First place in this list could only go to one man - Brian Laudrup. The Danish attacker had proven a revelation at Ibrox, scoring 44 goals in 150 appearances, but he opted to sign a contract with Premier League club Chelsea. However, Laudrup would soon come to regret agreeing terms at Stamford Bridge as he fought to get out of his deal before he had kicked a ball in West London. Ruud Gullit had signed Laudrup on a pre-contract agreement before he was sacked soon afterwards. Gianluca Vialli replaced him and used a squad-rotation policy which did not suit Laudrup and although he pleaded for the Blues to allow him to move to another club, he was threatened with legal action. Laudrup relented but he would only play 11 times for Chelsea, with his last appearance coming away to Copenhagen in the Cup Winners Cup in November 1998. Ironically, they would become his next destination for the remainder of the season. He would play for Ajax for a year before announcing his retirement from professional football in 2000 at just 31. He had reproduced some of his best form in the Netherlands but it was nothing in comparison to the glory days at Rangers. Laudrup credits Walter Smith for his success at Rangers and he probably takes some consolation from the fact that Smith left Rangers 12 months after his own departure. However, Laudrup describes his time at Ibrox as the "happiest of his career", and had he known what difficulties would face him by signing an agreement with Chelsea, he may have chosen to remain in Glasgow.
A degree-educated, dart-throwing, non-smelling sports journalist based in a small Staffordshire town that has just become Floyd Mayweather's answer to the question: "What's the strangest place you have ever visited?"
