Former Celtic star Massimo Donati wants to go from Hamilton’s U15s to Champions League

MASSIMO DONATI dreams of one day managing a Scottish club in the Champions League.

For now, though, the team the St Mirren midfielder can’t wait to lead again is his old one, Hamilton Accies – at Under-15 level.

The Italian quit New Douglas Park for Paisley in January when he cancelled his contract to help the Lanarkshire club survive after the repercussions of falling victim to a £1m banking scam.

Last October an Accies employee was conned into moving club money into fake accounts.

Since then there have been a raft of departures to balance the books, with Greg Docherty, Mickey Devlin and Grant Gillespie snapped up by Rangers, Aberdeen and Dundee United respectively.

Donati’s decision, initially billed as his retirement from playing, was a double blow as it meant some of Accies most promising kids were also losing their coach.

Until that is, they decided to do something about it.

“When they heard I was leaving, the team all called me and pleaded with me not to abandon them,” said Donati with a laugh.

“And so I am going to stay with them. As soon as I can, I am going to work with them again.

“It is a mark of the mutual respect between myself and Hamilton that this will be OK, and that we will be able to make it happen.

“I am delighted we can do this because they are a really exceptional group.

“Also the role of manager is one I really enjoy, and one which I am working hard to learn as quickly as possible.

“In April, I finish my UEFA A Licence so I am making progress. Long term, it is something I am convinced I can do well.

“I still feel in good shape, and I’m sure I can still contribute a lot as a player to St Mirren. Then when I stop, I want to be a full-time coach.”

Given the former Celtic and AC Milan man only spent four of his 19 years as a player in Scotland, the slight surprise is that his intention is to coach here.

“I would rather work as a manager here than in Italy. Or, at least, in the beginning,” he said.

“Here in Scotland, if you are good, there is the possibility to start with a good club.

“In Italy, you almost always have to start off in the lower leagues.

“Besides, Glasgow is a fantastic city. I loved it from the start and I would not change it with another one.

“My family is here, two of my three children were born here. So I feel it’s my home.

“Public transport is excellent, and schools are great. Of course, the weather is a bit grey and it often rains, but basically it’s not a big problem “.

It was at Celtic Park in 2007 that Donati’s love affair with Scotland began.

Fans still remember his winning goal against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League which helped secure a last-16 place.

If given a free choice of clubs he would like to manage one day, the Hoops would certainly feature for Donati.

“Celtic coming in to buy me when they did was fantastic because Milan had been sending me on loan after loan,” he said.

“Whenever I returned, even after a great season, I was always told that there was no space for me and I was sent away again.

“Every year it was a different team – Parma, Torino, Sampdoria, Messina, Atalanta.

“So when I heard that Celtic scouts had come to see me with a view to the club making a move to bring me in on a permanent basis, I was very happy.

“And my feeling was not wrong because I had a wonderful time with them.

“The fans were just exceptional. They gave us an incredible drive.

“I don’t think there is any derby in the world that can stand up to the Old Firm match.

“The atmosphere heats up for months, and when the week of the match arrives, in the city you breathe a different air.

“It is not just a football game. It is more like something approaching a battle.

“The stadium turns into a gladiator pit and you can cut the tension with a knife.

“I have never experienced such strong emotion as when I walked on to to the field to play in that derby.

“With their history and huge supports the two clubs have, it would be nice to see Celtic and Rangers play in the English Premier League.

“But I’m not sure it would be a good move, though, because it would deprive the Scottish game of its two strongest sides.

“It could make the league a competition without interest, which would help no-one.

“It is better, I think, to focus instead on the possibilities offered to Scottish clubs by the Champions League and the Europa League.”