[Player Pics]

Nickname: “Holy”
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 12.05
Date of Birth: 13 February 1969
Place of Birth: Schroder, Albania.
Position: Defender
Intl Caps: 56
Intl Goals: 5

In March 1991, Rudi Vata sought political asylum from the harsh communist regime which then governed Albania. Feigning injury during a France v Albania friendly at Parc des Princes, he walked up the tunnel, and kept walking into a French police station, where he claimed and was granted asylum from the oppressive circumstances in his homeland. Six of his international team-mates did the same.

A year later, in the summer of 1992, Liam Brady signed the 23 year old defender, along with Andy Payton and £1.5m misfit Stuart Slater. Some concerns were raised at the time, as the same summer saw the departure of Chris Morris and Derek Whyte, who had performed well the season before.

Vata – described by some as a “cavalier right-back”, and by others as “dedicated, but shyte” - was the first Albanian to play for a British team, and debuted on Saturday, 3rd October 1992 in a 1-0 win at Dundee.

He played 55 times for the Club, scoring 4 goals, and was part of the Celtic team that won the Scottish Cup in 1995.

Early in 1996, the club had planned to release the player. However, this was delayed at the last minute, due to the fact that this would have released a work permit (the league had 12 in total for non-EC players) which Rangers could have used to sign Brazillian hotshot Jardel from Gremio. In the end, Vata stayed, Jardel couldn’t get a work permit (none were available for him to apply for), so he signed for Porto where he impressed enough for Galatassaray to pay £18m for him. Celtic eventually released Vata in May 1996, but only after Jardel had signed for Porto.

Since being released from Parkhead by then manager Tommy Burns, Vata has played football all over the world.

First was Apollon Limassol, where he won the Cypriot Cup. Then came Germany and Energie Cottbus, where he won Bundesliga Two, graced Bundesliga One, and was given the keys to the city for his sterling service. After a spell at Ahlen, he moved to Yokohama in Japan's J- league. He was last seen plying his trade at St Johnstone predominantly as a midfielder.

Vata attributes most of his subsequent success on his schooling at Parkhead. "I was just a young Albanian who walked into a big, massive club with a big reputation and big players everywhere and it was a great experience, just great, great, great. I think just learning from the way players like that behaved, and lived their life was a great experience and a great benefit for me. I needed to come in and I needed to improve and I thought I did quite well. Every morning I would wake up happy, just looking forward to going to work at Celtic Park."

His wife, Ann Frances, is from Hamilton; his son, Ruan, was born in Glasgow, a factor apparently designed to make sure that he is eligible both for the Scottish education system and the Scottish football team; and his brother, now a British national, currently runs a pub in Wales.