Former Rangers star Nikola Katic was decked by a Zinedine Zidane-style headbutt by bonkers Basel skipper Taulant Xhaka – brother of Arsenal tough nut Granit.
The stopper spent four years at Ibrox and the highlight was when he scored the winning goal in the Old Firm game in 2019 in what was Rangers' first success at Parkhead for nine years. He moved to FC Zurich in the Swiss League last year and was at the centre of a truly bizarre incident when Xhaka attacked him after he had been sent off in the closing moments of a 2-0 defeat.
Despite Katic standing with his hands in the air, Xhaka still decided to headbutt him in the chest in a copy of legendary France icon Zidane's infamous attack on Marco Materazzi at the 2006 World Cup Final. And Xhaka apologised after accepting he's set to be hammered by a lengthy ban, although he claimed he was subjected to verbal abuse about his family.
He said: "I would like to take this opportunity to formally apologise for my lapse. You know me as an emotional player. As someone who doesn't back down, who gives everything for his colours on the pitch.
"And we players are also flesh and blood people who react out of emotion in certain situations. At the same time, no verbal insults on the field, against me and my family, justify such an aberration on my part. As an experienced player and captain of this team, I have a role model function, especially in difficult moments, which I unfortunately did not exercise in this situation.
"I cannot undo what happened and I will, of course, accept the consequences for not being in control of myself for a brief moment."
Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.
You can also follow our dedicated Rangers and Celtic podcast pages and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.
