Dundee FC legend Claudio Caniggia will return to the city to make some new memories this summer.
The mercurial Argentine, who was the great Diego Maradona’s ex-strike partner, lit up Scottish football when he signed for Dundee in October 2000.
Caniggia didn’t disappoint for the Dark Blues and proved on a weekly basis that he was still at the top of his game.
The fact he spent less than a season at Dens but was still inducted into the club’s inaugural hall of fame speaks volumes for his impact.
Now, he’ll be coming back to Dundee in May to take part in a weekend of special events.
Cammy Kerr testimonial
Caniggia will be appearing at Duck Slattery’s Showbar on Ward Road on Saturday May 28 in the first of a series of events in Dundee full-back Cammy Kerr’s testimonial year.
“I vividly remember going to Dens to see Claudio when I was a young boy, and to be appearing on stage with him is really a dream come true,” said Cammy.
“I cannot wait to meet him.
“It should be a very special event for all Dundee fans and football supporters in the city, and I’m delighted we’re able to do this.”
‘Cammy meets Claudio’ will be followed by an appearance at the Apex City Quay Hotel for a gala dinner in aid of local East Region Midlands side Downfield Juniors.
Guests at the Apex fundraising event on Sunday May 29 will also be entertained by BBC Radio Scotland’s Off The Ball host Tam Cowan.
Both events will be hosted by Mark Benstead of Sky Sports and Liverpool FC TV.
Downfield manager David Beveridge – a regular at Dens Park before his junior football commitments – is still pinching himself that Caniggia will be appearing.
He said: “Since we came to Downfield we’ve worked tirelessly to make the club a success on and off the park wherever we can.
“It’s a local football institution that’s had some tremendous people involved throughout the years and we want to build on what we inherited.
“We’ve taken on a massive club and myself, Billy Buchanan (secretary), Jamie Thomson (treasurer), Keith McKenzie (head of committee) and my fellow coaching staff Danny Martin, Brian Hawes and Barry Cooney have all been life-long friends.
“It’s amazing that we’ve managed to attract a person of Claudio’s stature to our first major fundraising event.
“He truly is a global footballing superstar and I’m sure this event will be hugely popular.
“I’ve been a Dundee fan since as long as I can remember, going to every game, home and away, for 26 years and Claudio is my footballing hero.
“Alongside Tam Cowan and Mark Benstead, it’s going to be some night!”
Caniggia was just one in a long list of unexpected arrivals in the Scottish game that had also included George Best turning out for Hibs at the end of the 1970s, former Soviet Union international Sergei Baltacha signing for St Johnstone in 1990 and Paul Gascoigne joining Rangers in 1995.
This would be more than a change of scenery for a man who played in front of 85,000 in the San Siro at the 1990 World Cup with Argentina – Dundee’s average gate was just 6,900 and the players trained on public parks which were often quagmires.
Caniggia scored in the last minute on his debut to seal a Dundee win against Aberdeen at Pittodrie in true Roy of the Rovers fashion.
He did his talking on the pitch with important goals in big games including a derby win at Tannadice where he famously pulled pints in the High Corner pub after the match.
The Argentine hero also turned in a man of the match performance during a 2-0 win against Rangers at Ibrox that remains part of Dundee folklore.
Caniggia’s presence saw Dundee’s games broadcast in South America, New Zealand, Australia and even the West Indies.
Off the pitch, Caniggia loved drinking coffee and would spend the afternoon in the Italian ice cream shop Visocchi’s in Broughty Ferry.
He left his mark during his brief stay on Tayside with a total of eight goals in 25 league and cup games before he signed for Rangers in the summer of 2001.
Tickets on sale Friday
The second event is being produced by The Longest Forty, which brought Caniggia to the Whitehall Theatre in 2018 and most recently held a special meet and greet event with Caniggia’s former Dundee manager, Ivano Bonetti, at the Malmaison Hotel.
Tickets for Cammy Meets Claudio are available from www.cammykerr.com.
For Downfield JFC’s gala dinner, tickets can be booked by calling Barry Cooney on 07398 490960 or emailing downfieldJFC@yahoo.com.
All event information will also be available from the club’s social media pages and at www.thelongestforty.com.
Tickets for both events are on sale from Friday.
More like this:
Claudio Caniggia: Our new documentary on the signing which lit up Dundee 20 years ago
Ivano Bonetti on his love of Dundee and a potential return to Dens Park hot seat
