The career paths of some famous names in Rangers’ history could’ve turned out very differently.
Ask any Rangers fan if they would ever do the unthinkable by signing for Celtic and you’d likely get the same answer: ‘No chance’.
However, footballers have short careers and money talks – as well as the chance to win major silverware. The likes of Kyle Lafferty and Nacho Novo have become hate figures at Parkhead over the years but had things turned out differently, they could well have ended up pulling on the green-and-white hoops.
Here, Record Sport have delved into the archives to dig out the biggest stories involving players who turned out for Rangers but almost signed on at Celtic Park instead. And don’t forget to check out the 12 Celts who came close to moving to the other side of the city.
Kirk Broadfoot
The Rangers fan was willing to switch allegiances to Celtic only for St Mirren to scupper the move. He said: “Gordon Strachan tried to sign me but he wanted me in for a week’s trial first to see me and St Mirren wouldn’t allow it. I was devastated, I’m not going to lie. I just thought ‘go to Celtic, huge club’, even though I was a Rangers fan. At that point, Rangers weren’t wanting me.” It turned out all right in the end for Broadfoot, though, as Walter Smith struck a pre-contract agreement a year later.
Kyle Lafferty
Lafferty become a fans’ favourite at Ibrox but the Northern Irishman may look back and cringe at his original take when Celtic were first to express an interest in prizing him away from Burnley. Speaking before his boyhood heroes came calling in 2008, the Gers man said: “Celtic are a huge club and I’m honoured to be the subject of a bid. I grew up supporting Rangers but that won’t stand in my way. Celtic are massive and the lure of European football is very appealing.” In recent years, Lafferty – who won six trophies at Ibrox – claimed he could never have went through with the move, saying: “I couldn’t have done it. Thankfully the better team in Scotland came knocking.
Nacho Novo
The little Spaniard was at the centre of an Old Firm transfer tug-of-war in 2004 and was even pictured arriving for talks at Celtic Park. But much to the delight of Rangers, the Dundee striker said ‘no thanks’ by opting for Govan. Recalling the saga, Novo said: “I didn’t mean any disrespect to Celtic as a club or the manager, Martin O’Neill – I simply had a gut feeling that it wasn’t the right move for me. I already had my heart set on Rangers and they’d been interested in me for some time.
Vladimir Weiss
Rangers pipped Celtic to land the Slovakian winger on loan from Man City – even after Neil Lennon publicly declared his interest. Weiss quickly endeared himself to the Ibrox legions by saying: “Celtic came in for me first but then Rangers came in and when I looked through all of the offers that I had, I picked Rangers.” He picked up a couple of winners medals too, and even enjoyed a few ding-dongs with Scott Brown. But Weiss truly cemented his cult hero status by mocking Georgios Samaras’ costly Old Firm penalty miss that propelled Gers to title glory.
Antti Niemi
Gordon Strachan chased a reunion with the ex-Rangers keeper at Parkhead, having worked with him at Southampton. But Hoops chiefs couldn’t agree a fee with Saints, and Celts plumped for the Holy Goalie – Artur Boruc. The Finland international admitted at the time that he was prepared to cross the divide, saying: “It was an option but it never happened. I am not really disappointed because I was not really expecting anything because the clubs were talking for such a long while. Glasgow would have been a nice place to come back to as I have played there before but that’s football. That’s life.
