Rino Gattuso has admitted his father threatened to PUNCH him if he didn't take up a financially beneficial move to Rangers as a teenager.
The no-nonsense Italian is now manager of Valencia, but way back in 1997 he was famously brought to Ibrox by the late Walter Smith. He was shipped out to Salernitana a year later in a £4 million deal as Dick Advocaat wasn't a fan of him. It didn't hold him back as he then moved to AC Milan, scooping two Champions Leagues, two Serie A titles and 2006 World Cup with Italy.
Speaking in an interview over in Spain, he's admitted that he had no intention of signing for Rangers over 25 years ago, until his dad stepped in. Gattuso explained: "I didn't want to go to Glasgow. I had played two games in Serie B and was promoted to Serie A with Perugia, where I played eight games without a contract. Then I played the U19s finals with Italy. One day my father comes and tells me that a representative of Glasgow Rangers has come to town and has offered a contract to me. I didn't want to leave and I told this to my father. He told me that the money they were offering was so much he couldn't even write down the total figure. He told me it was four times his total earnings in his lifetime.
"When I still said no, he said he would punch me if I didn't accept it, so I signed for Rangers! I went to Glasgow and I didn't know anyone and didn't have two words in English. But after two weeks, I looked more Scottish than a Scottish player. I trained three or four times a day, I would go to the gym for hours. I built myself up with this mentality. I knew I didn't have great technique, but I prepared myself to mentally kill my opponent. I have dedicated my life to football."
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