Kolo Toure has been reflecting on his entire career with broadcaster Jake Humphrey and naturally his short spell at Celtic came up.
The defender played at the Bhoys for a season before becoming a member of Brendan Rodgers’ coaching staff during a period of sensational domestic success.
Toure’s retirement came as a result of realising he couldn’t perform at the level he expected of himself and Celtic, paving the way for Dedryck Boyata to make an impact.
Despite coming to the end of his playing career while in Glasgow, the Ivorian considers life at Celtic to have been an “incredible” experience for him.
He wasn’t sure how his move from Liverpool would pan out but was left impressed by the passion and enthusiasm displayed by supporters.
Kolo Toure on his Celtic experience
Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Toure said: “Joining Celtic, I was going there because of Brendan Rodgers. I was following Celtic a little bit, but not overly, I have to be honest.
“When I trained there I wasn’t sure what I was going to see there. I went to the training ground, I see the people, I see the fans – it was incredible. The passion, it was incredible. They love the club, they love the club.
“The competition between Celtic and Rangers. There’s not many like that. It’s religious, I would say. They don’t like each other, they hate each other.”
Asked how to deal with that level of rivalry as a player, Toure had a simple instruction and noted just how intense it can all get.
He said: “Win games. Win football matches. Especially in Scotland. Make sure you win the title. Make sure you win every single game you play against them.
“When I played, it was the first time Rangers came up and we battered them 5-1. I played in that game. It was intense, it was a really good game and we played very well.
“At the end of the game, I was driving my car and I saw police in the middle of the road. There were two sets of fans on the left and right, it was Rangers and Celtic fans wanting to fight each other. I turned quickly and drove to go the other way.
“Yeah, it was incredible in Scotland.”
Celtic and Rangers rivalry hotter than ever
Since Toure’s time, the rivalry with Rangers has only become more intense in terms of competition. The Ibrox side have improved since those days and Celtic have had to work hard to maintain their dominance.
This weekend we’re heading into one of the biggest derbies in recent years, knowing that a victor will take a giant step towards a title.
Like in 2016, Rodgers is the manager. His standards haven’t dropped and he continues to torment the Ibrox club. We’re all hoping that his outstanding record in the derby is maintained, giving us more moments like the ones experienced by Toure.