Rangers legend Lorenzo Amoruso was approached to play for Scotland and was only prevented from donning the dark blue by red tape.
The Italian defender was happy to switch allegiances from Italy when he was offered the opportunity by German boss Berti Vogts in the early 2000s.
Amoruso was one of the stand-out players in the SPL during a six year spell that saw him claim nine major honours.
A rule change about international eligibility when Amoruso was at Rangers, prompted Scotland to try and cap him, according to the former Fiorentina star.
He said: "They asked me to play for Scotland and I would have liked it a lot.
"But I believe I wasn't allowed to play because I had won two caps for Italy's Under 21s and the regulations didn't allow it."
And Amoruso, who is now on reality TV in his homeland, is convinced his former club can mount a challenge to Celtic this season after making an excellent start to their campaign.
He said: "I usually travel to Scotland five to six times a year. There, I have many friends and I'm very active with my former team mates.
"If Celtic win the league this year, it would make it ten titles in a row and that would be very negative for Rangers.
"But I am hoping Steven Gerrard can stop this. Last season, they were doing very well until January and were better in the head-to-head matches.
"This season, they need to be more consistent especially after January and I am hoping they will be."
