Rino Gattuso will roar back into Glasgow this week determined toshow how good he has become.
The former Rangers man will anchor Italy's engine room in theEuro 2008 eliminator with Scotland at Hampden.
Gattuso enjoyed a successful spell at Ibrox a decade ago and hassince matured into one of the best central midfield men in Europe.
Former Dons keeper Theo Snelders played alongside the Italianwith the Light Blues and knows just how good the tough tackler is.
The FC Twente coach is convinced Gattuso will be desperate to endAlex McLeish's qualification dream.
But Snelders will be rooting for his old Pittodrie pal after BigEck organised tickets for the Hampden clash.
"The drive Rino had when he was just a youngster wasunbelievable," said Theo.
"It was hard to say back then that he would develop into theplayer he is now.
"But he showed a great deal of determination early in his careerand is now an important part of Italy's midfield.
"He was already a great professional, doing additional work inthe gym in a bid to do everything he could to make himself a betterplayer when he was still very young.
"Rino has already been back to Glasgow with AC Milan in theChampions League.
"But he will still be keen to show everyone what he can do and totry to help Italy reach the Euro 2008 finals.
"It was clear he had the potential to go on and carve out asuccessful career. But he has probably achieved a lot more thanpeople expected him to."
Snelders has marvelled at the way Gattuso has developed into oneof the most feared players in Serie A.
Walter Smith originally lured him to Scotland from Perugia inJuly 1997.
Despite a promising start Smith's successor Dick Advocaat didn'trate him and he returned to his homeland to sign for Salernitana forpounds4million.
A year later and giants Milan paid double that fee for hisservices.
While Gattuso might not fall into the Italian master categorySnelders reckons stopping the snarling ball-winner could have amajor bearing on how the game progresses.
"Rino might be more of a defensive player than some of the otherItalians but he allows other more attack-minded players to perform.
"He is a great player to have in your team because he is so goodat getting the ball back.
"Having Rino in the team is almost like an insurance policy andgives more creative players freedom."
Snelders, who still keeps in regular contact with his former Donsteam-mate Jim Bett, is predicting a tough battle for McLeish's Scotshopefuls.
"All of Scotland's players will have to perform to the best oftheir abilities," he added.
"Italy are one of the best teams in the world so it's going to beextremely tough.
"It will take a superhuman effort against a fantastic team but itcould still happen.
"I was at the France game last year when Scotland won 1-0 so Imight be some sort of lucky charm.
"I'll try to contact Alex before the game and I'm grateful forthe tickets because I realise there was a great demand for one ofthe biggest matches in years.
"It should be an exciting game and I can only wish Scotland allthe best."
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