Jorg in the Hamburg crowd

‘The Hammer’ spent five happy years at Ibrox in between two spells at Hamburg.

He now runs a football school in Monchengladbach, but will travel to Hamburg to see two of his former teams.

And he has nothing but fond memories from his time in Glasgow. Albertz said: “I was fascinated by the tradition which is evident through the whole club. The main building is very old, with marble and a wooden staircase. It was important for me as a young player to get to play alongside football greats like Paul Gascoigne or Brian Laudrup.

“Rangers have a massive fan base all over the world. The sensational atmosphere at Ibrox was a major factor in me going there.

“I cannot pick one favourite memory, but of course there was the success I enjoyed with Rangers. I played Champions League or European football every year, which of course remains in the memory. But the whole five years were great.”

And Albertz still looks out for Rangers’ results. He said: “Rangers do a lot of nice things with former players. You get invited to interviews or to a game, to draw the numbers during half-time, or to show your face in the VIP boxes. The fans really celebrate their former stars, which is something I really like. I was warmly welcomed by Gers fans from day one, and they did not forget my contribution to the club. So it is a real thrill to occasionally fly over there.

“I can only follow Scottish football sparingly, because here in Germany it isn’t shown much. I ask my mates there how things went. Of course I would prefer to see it for myself, but the football school doesn’t give me time to.”