Gary Neville reveals Rangers’ Ibrox as ‘the best atmosphere I’ve ever seen in my life’… as the former Man United star reminisces over Champions League win over two decades ago
- Neville was part of the United team that defeated Rangers 1-0 in the Champions League
- Roy Keane argued that Celtic fans create a better atmosphere than Rangers fans
- IAN LADYMAN picks his top five centre-backs of all time in the Premier League – It all starts podcast
Gary Neville has admitted Rangers’ Ibrox provided the best atmosphere he has ever seen.
In 2003, Neville’s Manchester United side made the trip north of the border to take on Rangers in the Champions League group stage in a match called ‘The Battle of Britain’.
Neville’s brother Phil scored the only goal of the match, scoring after five minutes to ensure United leapfrogged their Group E opponents.
United eventually won the group, losing in the last 16 to eventual champions Porto, who were coached by Jose Mourinho. Rangers finished bottom of the group with just one win from their six games.
The game lives long in the memories of many, including Neville. Speaking about the Stick with the football podcastis sponsored by Sky betthe pundit said he remembers the Ibrox atmosphere well.
Gary Neville has revealed that Rangers’ Ibrox stadium created the best atmosphere he has ever seen
Neville was part of the Man Untied team that defeated Rangers 1-0 in the 2003 Champions League
Although United were one of the most successful teams of the early 2000s, they were ultimately knocked out by winners Porto
“The best atmosphere I’ve ever seen in my life was Ibrox,” he said. “When the game was about to start, I thought, ‘What the hell is this?’
‘Celtic were loud. Phil scored early. Honestly, the first few minutes before the match and when the match started, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.
‘Noise. Honestly, Ibrox, it was unbelievable. Staggering.’
Roy Keane, one of Neville’s four podcast presenters alongside Jamie Carragher and Ian Wright, intervened and argued: ‘Celtic Park is a better atmosphere anyway.’
Keane played ten games for Celtic before retiring after joining from United in 2005.
Roy Keane, who used to play for Celtic, argued that his former side’s fans create a better atmosphere
During the 2003 match, 50 arrests were made before the match for minor public order offences, but police were happy with the lack of activity around the match in general.
However, Rangers fans created a hostile atmosphere for United, including players such as Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Gary Neville spoke on the Stick with the football podcastis sponsored by Sky bet
