Former Rangers flanker Andrei Kanchelskis has told FourFourTwo about his baptism of fire in Glasgow.
Following a successful period in England with Manchester United and Everton, Kanchelskis endured a difficult season in Italy with Fiorentina. Upon returning to the UK in 1998 with Rangers for a Scottish record transfer of £5.5m, as part of Dick Advocaat's famous £25 million spending spree, he won a domestic treble in his first season.
It wasn't all plain sailing, however. While he suffered a broken arm in his first Old Firm clash, Kanchelskis unfortunately encountered more violence during his time in Glasgow.
“The first derby I played against Celtic, where I broke my arm, was absolutely crazy,” Kanchelskis tells FourFourTwo. “I was thinking, ‘OK, welcome to Glasgow!’
“No derby captivated me quite like the Old Firm. Once, I drove into the city but got lost and ended up in Parkhead, right next to the Celtic stadium. Guys on the street were yelling and swearing at me – I was fortunate that I was in my car.
“One thing that made the Old Firm so unique was the chants: both sets of fans sang loudly right until the final whistle. The atmosphere was amazing every time.”
Kanchelskis also told FFT of the chaos that ensued while in Uzbekistan, with the 54-year-old explaining how he was threatened by gangsters.
“Four guys from Chechnya weren’t happy that I’d asked for the payments when I was sacked,” explained Kanchelskis. “[They] approached me while I was eating in a café and informed me that I would be 'disabled for life' if I didn’t lower my demands.
“I told the police about it and luckily everything was sorted in the end.”
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