Henrik Larsson reveals drunk Rangers fan face-off as Celtic icon names the Ibrox man who banished angry punter

Henrik Larsson has revealed a Rangers fan stand-off that needed a former Ibrox boss to step in and defuse.

The Swede is hailed as the King of Kings at Celtic after his illustrious run in Glasgow's east-end between 1997-2004. He won league titles, scored hundreds of goals and almost won European silverware, part of the team that reached the UEFA Cup final under Martin O'Neill.

Glasgow rivalry was rife but there was a brief white flag waved when a drunk Rangers fan confronted the Celtic legend after picking up a Chinese takeaway. Speaking to The Guardian, Larsson has revealed how Giovanni van Bronckhorst was forced to get involved when one scenario threatened to boil over.

He said: “The players Martin O’Neill brought in helped me become the player I was. Chris Sutton, Alan Thompson, John Hartson. We were an excellent team. We beat Blackburn and Liverpool on the way to the Uefa Cup final in 2003, with 16 or 17 internationals in our team. It was a stronger Celtic team than now, and a stronger Rangers team.

“When we played against Rangers, we hated each other. But when it was finished, we were friends. Mostly Rangers fans were no problem. There was once when I was with Giovanni van Bronckhorst [his friend and then Rangers defender], who had just bought a new Porsche.

"We were in Uddingston because we were picking up some takeaway food. We used to order Chinese food a lot, peking duck after a game. There was this drunk Rangers supporter who wasn’t happy when he saw me and the new car.

"He was walking towards it, until Giovanni took him away. I loved the rivalry. It took some time to get used to it. I understand what it’s all about now, but not in the beginning."