Clarence Seedorf relishing return to atmosphere of
Ibrox
Lisa Gray
Times
Online
Thursday 05 February 2009
Clarence Seedorf cannot wait to
sample the Ibrox atmosphere once again when Rangers
host AC Milan in tonight’s prestigious friendly.
The 32-year-old midfield player had recently signed
for the glamour Italian side when they travelled to
Glasgow for a pre-season friendly in July 2002.
Ronald De Boer, his fellow Dutchman, and Claudio Caniggia
were on the scoresheet for Rangers in an entertaining
2-2 draw and Seedorf expects another enjoyable tussle.
“That match was a very long time ago and, indeed,
we have achieved a lot of things in the last six years.
It will be good to be back,” Seedorf said.
“It has been very good for us from that moment
on. It’s good to look back and see over the last
six years we have achieved a lot and won a lot of cups.
It’s great to be back in Glasgow. The fans were
fantastic; it’s a beautiful stadium, great pitch
— the perfect atmosphere for a football match.
“It’s all good memories, especially because
of the atmosphere around the game. It’s always
a big pleasure to go to the north of the UK and enjoy
a football match.”
Rangers boast positive connections with some of Seedorf’s
compatriots — both De Boer brothers, Giovanni van
Bronckhorst, Arthur Numan and Dick Advocaat, their former
manager, are among those who have enjoyed successful
spells at Ibrox.
“They have always been very positive about the
city and life in Scotland in general,” Seedorf
said. “I haven’t heard any negative words
from any of them. It’s a great place for a player
to be and we will enjoy it this time.”
Another former Rangers player familiar to Seedorf is
Gennaro Gattuso, his Milan team-mate, who spent a year
in Glasgow in the late 1990s before returning to his
native Italy. Since then, Gattuso has gone on to enjoy
success in Serie A, the Champions League and the World
Cup and is still held in high regard by the Ibrox faithful.
However, fans who had been hoping to see him action
again would have been disappointed when Gattuso was
ruled out for the rest of the season with knee ligament
damage.
Seedorf said: “Gattuso has told us about the experience
there; he was still a young player. Unfortunately, he
is injured at the moment.
“He is a great guy and a good friend. “Hopefully
he will come with us and enjoy a bit of a relationship
with his old fans.”
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