Michael Beale described Rangers vs Celtic as the “biggest derby in the world” and it’s a commonly held view in Glasgow. But former Liverpool star Stan Collymore reckons the Old Firm clash is a TEA PARTY compared to one European grudge match.
Collymore was a veteran of many English derbies throughout a much travelled career; Second City derbies, Merseyside derbies, Nottingham Forest vs Derby, Bradford vs Leeds and so on. But he ranks one he didn’t even play in as the fiercest atmosphere going.
After leaving boyhood club Aston Villa in 1999, Collymore was trying to resurrect his career and travelled to Greece for talks with Panathinaikos. The Athens club are sworn enemies of city rivals Olympiakos and it's no joke when the pair do battle. Collymore jetted in to the Greek capital for signing talks, but had to head to a different airport after throngs of the Greens fans turned up to welcome him.
Collymore didn’t sign in the end and stayed in England with Leicester City. He’s spoken before about his fondness for Celtic, but insists their rivalry with Gers just doesn’t compare to the biggest clash in Greek football.
Sharing a photo of himself at the airport with former agent Paul Stretford, he tweeted: I went to Athens to sign for Panathinaikos ( omnipresent Paul Stretford in the foreground). 6000 supporters turned up so had to divert to another airport.The rivalry makes Celtic v Rangers look like a tea party.”
Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.
You can also follow our dedicated Rangers and Celtic podcast pages and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.
READ NEXT:
