WHEN most players hit their mid-thirties, they begin managing their decline. The legs feel that little bit heavier as time wears on, those ten-yard sprints feel a little longer and the time comes when they need to accept that their body can’t do the things it used to do so easily. But then again, Lubo Moravcik was no ordinary footballer.

The Slovakian playmaker is revered as a cult figure to this day at Celtic and his artistic flair on the ball is still fondly recalled. He might have first graced these shores at the ripe old age of 33 but Moravcik didn’t let that stop him from leaving an impressive legacy behind him at Parkhead.

He still retains a fondness for the club – Moravcik describes the moment he signed his first Celtic contract as a “miracle” – and admits to being impressed by the work done thus far by Ange Postecoglou since the Greek-Australian took the reins back in the summer. With a League Cup already in the bag, a six-point lead in the table secured and a Scottish Cup semi-final with Rangers to look forward to, a clean sweep of domestic honours in his debut campaign remains a distinct possibility.

Such an achievement would put the current Celtic manager in the same company as Martin O’Neill and Brendan Rodgers, and Moravcik can see similarities between the former and Postecoglou. Both inherited sides that had lost the league title the previous season, both wasted no time in stamping their authority on the playing squad and both enjoyed near-instant success.

If Celtic go on to seal the Premiership title, Moravick is in no doubt as to where it will have been won. Just like under O’Neill, he reckons that recruitment has been the key to Postecoglou’s flying start.

“Martin was at Celtic for five years,” Moravcik said. “He won three league titles, three Scottish Cups, a League Cup and reached the UEFA Cup final. That’s not a bad record.

“Martin brought [Chris] Sutton and [John] Hartson, which was important for that time.

“The biggest responsibility for the manager in British football is that - not to make mistakes on his first signings. Mr Venglos was quite successful with me, John Barnes brought [Stilyan] Petrov which was very important for the future.

“Martin brought some of the best players in England - Sutton, Hartson. Not [Neil] Lennon, although he wasn’t bad!

“Alan Thompson too, [Didier] Agathe - nobody could believe he would be so good.

“If you spend money you have to be sure. I was cheap - it wasn’t a big risk. But if you spend money you have to be sure and now everyone is happy with the Japanese players.

“He used his experience from Japan knowing the good players. For both sides it’s very good.

“It’s added some fresh blood in Europe. I spent four months in Japan. It’s a good opportunity for the development of their players’ careers.”

There are other little quirks of history that Moravcik can’t help but notice, and there are particularly striking parallels between one of the Japanese quartet and Moravcik. Just like the Slovakian, Reo Hatate was thrown into the midfield for an Old Firm derby early on in his Celtic career and just like the fans’ favourite, scored twice against his side’s bitter rivals.

Even the midfielder’s low-key celebration after rifling in his first goal, Moravcik says, looked eerily familiar to his own muted reaction to scoring against Rangers all those years ago.

“I was jealous,” Moravcik grinned. “It was similar things to me. The celebration was the same. He knew, he saw my video!

“I was back 20 years years ago when I played for Celtic. The same thing happened again, it was fantastic.

“[My celebration] was because I was angry with the journalists. It was like ‘Now you can see what I’m able to do’.

“There was no celebration because it was easy for me to score goals like that. I would celebrate when I scored goals against Marseille or Paris St Germain but against Rangers? It was nothing for me.

“Seriously, there was a little bit of pressure on me that day. Only Mr Venglos believed in my qualities and he told me before the kick-off: ‘This is a very important game for you and for me.’ So thank you gaffer – no pressure!

“Rangers, at that time, had a very strong team – Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Jorg Albertz and Arthur Numan – and it wasn’t easy to prove myself against them.

“But it was absolutely perfect for me because I think I scored with only my second touch. It was a great moment, especially when I saw the reaction of the crowd and what it meant to them.

“My second goal was unusual because I didn’t score many with my head but it was important for me and for Mr Venglos because it proved he had signed a good player.

“Many people then realised I’m not a s*** player. I’d played at the World Cup finals and I’d been voted the best foreign player in France when I was with St Etienne. I was also one of the highest-paid players in the country at that time.”

With Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final looming, Moravcik is expecting a cagey affair where either side could come out on top. As a proud Celtic man, the 56-year-old doesn’t tune in to watch Rangers all that often but he begrudgingly admits to being impressed by their exertions on the continent this term.

“I haven’t watched a lot of Old Firm games this season but I’ve watched a little bit of the European games,” he added. “I saw Rangers against Borussia Dortmund – not the full game because it’s not my favourite team – and I think they are a very solid team.

“There is not a big difference between Celtic and Rangers in terms of quality. Especially a semi-final at Hampden – it’s a neutral stadium, it’s 50/50 in the stands and anything can happen.

“Celtic are almost champions but not yet. They won the League Cup and it’s a very big opportunity to win a treble.

“You need to play the game like it is the final of the European Cup, like it’s the last game of the season.”

Lubo Moravcik was speaking at an event to promote 'An Evening with Martin O'Neill' at the SEC Armadillo on May 29th. Martin will be joined by Lubo, Chris Sutton, Paul Lambert and Jackie McNamara. Tickets  available from ticketmaster.com.