As Stilian Petrov browses through the various Scottish artefacts on display at People's Palace in Glasgow Green, he inform me that he spent an enjoyable few hours the previous night watching Mel Gibson's adventures in 'Braveheart'. I laugh, explaining to him that much of the tale revolves around a creative interpretation of history rather than straightforward facts. It may be my imagination, but a brief flicker of relief seems to wash over the 21-year old Bulgarian.
Then again, even the movie's bloodiest moments probably don't seem quite so fearsome as some of the scenarios the midfielder witnessed first-hand last season. After watching his team-mates require a police escort through an enraged mob after the shock Scottish Cup exit against Inverness Caley Thistle, Petrov could be forgiven for seeking believing that Scotland is a cauldron of simmering anger after all.
This season's transformation on the park, however, has provided the necessary balm for such indignant wounds, and Petrov is revelling in the role he has been handed by the new commander-in-chief.
Martin O'Neill has successfully turned the oppressive tide of Rangers' domination, and Petrov has been a key component of the team that has marched so far in such a short space of time.
Yet, like Bobby Petta, Petrov had a difficult first season at Celtic Park. Kenny Dalglish and John Barnes went to great lengths to capture a player few people had heard of in Scotland, and his �2 million price tag heaped considerable pressure on his young shoulders.
There were a plethora of reasons for the fact he struggled to make an impact on the SPL last season, and being played out of position certainly contributed to his anxiety.
Petrov explained: "I've settled down now, but at first it was very hard for me because I didn't speak any English, I didn't have any friends here and I had changed everything about my life.
"I came here from a different country and from a different culture, and at first when I couldn't speak much English I didn't really go out. The life was so different, but now I am fine. I still don't like the weather but now I'm settled I don't worry about the weather I just concentrate on my football.
"I came to Celtic with another Bulgarian player called Milen Petkov. He plays for AIK Athens now in Greece. He is a really good player, but I don't know why he didn't get kept on here.
"I think maybe because Eyal Berkovic was here at that time and he played the same position and they are similar players. It would have been good for me to have another Bulgarian to go out with and to speak my language, but that is just what happens in football. I still keep in touch with him and we both play in the national team together.
"The game is much more professional here and you need to completely concentrate on football," Petrov explained, "but in Bulgaria you can do everything and football is not that special. In Bulgaria you could go out and socialise, but here it is your job and you have to understand how important it is."
Petrov admits that it was a difficult three of four months for him when he first came to Celtic, on and off the park; he missed his friends and family back home in Bulgaria and, when he was picked for the team, John Barnes played him at right back.
"When Martin O'Neill came he put me in the right position and he got me to understand that if I wanted to play I had to work very hard and give 100% to the team," Petrov said.
"There is a lot of pressure on me now because I know I have to play well in every game as there is a big squad and there are about nine good midfielders. You need to fight all the time for a place, but that is just football although I am still young and I still have to learn.
"Martin is a great manager. I like the way he teaches, and because I am young I just need to listen to what he says. He always shows me where I am right or where I go wrong and that is great for me.
"When he speaks with some players he can motivate them not just 100% but 150%, and I think that is what has happened this year with Celtic is that we are motivated with every game we play.
"A lot of people think we are Champions but there are still about 12 games to go and we need to win them and keep playing well."
Having turned in a string of powerful displays that have made him a first-team regular this season, it is easy to forget that Petrov is only 21; a contemporary of the likes of Mark Burchill, Colin Healy, Jamie Smith and Stephen Crainey.
Petrov made his debut for Montana in the Bulgarian 'A' League aged just 15, and at 19 he was part of the Bulgarian national squad.
The midfielder's maturity owes much to his first-team status, but an eager contributor is his memories of the time he spent doing national service in his own country.
Petrov, who was with CSKA Sofia at the time, hated the mandatory time he had to spend in the army, but it has given him an appreciation of life as a successful footballer. It is perhaps that respect for his occupation that makes him such a pleasant ambassador for his sport.
