The revelation comes from a 2014 interview in Portugal from the new Ibrox manager.
Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha before the match
Ever since Pedro Caixinha got the job as Rangers manager there has been plenty of talk regarding his previous links to Old Firm rivals Celtic. It came because his former club in Mexico, Santos Laguna, have had a partnership with Celtic since February 2011.
Now an interview has been unearthed of Caixinha admitting his links to Celtic actually helped him initially get the job at Santos Laguna in the first place.
The Portuguese was appointed manager of the Liga MX side in October 2012. He was still doing some of his UEFA coaching courses at the time, some in Glasgow. It was that link between Celtic and Santos that helped him get the job, as he confirmed in a 2014 interview with Observador:
“I had been out of (Nacional) Madeira for about a month and had spoken to Santos Laguna officials before. I saw that we shared the same principles and values.
“It also helped that the club was somewhat connected to Celtic, with whom I had a close relationship and partnership, since I was then between Portugal and Scotland at the time of my coaching at UEFA.”
New Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha poses with a scarf after the press conference
Some Rangers fans will not be pleased to hear more links between their boss and the Old Firm rivals.
However, the reality is Caixinha is now the Rangers boss. Any links to Celtic are now firmly in the past. After the recent Old Firm defeat he admitted he felt ashamed to be seen by the Rangers fans.
Many at Ibrox are yet to be convinced by Caixinha. Hopefully he can get one over on Celtic this weekend to make sure his Glasgow allegiances are now very clear.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers with Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha before the match
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