Celtic's home bhoy Paul McStay makes big move Down Under

LEGENDARY footballer Paul McStay spent his entire club career with Celtic FC and turned away possible transfers to foreign teams including Udinese in Italy.

• Paul McStay in action in his 1990s heyday

But yesterday the 45-year-old former player - nicknamed the Maestro - who retired in 1997 after earning 76 Scotland caps, confirmed he had finally made his move, taking his wife Anne Marie and their six children to a new life in Sydney, Australia.

Mr McStay is aiming to establish an Australian branch of his web design and marketing firm Midgibyte - with high hopes of building a "24-hour business" for the company after admitting it had experienced "tough times" recently

"We have moved over as a family and we are here to create a successful business and, very importantly, for our children to enjoy their new home, and we envisage that our move will be long term," he said.

Mr McStay, who was raised in Larkhall, South Lanarkshire, made his debut for the Glasgow giants in 1982, scoring in his league debut against Aberdeen, and helped the club to three league titles.

He captained Celtic and Scotland, scoring nine goals for the national side. He also had strong family ties to Celtic, with brothers Raymond and Willie playing for the team. In all he appeared 514 times for Celtic from 1982 to 1997, scoring 57 goals.

His design consultancy delivers marketing services centred on website design, but including marketing and advertising campaign materials.

Its clients have ranged from Porcelanosa, the Spanish ceramics and tiling company with many UK outlets, to Celtic FC, Cycling Scotland and the Bike Station, an Edinburgh charity that repairs unwanted bikes and puts them back on the road.

Mr McStay, who owns the firm, plans to open a new branch in Sydney next month while Midgibyte's UK operations will be managed by his brother, Raymond, its commercial director, from its Glasgow office.

Yesterday Midgibyte announced an agreement with Spirit Marketing to deliver the creative backing for campaigns in Scotland and the north of England including two shopping centres. It also plans a joint venture in Australia.

"It's a very exciting time for us," Mr McStay said. "Midgibyte has experienced tough times as has every business in this financial climate. However, we worked hard to strengthen business relationships and develop our expertise in-house."

Friends have said he was "fed up" with the economic situation in Britain.

The famously media-shy former player formed Midgibyte in 2004 with two website designers with whom he first worked on a government-funded schools project. "A strong economy and the creation of our 24 hours a day business means we will be able to deliver quick turnaround times for our clients," he said.Having laid "solid foundations" in the UK it could do the same in Sydney, he added.