Pierre van Hooijdonk reveals razor blade threats and abuse during Celtic spell

Updated: 03 Dec, 2025 • 0 • min read

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Pierre van Hooijdonk reveals razor blade threats and abuse during Celtic spell

Photo: Reuters

Former Celtic and Nottingham Forest striker Pierre van Hooijdonk has revealed the shocking level of abuse he endured during his time in Scotland, including receiving razor blades in the post and having a stranger spit in his face at his own front door.

Van Hooijdonk, who turned 56 on 29 November, said he had never felt as unsafe in his career as he did whilst living in Glasgow, where he moved in 1995 after a prolific spell with NAC Breda, scoring 91 goals in 115 games.

The Dutchman went on to enjoy major on-field success at Celtic, netting 52 goals in 84 appearances, but his two-year spell at Parkhead was overshadowed by hostility off the pitch.

'Nowhere Have I Felt So Unsafe'

Speaking in 2018 to Dutch newspaper BN DeStem, van Hooijdonk described how the intensity of the Old Firm rivalry spilled into his everyday life.

When I went for lunch somewhere or stopped at a traffic light with a Rangers pub on the corner, I was insulted and the middle finger went up.

I opened my door once and was spat on by someone who then ran away like a greyhound.

I even had razor blades sent to me in an envelope. That was intense.

There was hatred there and you could see it. Nowhere have I felt so unsafe as in Glasgow.

The striker contrasted his Celtic-Rangers experience with the rivalries he knew in the Netherlands, insisting nothing came close to the hostility he felt in Scotland.

Forest Controversy and Later Career

Van Hooijdonk left Celtic in 1997 in a £4.5 million move to Nottingham Forest, where he enjoyed a prolific spell, scoring 36 Premier League goals in 71 games.

However, his time at the City Ground also proved turbulent as he briefly refused to play after claiming the club had broken promises to strengthen the squad following his arrival.

Although he eventually returned, he was sold months later and went on to enjoy further spells with Benfica, Feyenoord, Fenerbahçe, and Vitesse, before retiring in 2007.

He later became a football agent and television pundit in the Netherlands.

Despite a career filled with goals across Europe, van Hooijdonk's revelations underline how deeply the darker side of football culture affected him during his time in Glasgow.

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