Odin Thiago Holm on Celtic Champions League dream as recruit opens up on 'crazy' name change green lit by his parents

If he ends up half as good as his hero, Celtic will have a star on their hands. Odin Thiago Holm didn’t just idolise Spanish ace Thiago Alcantara as a kid.

He tried to copy his style of play after watching endless highlights and hundreds of YouTube clips. And in the end, he even changed his NAME to be more like him. Originally just Odin Holm, the young Norwegian pleaded with his parents as a teenager to make it official. And the midfielder doesn’t regret it one bit.

To this day, he’s never met Thiago in person. He hasn’t even watched the Liverpool playmaker in the flesh. But now that he’s at Celtic, that might change. In the next few years, he’d love to come up against him in the Champions League or Europa League. The 20-year-old, who moved to Parkhead from Valarenga, is convinced he has a similar style to the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich star.

If that’s true, the £2.5million Brendan Rodgers paid for him could prove a bargain. Holm said: “I’ve always been a Barcelona fan and loved Thiago. When I was 10 years old, I wanted to add Thiago to my name.

“But my parents wouldn’t let me change it until I was around 13 or 14. They thought I was crazy, of course. Initially they said no but eventually got tired of me always asking.

“My friends thought it was funny but I got some negative responses on social media. But I can’t change it now, I have to stick with it.

“What I loved about Thiago is he was so comfortable on the ball. I really liked his style. My style is similar now. I’ve adored him for many years, watched a lot of games and YouTube clips. So I’ve probably developed some of the same qualities. I hope so, anyway.

“I loved the way Barcelona played football. There was Lionel Messi, of course, as well as Xavi, Andres