was obviously a massive talent even back in 2004. He was without doubt the best young player in the world at that time.

“I don’t know exactly what happened during his time at Real Madrid but any time I have ever watched him he has always impressed.

“He might be 31 now but he will be older and wiser and I’d imagine he’ll definitely be one of the players Celtic will have to keep a very close eye on this week, just as he was all those years ago.”

Although Kaka was the star of the show, Petrov believes the AC Milan team his Hoops team-mates encountered that evening was one of the strongest the Italian giants have ever fielded.

“Celtic have faced AC Milan a few times now, but when we travelled to the San Siro, it was the first time the clubs had played one another in many years,” said Petrov.

“I suppose that was the great thing about playing in the Champions League.

“Martin O’Neill managed to get the club competing at that level and to go to venues such as the San Siro was incredible.

“It was a special time for all the players involved and also for the supporters.

“When you are growing up, one of the stadiums you dream about playing at is the San Siro and to run out there that night was a special moment.

“Okay, the scoreline wasn’t what we hoped. But when I look back at that Milan team there were so many unbelievable players on the pitch.

“That squad was packed with world-class players. They had Maldini and Nesta at the back, Cafu at full-back and their midfield consisted of Gattuso, Pirlo and Kaka. In attack they had Shevchenzo.

“Come to think of it, losing 3-1 wasn’t that bad a result! Seriously though, they were a top, top team at that time and probably should have won the competition.

“They were 3-0 ahead against Liverpool in the Final and ended up losing the game on penalty kicks.”

Petrov knows Celtic will have their work cut out as they bid to qualify from a group that includes Barcelona and Ajax as well as the Italians.

Parkhead hosted a charity game last weekend to raise money for the Stiliyan Petrov Foundation.

As well as accepting the plaudits of a full house of adoring fans, Petrov took the chance to catch up with his old mate Neil Lennon.

The Bulgarian has been hugely impressed with the job his former midfield colleague is doing in the Parkhead hot-seat.

“Is it possible Celtic can get a result this week? Of course it is. Anything is possible in football,” said Petrov.

“Last season many of these players beat Barcelona. So if you play well enough on the night and have a bit of luck when it matters then you just never know.

“It’s going to be difficult because you are playing against teams at the highest level. But I think, especially at Celtic Park in front of their magnificent supporters, Celtic always have a chance.”

Petrov has vowed to return to Celtic Park to take in the Champions League matches this season and cheer on his former club. And he believes they have the best man possible at the helm.

He said: “It was great to catch up with Lenny last weekend. We all knew he would become a top manager. It’s fantastic to see him leading Celtic into the Champions League again.”