Beram Kayal has told a remarkable story from his time at Celtic that ended with his son being named after a footballing great.

The midfielder, now 37, retired last week after finishing his playing days at Bnei Sakhnin back in Israel, drawing a line under a career that saw him lift six trophies during five eventful years in Glasgow.

Kayal was a key part of Neil Lennon’s side during his time in Scotland, helping the club to domestic success before moving south to Brighton in 2015. One of his standout memories in a Celtic shirt came on a Champions League night in Turin against Juventus in 2013.

That night, Kayal was handed a specific job, stick close to Andrea Pirlo and try to keep the Italian quiet. But the plan quickly unraveled as Pirlo showed the kind of quality that earned him world-class status, effortlessly pulling the strings and making life difficult for the Celtic midfielder.

Now back in Israel, Kayal has explained how that humbling experience left such an impression on him that he decided to name his son after the Juventus playmaker.

He said: “All week Neil Lennon, our manager, told me that Pirlo was a legend, but his legs had gone.

“My instructions were to stick with him at all times and to tackle him hard every time he touched the ball.

“But I couldn’t get near him. I came in from the left to tackle him, he turned to the right. The same when I went in at the other side.

“At half time, I got yelled at by Neil Lennon. I ended up approaching Pirlo after about an hour and told him that my wife was pregnant and if it was a boy, I would name the baby after him.

“Thankfully, he was substituted soon afterwards, but he waited for me afterwards to swap shirts. The boy was born and we called him Pirlo as promised.

“A few years later, he sent me one of his shirts and signed it, ‘Best wishes from Pirlo to Pirlo.”

Kayal might have taken a shouting from Lennon that night, but the experience clearly stuck with him. Coming up against Pirlo on a Champions League night was never going to be easy, the Italian’s calmness on the ball and awareness made him almost impossible to pin down.

For Kayal, it turned into more than just a tough night on the park. That meeting with Pirlo led to a lasting gesture, one he carried into his personal life by naming his son after the midfield great. It’s a one-of-a-kind link between the two, born from a European tie in Turin.

His story now joins the many memorable Champions League moments shared by Celtic players through the years, the kind that go beyond just the scoreline. And for all the silverware Kayal lifted in Glasgow, this might be the tale that stays with him most.