I played with Rangers icon Brian Laudrup – I married teammate’s wife & was ‘every mother-in-law’s worst nightmare’
RANGERS legend Brian Laudrup was a model professional throughout his career, respected by peers and rivals alike.
But it's fair to say one of his old teammates was certainly a bit more of a dab hand when it came to creating controversy!
Laudrup, who will make an emotional return to Ibrox this week, joined Rangers in 1994 after two years in Italy.
But before turning out for Fiorentina and AC Milan, the Danish legend had a two-year spell with the continental giants that are Bayern Munich.
Although Laudrup performed well in Germany, he only had a German Super Cup to show for his two seasons in Bavaria in terms of silverware.
It was a Bayern team full of big names, none more so than Stefan Effenberg.
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In fact, Laudrup and Effenberg would continue as teammates even after their time at Bayern ended.
They both moved on to Fiorentina in 1992 and would continue as teammates for the next two years, suffering a shock relegation and then instant promotion back from Serie B.
One of the most colourful characters of his generation, combative midfielder Effenberg was well known as one of football's most controversial characters.
With three Bundesliga titles under his name, Effenberg also captained Bayern to the Champions League in 2001.
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He also won 35 caps for Germany.
But as well as his achievements, came that controversy.
On the pitch, he picked up 109 yellow cards by the time of his retirement - an all-time record at the time he called it quits in 2004.
He was often at the very centre of chaotic drama.
Subbed-off during a 1994 World Cup group stage clash with South Korea in Dallas, Texas, Effenberg was jeered off by the 64,000 fans in attendance.
Instead of ignoring it, he held his middle finger up in response and ended up being sent home by ex-Scotland boss Berti Vogts.
He would go on to admit he was "never being an angel."
It was far from just fans who Effenberg often stoked a fire with and even publicly feuded with TEAMMATES.
Perhaps the most well known was his criticism of Lothar Matthaus.
Lasting for much of the 1990s, the two footie legends regularly exchanged barbs and were widely known to dislike each other.
It began after Effenberg blasted Matthaus, then Germany captain, for refusing to take a penalty in the 1990 World Cup Final, eve though Andreas Brehme scored the kick that turned out to be the goal that secured glory.
Effenberg even went on to 'dedicate' a chapter of his autobiography to Matthaus.
It was simply a blank page, apart from a title at the top.
It read: "What Lothar Matthaus knows about football."
There was also the time Effenberg took an air rifle into his hotel room before shooting out the lightbulbs just for fun.
Perhaps most infamously, Effenberg provoked outrage in Germany in the late 1990s when his affair with Claudia Strunz was revealed.
This came after he'd once described himself as "every mother-in-law's worst nightmare."
There was plenty of animosity given the fact that Claudia was married to Thomas Strunz - a current TEAMMATE of Effenberg's at the time.
Tabloid reports claimed at the time that Effenberg had cheated on his own wife Martina with Claudia.
In another infamous entry to his autobiography, Effenberg left readers stunned by including intimate pictures of Claudia.
Effenberg would end up marrying Claudia in 2004, and 20 years on the couple are still together.
After a spell in Qatar with Al-Arabi, he retired from football that same year and his family relocated to the United States.
He made a shock football return in 2015 by taking over as manager of Paderborn but he lasted just a matter of months before being sacked due to a dismal run of form.
Still out in America, Effenberg also now works as a TV pundit.
Speaking in 2015, he said: "Of course, I made mistakes in my life, that’s only human, you can only learn from them.
"I have no regrets."
As for his old pal Laudrup, the Rangers legend will be back at Ibrox TONIGHT.
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