Glasgow Rangers have been home to some of the greatest Scottish footballers who ever lived.
Jim Baxter, widely regarded as the most naturally gifted player Scotland has ever produced, won ten trophies in five years at Ibrox in the 1960s with a left foot that made the game look effortless.
Davie Cooper, the winger Ruud Gullit once named the greatest he had ever faced, spent twelve iconic years at the club and is still spoken about in reverential tones by those who watched him play.
John Greig devoted his entire career to Rangers, made 755 appearances, and was voted the greatest Ranger of all time by supporters in 1999. Ally McCoist scored 355 goals over fifteen years, won the European Golden Boot twice, and remains the most prolific striker in the club’s history.
|
Rangers all-time XI |
Player |
Years at Rangers |
|---|---|---|
|
Goalkeeper |
Andy Goram |
1991–1998 |
|
Right back |
Sandy Jardine |
1966–1982 |
|
Centre back |
Richard Gough |
1987–1997 |
|
Centre back |
John Greig |
1961–1978 |
|
Left back |
Terry Butcher |
1986–1990 |
|
Midfielder |
Graeme Souness |
1986–1991 |
|
Midfielder |
Jim Baxter |
1960–1965 |
|
Midfielder |
Paul Gascoigne |
1995–1998 |
|
Right wing |
Brian Laudrup |
1994–1998 |
|
Left wing |
Davie Cooper |
1977–1989 |
|
Striker |
Ally McCoist |
1983–1998 |
Scotland has produced brilliant footballers throughout the decades, and Rangers have consistently been their home. Generation after generation, Ibrox has been the stage on which Scotland’s finest have showcased their talent.
But when Sir Alex Ferguson – himself a proud Scot and one of the shrewdest judges of a footballer the game has ever produced – was asked to identify the very best Scottish players of all time, his list included just one Rangers player.
Sir Alex Ferguson said Souness was better than Gerrard
Indeed, Sir Alex named Dave Mackay, Kenny Dalglish, Denis Law and Graeme Souness as the four greatest Scottish players of all time.
Souness spent the final years of his playing career at Ibrox, winning three league titles and four Scottish League Cups as a player and coach.
His prime years came at Liverpool, who have their own storied history of great central midfielders, but Ferguson believes Souness stands alone.
“Along with Graeme Souness, (Steven Gerrard is) probably the best midfield player Liverpool have ever had, although I have Souness just above them all.”
The tough tackling midfielder didn’t just win things at Rangers however, he transformed the entire club, dragging it into a new era before handing over a squad that would go on to dominate Scottish football for nearly a decade.
He earned 54 caps for Scotland, captaining his country with the same uncompromising authority he carried everywhere he went.
And Ferguson was far from alone in his admiration.
Alan Hansen, who played alongside Souness for both Liverpool and Scotland, said simply: “Graeme was the king.”
High praise from a man who shared a dressing room with some of the finest players of any generation – and a verdict that Sir Alex clearly shared.
Lionel Messi names the top fans between Celtic and Rangers, calls them “the best”
The Argentine icon has played at both Parkhead and Ibrox.