Carlos Cuellar has warned Athletic Club they are about to walk into one of football’s ‘temples’ ahead of the Europa League clash with Rangers at Ibrox.
Athletic Club might’ve just lost a key player for the trip to Glasgow, but Rangers have suspension issues of their own ahead of the Europa League clash.
Cuellar, now 43, joined Rangers directly from one of Athletic Club’s local rivals in the shape of Osasuna way back in 2007 and has been previewing the game.
Whilst the Spanish centre-back would only spend one season in Glasgow, Cuellar’s time at Rangers left an indelible mark on both the defender and the Ibrox support.
Ahead of the Europa League visit of Athletic Club this week, Cuellar has been warning the Spaniards they’re about to walk into one of football’s grandest arenas in front of one the game’s most passionate supports.
Carlos Cuellar claims Rangers is like ‘going back 100 years in football’
Carlos Cuellar has spoken glowingly about Ibrox Stadium and the Rangers support ahead of the visit of Athletic Club in the Europa League.
“Those games are meant to be experienced in the stands, not in the box enjoying canapés,” the former Rangers defender explained to local paper El Correo.
Ibrox has been a valuable weapon for Rangers in the European campaigns of recent seasons but the pressure of the stadium has also had a big impact on a struggling team.
Rangers have lost five games at Ibrox for the first time in their history but the visit of Athletic Club offers respite from a domestic season where it’s all gone wrong.
Cuellar explains that Ibrox is a high pressure environment – but one he thrived on – with the aesthetic of the stadium like walking back in time.
“It’s a pressure cooker, but in a good way,” Cuellar explains. “The fans are always on top of it and they spend the whole game singing.
“The atmosphere is like going back 100 years in football. It’s the classic football of yesteryear. As soon as you arrive, it feels like a factory and not a typical modern football stadium.
“Once inside, there’s a lot of wood and presidential-looking stairs. For those who are nostalgic, it’s a temple. It’s old-fashioned football, the real thing. It’s like you could play against Bobby Charlton.”
Carlos Cuellar pays tribute to ‘mind-blowing’ Rangers support
Carlos Cuellar might’ve played in the English Premier League after leaving Rangers for Aston Villa in an £7.8m deal (BBC Sport) back in 2008.
But the Spanish defender insists he’s never seen anything like the travelling Rangers support in Europe.
Cuellar was part of the team that reached the 2008 UEFA Cup Final and played a record-breaking 62 matches during an exhausting first season in Glasgow.
The defender described the support that day as ‘mind-blowing’ with 200k fans making the short trip south of the border.
“80,000 people attended that final in Seville (in 2022), although only 15,000 had tickets,” Cuellar said.
“There were 200,000 fans (in Manchester), the vast majority without tickets, which was mind-blowing.”
It’s not just on the big occasions where Cuellar has been blown away by the Rangers support either.
The former Ibrox defender explained the loyalty of the Gers support runs much deeper, with 300 fans turning up to watch the team do pre-season training in a remote village in Germany.
Cuellar explained. “We did preseason training in a remote village in Germany, and suddenly 300 soldiers stationed at British bases in the country showed up to watch a training session. A unique club.”