As we leave Celtic Park, Petrov is mobbed by a clutch of kids clamouring for autographs and photographs, and the midfielder patiently poses and chats, even going so far as to have a joke with a young female who sports the title 'Mrs. Petrov' on the back of her Celtic away jersey.
"It is my job to do it and if the supporters want to have photographs and autographs you can't say no," says Petrov. "Every player has had a hard time at some point in his career and it is very good to have the fans behind all of us now.
"At first I didn't know that much about Celtic but now I have been here over a year I can see how many supporters they have and how much they all love their club."
Petrov's form this season has certainly not been ignored at home either. The Bulgarian national coach, Stoicho Mladenov, made the former CSKA Sofia star the captain of the first-team squad for two recent friendlies against Mexico and Jamaica.
"I captained Bulgaria in the last two games and that is great for me," said Petrov. "I am just 21-years-old and I know I need to play well. It's a great honour to captain the team, because there are some great players in the squad, and there have been so many big names who have played for Bulgaria.
"Hristo Stoichkov was a really fantastic player and he is known all around the world. It was hard for me when some people said I was the new Stoichkov because I am a very different kind of player so I just ignore it and concentrate on my own game.
"Stoichkov gave me his number 8 shirt, but I don't want to play his number. He was a hero for all the young players when he played for Barcelona."
The respect however between Petrov and Stoichkov is evidently mutual. Shortly before the player switched to Glasgow the Bulgarian legend was quoted as saying: "I would like to place on record that Petrov of CSKA Sofia at 19 years of age is already the outstanding player of his generation in Bulgaria. His potential is limitless."
Petrov has also done his fair share in spreading Scottish football into Bulgaria.
"When I first came here not many people knew about Celtic, but now they know all about them and their history," he explained. "I have a lot of friends at home and some places in Bulgaria have satellite TV so they go and see the Celtic games and I have heard that a lot of people watch them now.
"I would like to stay here because I think it is a big club and it is good for me to learn from the other players.
"I have been here for a year and a half and I have learned so much. I love the atmosphere in the stadium, and the afternoon of the 6-2 game was absolutely unbelievable. It was the same again when we beat Rangers 1-0 and went 12 points clear at the top of the table."
Inevitably, Petrov chooses to echo the words of his manager when it comes to discussing the Championship, but the carrot of Champions League football is certainly inciting some excitement in the dressing room.
"All players want to play with the best in the world," the midfielder admitted. "Everyone wants to play in the Champions League and I think Celtic want to play well in it.
"Against Bordeaux we were a bit unlucky, but it showed us that we need to play 90 minutes, not 65 or 70, and that was a good lesson for us. That is why Celtic need a big squad. We need to have a team to play in the Champions League and also have players to play in Scotland because you can't just play in Europe and forget about domestic football."
Although Petrov has been an eager student under Martin O'Neill and the management team this season, he has also needed time to relax away from the pressures that come virtue of being an Old Firm player.
"After training usually I stay home and watch TV or go shopping in the city centre, but am quite quiet," he revealed. "Away from the park I relax and don't think about Celtic, because when I am playing or training I concentrate all the time. I watch TV and I like going to the cinema and I am also getting married in June. My girlfriend, Paulina Romanov is here just now and that's good for me because sometimes when I am in a bad mood it's good to go and talk to her!
"She is studying economics in Bulgaria and has exams twice a year. She comes to Glasgow for two or three months a year and then goes back home but she'll come over and get a job here later on I think."
Petrov might be older and wiser now, but when he first arrived in Glasgow, the Scottish tabloids wasted no time in exploiting the new arrival.
The Bulgarian was 'caught' buying Celtic merchandise in the superstore, and as a result stories abounded about how the player had decked out his house in green and white.
"I bought Celtic sheets for my friend back in Bulgaria, but it was only for a joke," laughed Petrov.
Spearheading a quest towards the Championship might not be as dramatic as William Wallace's battles against the English. However, if Petrov can play his part in overthrowing the dominance that has been enjoyed by the blue half of Glasgow over the last decade or so, there's a fair chance his own name will be part of Celtic's folklore in the years to come.