Pedro Mendes has waxed lyrical about his time at Rangers - and told how his former team-mates tried "killing with him DRINK" after his first game.
Mendes had enjoyed spells at Tottenham and Portsmouth prior to his move to Glasgow, becoming renowned for his ability to score from distance and boasting the aura of a maestro in the middle of midfield. Joining Rangers for £3million in 2008, the Portugal star immediately etched his name into Light Blues' folklore - winning the Man of the Match award on his debut against Hearts before scoring in the Old Firm derby against Celtic just two weeks later; winning the BBC Player of the Year later that season and scoring in the title-winning game in May.
And the Guimaraes-born star has detailed all about his move to Rangers - including a night out after his debut where his teammates "tried to kill him" with beer. Speaking to Grosvenor Sport, he said: "The story of how I signed for Rangers is unbelievable. I took my wife to London on the Tuesday for a couple of days as we were not due to train until Thursday.
"On Wednesday I got a phone call saying ‘Pedro, Rangers are in for you, what do you think?’ and I had quick look to see what was happening there and I said to my wife ‘I think we have to pack again’. She was never happy when we had to pack!
"I knew immediately – great club, great fan base, great facilities and it was going to be a great challenge so I said let’s go – fight for the title, fight for the Champions League, it all made sense. Then I was on a flight to Glasgow on Friday morning, I did the medical which was fine, a quick jog around the pitch at the training ground and then I was in the team the next day at Ibrox and played the full 90 minutes against Hearts.
"The players took me out after we won 2-0 and I was still sipping my first beer and there were another three thrown in front of me! I said ‘Don’t kill me on my first night’."
Mendes also documented what it was like to play in the Old Firm Derby; having played on the international and continental stages alongside some of the world's biggest derbies, many would perhaps cast the clash to one side - though the Portugal star refuted those claims, adding that 'everything was different' with 'no silence' at either ground.
He continued: “We went to Parkhead with confidence in the third game after a good start. I had been in big derbies like Porto-Benfica, Spurs-Arsenal and even the local one for me - Vitoria against Braga which is pretty intense.
"But everything was different and special in the build-up to that game. Of course, it was fantastic to score in that game – and it was a good goal from outside the box – but the performance of the team that day was really top-class. The thing that really makes the Old Firm different is that the crowd never stops for the whole 90 minutes. Every tackle, every shot, every save there is constant noise. There is no silence in that derby."
