Craig Moore has revealed the inside story of snubbing English giants Arsenal to embark on a 12-year love affair with Rangers that spanned three landmark managers and 12 major honours.

This weekend, the former Australian international defender looks back on his storied Ibrox career in an exclusive two-part in-depth interview with Rangers Review. Subscribe here to get access both parts.

Tough-tackling Oz, now 47 and a leading football agent, will give a telling insight into life under Walter Smith, Dick Advocaat and Alex McLeish yet his journey could have taken a very different path towards London and the Gunners.

Back in 1994 Craig was a star graduate from the highly respected Australian Institute of Sport with the world at his feet.

He recalled: “Even back then the great man Walter Smith had such a great network without the modern scouting tools like WyScout.

“Walter was great friends with the late Eddie Thomson, the Australian National Team coach, who was a big fan of mine.

“I had played in the U17s World Cup in 1991 in Italy and then at home in the U20s World Cup when we hosted it in Oz.

“I did well in those tournaments and after the U20s World Cup I was given the chance to trial at Arsenal and it went well.

“George Graham was in charge then and they offered me a three-year contract.

“Then I came up to Gers and went through the same process and I was offered a three-year deal there too.

“The money was similar so I was left to weigh it up. Arsenal or Rangers?”

Proud Scot Thomson, a much-loved player at both Hearts and Aberdeen who tragically died of cancer at the age of just 55 in 2003, had no doubt where his protégé should go.

He allied with close pal Smith to mount a charm offensive on the young centre-back.

Craig smiled: “Eddie was a big influence on my final decision to go to Ibrox and he was important.

“I needed his guidance, I had so much emotional support from my parents but they weren’t football people.

“Together we all made the decision that Rangers was the club for me. I was ambitious and I wanted to play in the first team as soon as I possibly could.

“I looked at Arsenal and asked myself where it could happen first? I think I made the right call because the Gunners back line didn’t really change for a decade.

“It was Lee Dixon, Tony Adams, Steve Bould, Nigel Winterburn. They had Martin Keown, Andy Linighan and Scott Marshall who was the captain of the reserves at the time.

“I knew how far down the line I would have been there, so I chose Rangers.

“Don’t get me wrong I was still far down the pecking order at Ibrox because I hardly ever played centre-half for Walter!

“I got my first games at right-back or even in midfield but I was happy just to be involved.”

TOMORROW in Part One of the Craig Moore interview, he examines the different styles of Walter Smith, Dick Advocaat and Alex McLeish and the impact they had on him as a Rangers player.