THERE are certain numbers which are synonymous with clubs and players and, for Celtic, the No.7 is an iconic one, inextricably linked to two of the club’s greatest ever players – Jimmy Johnstone and Henrik Larsson.

So for any new player arriving at the club, it is a significant choice, one that brings with it a weight of expectation and anticipation.

Celtic’s new Spanish striker, Anita Marcos, who has joined on loan from Atletico Madrid is happy to shoulder those expectations, and in receiving a crash course in Hoops history, she’s delighted to have the No.7 jersey for the 2020 season.

She said in her first press conference: “I’m very happy with it because it’s a nice number, it’s a historic number and for me it’s so important to wear this numberk, and I want to score a lot of goals and to win a lot of titles.

Certainly, the striker got her Celtic career off to the best possible start as she helped the Hoops to a 2-1 win over reigning champions, Glasgow City, last Friday night in the opening league fixture of the 2020 season.

Anita added: “For me it’s been a very nice week and I'm very, very happy with the experience. We played well because it was so important and we did a lot of work on the game because Glasgow City are a good team. We worked hard to win the match and that was very important.”

Also, speaking exclusively to this week’s Celtic View, Anita said: “I’m very happy because, for me, it’s a very good opportunity. I took this decision to come to Celtic because I want to grow and I want to win things with this club.

“I watch a lot of football so I know Celtic is a very big club. I’ve watched the games and I can see the passion, which is awesome.

“I’m a strong player in the area, I score goals and I like the physical contact with defenders. It was exciting to meet my new team-mates, start playing football and start a new season with Celtic.”

For Anita, moving to a new club and a new country is a big challenge, but having swapped Atletico Madrid for a loan spell with Celtic, she’s relishing the season ahead.

And she believes that having two fellow Spaniards at the club will help her adjust to life both on and off the park.

One of her new team-mates is Brenda Lopez Castellano, the 27-year-old midfielder having joined from CD Femarguin in Gran Canaria, while her manager is Fran Alonso.

And for 19-year-old Anita, she’s hoping the move to Celtic will also prove beneficial to her command of English, which is already very impressive.

“I spoke to Fran who told me he wanted me to come to Celtic,” she said, “and when he told me that, I was very pleased because I want to play and I want to be happy here.”

For the full interview with Anita, see this week’s Celtic View, out Wednesday, February 26.

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Anita gets Hoops career off to best possible start