Celtic's Odin Thiago Holm explains why he changed his name despite parents' reservations

Name-calling was the consequence of Odin Thiago Holm’s desire to pursue a name change, the Celtic midfielder has revealed.

Celtic's Odin Thaigo Holm was a massive fan of Barcelona playmaker Thiago Alcantara in the early 2010s.

The reasoning behind the moniker modification seems to precede any other knowledge of the 20-year-old Norwegian, signed from Valerenga in a £2.6million deal last month. His awe of Barcelona and their accomplished playmaker Thiago Alcantara, now at Liverpool, from the early 2010s was so profound from an early age he became dead set on making the first name of the Spanish international his middle one. A desire that met with outraged opposition from his parents.

“They thought I was crazy, of course. They initially said no but eventually got tired of me always asking,” Holm said. “I’s always been a Barcelona fan and loved Thiago Alcantara so it was when I was 10 years old [I said to my parents] I wanted to add Thiago to my name. But they wouldn’t let me then, and it was until I was around 12 or 13 they did. My friends thought it was funny. I got some negative responses on social media and stuff like that. But I can’t change it now, I have to stick with it.”

The unusual move, or the player and then all-conquering club behind it, seems to have made their mark. Even if he has “never met him or watched him live … maybe someday I’ll get the chance”. “I loved Thiago because he was so comfortable on the ball. I really liked his style,” said the midfielder. “I think 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. And I loved the way Barcelona played football. There was Messi, of course, as well as Xavi, Iniesta and Thiago. They had so many good players and I like the tiki-taka style of football. That Barcelona team had a big influence on me as a young player in terms of how I thought about the game. It’s the type of football I like to play now, having a lot of the ball and playing offensive passes.”

Thiago Alcantara of Barcelona controls the ball during the La Liga match in 2013.

Now his move to Celtic, and more pointedly their automatic entry into this season’s Champions League group stages, provides the possibility that he could share the pitch with the Catalan club that have shaped his entire footballing outlook. “It would be crazy to play Barcelona,” he said. “But it’s possible at a club like Celtic because they’re a huge club. In the Champions League draw, if I could choose to play any team it would be Barcelona, just for that experience. The Champions League was a big factor in me coming here. Every young player wants to reach that level so it was a big part of wanting to join Celtic.”

Holm has walked in the footsteps of countrymen Kristoffer Ajer and Stefan Johansen in doing so. And he wants to continue in that vein. “I hope I can have a similar impact to what Ajer and Johansen had at Celtic. All three of us have the same agent and they’ve had very positive things to say about Celtic,” said Holm. “That’s why I knew this was the right move for me. I hope I can reach the same heights they did here. Ajer was a young player like me when he came here. He's an inspiration for me in terms of what can be achieved. I think anything is possible here, if you get the time you need. Ajer spent some time away on loan while he was here so that tells me not to rush anything. If I’m patient, I can do well.”