Star Caniggia says it's his greatest discovery CONTROVERSIAL Claudio Caniggia has fallen in love with the city where he is now playing his football.

The man who has plied his trade at the highest level in some of the world's most beautiful cities says he is glad he has discovered Dundee.

He scored in Dundee's 2-0 Derby victory over city rivals United to further bolster his reputation as Scottish football's most outrageous signing. Now the Argentinian has revealed he wants to make his home on Tayside and is planning his first Scottish Christmas.

The 33-year-old, who was banned for 13 months in 1993 for cocaine abuse, said: "Already I feel very at home here and it is my greatest wish to find a place to call home for my family." Caniggia admitted the weather was a lot different to what he was used to but that was "a very small price to pay to be able to call this country home". And he promised to bring close friend Diego Maradona - who recommended Caniggia go to Dens Park - to Dundee.

Caniggia said: "I have played in Europe, so I thought Dundee would be like many other places I have seen before.

"It is, in fact, very different and fascinating. I know things have been written which are not complimentary, but I think the environment here is great."

At the moment, the player is living in a Tayside hotel with his son, Alexander, seven, who attends a local school. The rest of his family - wife Marianna, 30, another son and a daughter - are still in the star's former home in Italy.

The £10,000-a-week striker insisted he was a simple family man and went on: "My wife loves the history of the country and the scenery. "Some papers have said Marianna wants to stay in a castle and that makes us laugh. We're not after anything like that. We want something ancient so we can live in the style of hundreds of years ago.

"Even if we don't, we're still planning a Scottish Christmas for all the family. It's also top of the list to see more of the countryside and I'd really like to visit Glasgow."

He first fell for Scotland when he played a friendly with Argentinia against Scotland at Hampden in 1989. Since then, he has longed to return and was delighted when he was handed the chance by old pal Bonetti.

Serie A side Atalanta. His career appeared to be going nowhere after years of scandal, about which he refuses to speak.

Following the cocaine shame, he was locked up for 11 hours by police after being accused of switching labels in a shop in Florida.

He was also accused of attacking a teenager, claiming he had insulted Marianna.

Now, however, the player is ready to recapture the form that won him two World Cup call-ups at Italy in 1990 and the USA in 1994. He said: "My coming to Dundee wasn't anything to do with money. Ivano and his brother Dario are here and I knew them well from before.

"I was keen to be given the chance to play football at a high standard again and the project going on at Dundee impressed me. "Now my priority is to show what I can do and help my new side."

He revealed that Maradona was going to be in Europe soon and he had asked him to come to Dens to see a game. Caniggia said: "I think he will love Dundee just as much as I do."