CELTIC hero Henrik Larsson played in some of the biggest games and fiercest rivalries in European football - but the Swedish great insists that none of them hold a candle to the Old Firm.
The striker spent seven years in Glasgow's east end where he gained legendary status and is widely regarded to be one of Scottish football's greatest-ever foreign imports.
Larsson sampled derbies in the Netherlands with Feyenoord, in Spain with Barcelona and in England with Manchester United - but the 50-year-old reckons that nothing else comes close to a meeting between Glasgow's big two.
"There’s nothing that compares to an Old Firm," Larsson told the Manchester United podcast.
"El Clasico [the derby between Real Madrid and Barcelona] for me isn’t even a derby as it’s not in the same city.
"I played Feyenoord-Ajax and Feyenoord-PSV… not even close. Man Utd-Liverpool… not even close."
Larsson was at the peak of his powers during his time at Celtic and was regularly linked with a move elsewhere before eventually departing Parkhead to join Barcelona on a free transfer in 2004.
But the fan favourite insists he was happy and comfortable in Scotland, and had little touble in knocking back approaches from interested suitors.
"I was just happy where I was," he added.
"I wasn’t interested in moving, I knew what I had and I felt happy about it.
"I didn’t want to change it."
