Rangers midfielder Pedro Mendes has spoke out in defence of Scottish football after his first full season with the newly crowned SPL champions.
Mendes has nothing but praise for the game in Scotland, the culture in the city, other sides in The SPL and even admitted that Celtic fans had wished he was playing for them and accepted gifts from them as a goodwill gesture.
“There are parts of the city I do not enter, but apart from that I lead a very normal life,” said Mendes. “I get approached by both Rangers and Celtic fans who show me a lot of respect.
“The fans are fanatical for both teams and there are many Celtic supporters who say I must play for them and they even congratulate me.
“The Celtic fans have even given me bottles of whisky as a gift with the Celtic emblem on them.
“So, I have never had a problem with life in Glasgow.
“The SPL championship is always between Rangers and Celtic and there is always a huge gap between us and the rest of the league.
“Sometimes as much as 27 points to the team in third place and always more than 40 for the rest of the league, but it is fair to say there are good teams in Scotland.
“Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibernian and Dundee United all have good players and stadiums.
“They all play good football and deserve credit.”
With the Old-Firm derby always attracting interest from every corner of the world it seems, Mendes reckons it is ‘unique’ and the ‘best’ game to play in as a player.
He added: “The best atmosphere is the Old-Firm games between Rangers and Celtic.
“The first one last season at Celtic Park with ten thousand fanatical Rangers supporters and fifty-five thousand fanatical Celtic supporters was incredible. It is spectacular.
“But for me the best atmosphere is at Ibrox where we have forty thousand Rangers supporters and ten thousand Celtic supporters.
“It is insanity.
“We hear all the singing and chants.
“It is unique.”