Former Celtic striker Moussa Dembele has revealed ex-Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is more like a ‘big brother’ than a manager to him – as he named his Glasgow derby hat-trick in 2016 as his career highlight.
The 28-year-old became one of Gerrard’s first signings at Al Ettifaq in the summer of 2023 and has continued the goalscoring form that made him a hero at Parkhead, netting three goals in nine games for the Saudi Pro League side so far this season.
Dembele spent two years with the Hoops between 2016 and 2018 and would regularly troll his old foes on social media after derby triumphs, although he left Celtic for Lyon before the ex-Ibrox boss arrived in Glasgow.
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In a Roshn Saudi League interview, the French forward said of Gerrard: “He’s a legend. We’ve all seen him when we were young. For me, it’s a pleasure to work with him every day and be alongside him.
“He is the kind of manager who is listening to every single one of us. He’s trying to improve every day as a manager and make us improve as players – that’s what I like about him.
"It’s more like a relationship with your big brother rather than a coach but at the end of the day, he’s the gaffer and he makes the decisions – and I just say yes!”
