Pierre van Hooijdonk insists the Old Firm showdown is the most intense game in world football after revealing his shocking experiences in Glasgow during his time at Celtic.
The retired Dutch striker was a huge success for the Hoops in a controversial two-year spell from 1995 where he netted 52 goals for Celtic in 84 appearances, before leaving under a cloud to Nottingham Forest in a deal worth £4.5 million. And, in an interview in his Dutch homeland, the 55-year-old expanded on a claim he’d made seven years ago about the dangers he faced in Glasgow.
He said: “Ajax v Feyenoord is a big match, but the Old Firm is more intense. In my second season in Scotland, I received an envelope at home with razor blades in it. Nowadays, they would go to the police with it.
“And I was at a red light in my car. Suddenly a door was pulled open by a guy. Rangers fan, apparently. He cursed me and spat on me. I had my seatbelt on, I couldn’t do anything before he ran away. I played in Fenerbahce against Galatasaray and that was tough – but Celtic v Rangers goes a bit further in every way than all the other matches I’ve experienced. It’s deeper in the culture. There’s so much history surrounding it.
“That match is also about faith. About Ireland, where the founders of Celtic came from, against England. When I was in Scotland, the battles in Northern Ireland were still going on and you often saw protest marches in the news. The Catholics flew the Celtic flag, the Protestants those of Rangers. It goes beyond football.”