Jermain Defoe has revealed the Rangers pitch from Steven Gerrard that sold him on the move to Ibrox - even if his mum had initial doubts.
The former England international - who turned out for the likes of Tottenham, Portsmouth, Sunderland and Bournemouth - initially joined the Light Blues on loan in 2019 as a marquee signing as he hooked back up with ex-international colleague Gerrard. The loan move was then turned into a permanent deal with the hitman determined to end Celtic's dominance.
Gerrard - now boss at Aston Villa - described Rangers as the nearest thing he had seen to Liverpool. That got Defoe's interest perked and the icing on the cake to convince him to take the chance was the Ibrox atmosphere on a European night as he watched the televised game with his agent.
Seasons one and two ended with Celtic on top and at that point sitting with nine-in-a-row and aiming for a historic ten in Gerrard's third season at the helm. But from the first week of pre-season, Defoe knew the title was heading for Ibrox and a winners' medal would be landing on his neck come May.
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He told Players' Tribune: "When you walk down the tunnel there’s a list of all the title winners at the club and you just get desperate to add your name. Before I signed, I spoke to Steven Gerrard.
"Honestly, I wasn’t even looking to move at the time but when Stevie gets in contact, you take that meeting, do you know what I mean? The thing that stuck with me was when he told me, 'This club is the nearest thing to Liverpool I’ve seen. It’s that big. It’s a giant. And we’re gonna put it back on top.'
"After that, I was watching telly with my agent and Rangers were playing a European game. Ibrox was absolutely rocking, and that was it for me.
"I was like, 'I need to take this opportunity.'
"I think my mum was a little sceptical about the move at first, but that all changed after the first Old Firm Derby. You see, the atmosphere goes to another level.
"The noise, man. You can’t describe it, you just have to experience it.
"You can’t even hear yourself shout on the pitch. We won my first Old Firm Derby 2–0.
"When Scott Arfield got the second, the stadium just started doing 'The Bouncy.' It was like the entire stadium came alive.
"After that game my mum told me, 'Jermain, I get it now.'”
On winning 55 with Rangers and ending Celtic's hopes of landing the ten, he added: "I knew we were gonna win the 2020–21 title from the first week of pre-season. We’d just come off that awful COVID season and we were just desperate to see each other, to play, to win. We knew we had to make sure this was the year.
"The fans wanted that 55th title and to end Celtic’s dominance so bad, but so did the boys. Going into the gym at the start of preseason, it was so packed, I thought I needed a membership to get near the equipment.
"The whole club went to another level."
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