Claudio Thanks Dundee!

Last updated : 20 May 2002 By Dave Webster

In an exclusive interview with a Sunday newspaper Claudio Caniggia praised Dundee and Scotland as a country. Many Dees fans who felt he left with little or nothing to say about his time at Dens Park and this was unfair will find his words pleasing to say the least. In this article we learn for the first time that in his contract was a clause allowing him to leave at any time.

The entire article can be linked from www.jmb-online.com

Here are some snippets of what he has to say:-

'I later found out that the Argentine FA was keeping tabs on me all along, not just at Rangers, but last season at Dundee as well. "

"And then, when I was doing well at Dundee, those who belittled Scottish football. Well, I'm still in the Scottish league and I've been called to the World Cup. What does that say about me, about Scottish football and those who believed in me? "

"What I can say is that thanks to Dundee I've not only been able to reopen the door to the Seleccion, but also to find happiness in football once again, something I'd been missing for several years."

"I had the chance to go to Marseille. A Latin country, the Mediterranean, close to Italy ... but no, I ended up at Dundee. I think I must have signed the simplest contract in history. I was free to leave anytime, to go anywhere. I insisted upon this not because I was afraid, but because it was a totally different universe. "

"I owe so much to Scotland. As I said, I was very sceptical about the whole thing at the beginning, but I grew to enjoy myself and I appreciate everything that Dundee and Rangers have given me. Scotland brought me happiness on the pitch again and it helped revive my dream of playing for my country. As for what I brought to Scotland, it's not for me to say. "

"At Dundee we finished in the top six for the first time in years and I finished runner-up to Henrik Larsson as Player of the Year."

I can't speak for Rangers, Claudio but you brought a chunk of heaven to a lot of Dundee fans who will never forget your 6 hallowed months at Dens Park.