Former Rangers striker Ross McCormack revealed he joined the Parkhead pitch invasion when Celtic stopped the Ibrox side from winning 10-in-a-row – just months before he JOINED the Light Blues.
McCormack made his breakthrough at Rangers and was handed his debut by Alex McLeish as a teenager and netted a famous leveller against Porto in a Champions League fixture. But the 38-year-old opened up on his childhood Hoops allegiance before putting pen to paper in Govan. The former frontman who went for huge money in moves in England to Leeds United, Fulham, and Aston Villa admitted that he decided to move to Rangers after being told that he was “too small” by Celtic scouts when he went for a trial as an eight-year-old and opted for the “next best thing”.
McCormack spoke to Simon Ferry and Paul Slane on the Open Goal podcast and confessed: “I was a Celtic fan yeah. I had a season ticket. My last game we had the season ticket was St Johnstone at home when Celtic stopped Rangers getting ten-in-a-row. (Henrik) Larsson and (Harald) Brattbakk scored.
“I was on the pitch after that game stealing the grass and putting it in my pocket, during the pitch invasion at Parkhead. I was then 15 when I went full-time (with Rangers).
“When I was eight I went for a trial (with Celtic) up at St Roch’s I’m sure, and they told me I was too small. And basically, that means you’re s****. They don’t want you. So I ended up going to Rangers.
“I think if Rangers had came in first, my dad might’ve said to wait and see if Celtic came in. But the fact I’d already been knocked back it was like, well, take the next best thing. That was my last game as a season ticket as I went full-time a couple of months later.”
McCormack replaced now Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta for his debut against Motherwell, who he joined later in his career, and his first goal came in a 3-2 win over Dunfermline when he had BORROW star striker Michael Mols’ boots.
He explained: “We were away to Dunfermline and I only had studs, and I wasn’t allowed to wear studs on that 3G pitch. So, Michael Mols had to give me a pair of his Copas! I was wearing Michael Mols’ boots! Jimmy Bell probably went to him and said ‘Listen, Ross has only got studs, is there any chance because you’re the same size, do you have any boots?'”