AFCON winner who helped Celtic beat Lionel Messi's Barcelona signs for ninth-tier club

Former Celtic defender Efe Ambrose has joined ninth-tier English non-league side Bury FC.

Ambrose, 35, boasts an impressive CV. After moving to Scotland on deadline day of the 2012 summer transfer window, he helped Celtic to four consecutive league titles and also starred in their remarkable 2-1 victory against Barcelona in the Champions League in just his first season.

He helped to keep the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and one Lionel Messi quiet. On the international stage, the Nigerian played a starring role at right-back as his country won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, being named in the team of the tournament.

And his commitment to the game means he's still playing 18 years on from his professional debut. After spending last season at Queen of the South, Ambrose has now opted to head south of the border to play in the North West Counties Premier Division with Bury in a shock move.

Explaining what he'll offer to the club's media in his first interview, Ambrose said: "To bring something different on the pitch, because for me, I try to do something different. I try to bring something to help the team.

"For me I'm a team player first and foremost. I just want to win, that is the most important thing. And the goal is to play, sustain to the tactics of the coach because we cannot do it alone, that's why we are a team.

"So for me right now, coming to a new place, a different way of playing, the most important thing right now for me is to come and adapt to this style of play. I'm just coming here to do what I can do, to help the team to get back to where they ought to be."

Ambrose also turned out against Juventus and AC Milan during his Celtic stay. He left in 2017 after 169 appearances for the club in all competitions and has since had spells at Hibernian, Derby County, Livingston, St Johnstone, Dunfermline and Greenock Morton.

Bury manager Dave McNabb feels that experience will be invaluable to his squad, saying: "Efe is a great character and will certainly help some of the younger players. It’s a brilliant signing for the club and one I hope will excite the fans."

They're working their way back up the pyramid following their expulsion from the Football League in 2019. They merged with phoenix club Bury AFC last year.