I'm an ex Rangers star who conned a referee to get my arch Celtic rival sent off as payback
Peter Lovenkrands has revealed his old Celtic sparring partner wound him up so much - that he feigned injury to get him sent off.
Hoops legend Alan Thompson was infamously red-carded for "head-butting" his Rangers rival during a powderkeg derby at Ibrox in 2004.
The Danish winger dramatically tumbled to the deck clutching his face but TV replays showed minimal contact.
Furious Parkhead boss Martin O'Neill appealed the decision but, surprisingly, the SFA decided against overturning the ban.
Lovenkrands was hooked at half-time by Alex McLeish after being accused of falling theatrically in his face-off with Thompson - who he later worked with at Newcastle.
But speaking 20 years on from the incident, Lovenkrands revealed why he conned referee Kenny Clark during the fiery affair, which Gers won 2-0.
"Me and Alan Thompson had a big rivalry", he told Open Goal. "He was after me. He was always trying to get inside my head.
"I think it was tactical from their point of view to try and get me off my game. I'm a young boy, try to get in my head and by physical.
"He was always after me on the pitch and giving me all sorts of abuse. I got him sent off at Ibrox, that famous thing when I went down and got him off.
"It was literally just because me and him and this rivalry and it was my chance to get him back. That was the only reason why I did it.
"It was just, I need to get him off here because it's the only way I'm going to get him back. There were rivalries all over the pitch."
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