Jermaine Pennant is far from an expert on Celtic, Rangers or Scottish football.
But the former winger, who played for 15 clubs in his career, was keen to let the world know what side of the divide he sees himself on.
Sunday’s Glasgow Derby was one of the showpiece fixtures of the weekend, with Scottish football getting more attention than usual from observers down south.
And after Wayne Rooney’s comments about his regret of not playing for Celtic, Pennant has come out with an almost-identical Rangers vow.
You are Martin O’Neill, what is the first change you would make for the cup game against Rangers?
Jermaine Pennant on Celtic vs Rangers
During the game, Pennant took to X and wrote: “Just watching the old [firm] derby, that atmosphere is next level.
“I would’ve loved to [have] had a stint at Rangers and played in this at Ibrox. Electric.”
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Needless to say, the ex-England youth international was widely derided by Celtic fans in the replies.
Pennant’s career is largely remembered for events off the field. He frequently clashed with Arsene Wenger as a youngster at Arsenal, and was slated by his manager for turning up late to training on repeated occasions at Real Zaragoza.
He was imprisoned for driving offences in 2005, and upon his release, he became the first player in Premier League history to play while wearing an electronic ankle tag.
More recently, he has been open about his traumatic upbringing and how his ADHD diagnosis at age 40 helped him understand his history of self-destructive behaviour.
Just a few days earlier, Rooney had publicly spoken about being a Celtic fan, saying on the Wayne Rooney Show: “I mean, people look at Scottish football now, and they have like a certain view of it.
“But at the time, it was still, they were still quite competitive in Europe at the time.
“Yeah, Rangers, Celtic in particular. And again, I think it’s well known that I’m a Celtic fan, and it’s probably one of my regrets, not playing for Celtic at some point.”
Rooney was in the Celtic end for a derby at Ibrox in 2006, when Maciej Żurawski scored the only goal in a game mostly remembered for Roy Keane’s masterful performance in midfield.
Did Celtic just save their season with a second half comeback vs Rangers? Give us your thoughts in the comments 👇
WHAT. A. COMEBACK.
Wayne Rooney on Celtic hero Henrik Larsson
Rooney also discussed Celtic icon Henrik Larsson, with whom he briefly played at Manchester United.
He said on playing with the Swede: “Yeah, it was mad.
“And not to the extent, obviously, where I played with Duncan Ferguson, but watching Henrik growing up and then all of a sudden, he comes to us on loan and I’m playing in front of him.
“And, do you know what, he was better than what I thought. Because when you’re watching him play for Celtic and not to sound disrespectful, you’re thinking, ‘Oh, it’s in Scotland, it’s Scottish football, it’s not as good as the Premier League’. And then he come in to play with us.”
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