Former Arsenal Kolo Toure is unparalleled in his knowledge of UK football rivalries, having participated in iconic derbies across the Premier League, spanning from north London to Manchester and Merseyside.
But for the former Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City defender, there is one match which outranks them all.
The Old Firm derby between Celtic and Rangers.
Concluding a 14-year stint in the Premier League, Toure wrapped up his career at Celtic Park, achieving a triumphant treble under Brendan Rodgers. His strategic timing aligned with the return of Rangers to the Scottish Premiership after a four-year absence.
Teaming up with the emerging defender Kieran Tierney, Toure played a role in the dominant 5-1 victory over their Glasgow rivals in September 2016 as a member of the Hoops.
While Kolo Toure witnessed Ivory Coast matches that united a divided nation, the intensity at Parkhead on that day in 2016 surpassed anything he had ever seen.
He told talkSPORT.com: “The Glasgow derby is incredible because for me it’s more than football. You can feel the tension. You can feel like two teams don’t like each other, but it’s more than football and it’s more religion than anything else.
“And you know when it goes to religion, everybody is really passionate. The passion is high in religion.”
Serious incidents are thankfully less common nowadays and away ticket allocations have been cut – but Toure felt the full force of the Old Firm hatred.
He recalled: “There was a moment where after a game I was driving my car because we beat Rangers in my first derby when they came back [to the Scottish Premiership].
“I saw the police on the road and I saw two groups of people. One group on one side of the road and one group on the other side. And they wanted to fight each other.
“For me, that was the first time I’d really seen that. I was in the middle of that road and I was driving. You just drive quickly and you get out. And you could see the passion they had for both teams. It’s incredible. It was really, really incredible when they started the derby.
“But, of course, the Merseyside derby is also good. It’s big intensity, big rivalry, but it’s not religious really. It’s just two teams that like each other because they’re in the same city. And it’s the same for Tottenham and Arsenal as well. Big rivalry again, but still there’s no religion.
“And again the Manchester derby. You can feel the tension. But the slight difference for me is because of the sectarianism. It’s massive. That gives it [the Old Firm derby] the edge.”