The fairy tale of Rangers who miraculously reached the Europa League final can be represented perfectly through the story of their captain, James Tavernier. Players who felt almost impossible to compete at a level like this.
Discarded by Newcastle United after a long spell on loan at smaller clubs such as Gateshead, Carlisle United, Sheffield Wednesday, MK Dons and Rotherham, he was also unable to save his Championship career with Wigan.
But, now, here he was, being runner-up European superstars such as Erling Haaland, Gerard Pique, and Christopher Nkunku also failed to win a trophy.
Editor’s Choice
His move to Ibrox, which occurred some time before he turned 24, marked the beginning of his revival. And how poetic, because the revival is similar to the club he plays for now, which was relegated to the lowest tier of the Scottish League in 2012 for bankruptcy.
Of course there were moments of hurdles and doubts, but he got past them and became the talisman of victory at Rangers.
The goal, which he scored to lift The Gers his return to the Premiership at the end of his first season, was just a glimpse of the magic he gave him in the years that followed, with the number 2 now the most dangerous right-back in all of Europe.
He can claim to be the most prolific defender in the world’s highest caste football scene in the last 18 months.
Last season for example, he scored 19 goals – more than any Rangers player – when Steven Gerrard took the lead The Gers league champions and buried Celtic’s dream of winning 10 times in a row.
Getty/GOAL
–
Criticism one season wonder was broken after his performances this season.
With just one game remaining this season – there is still the Scottish Cup final tomorrow Saturday (21/5) after a heartbreak in Seville – he is just one goal away from equaling his record last season. In addition, he has also packed 17 assists.
Even crazier, even though he didn’t come out as champion, he ended the Europa League campaign as the top scorer!
“It sounds crazy,” Tavernier told AirSports before the finals. “I did take a few penalties and a few moments at the far post.”
“This is one of those moments where I’ve always said I’m always there to help the team as best I can, whether it’s defensively or goals and assists.”
He even finished above the likes of Nkunku and Victor Osimhen, RB Leipzig and Napoli players. They did drop into the Europa League after finishing third in their group in the Champions League, but at that time Tavernier had not scored a goal in UEL either, as they were unable to find the net in the group stage.
Four of his goals came from the penalty spot, but the most important goal came from the situation open play.
His ability to get into goalscoring positions can be seen in the way he netted against RB Leipzig at Ibrox after 18 minutes to reverse the momentum in the semi-finals.
As Ryan Kent stabbed down the left, Tavernier could sniff out danger and steal a goal from the far post to turn their fortunes around in the top four.
The moment seemed to be his trademark, and perhaps his sensational record wasn’t too surprising, knowing who Tavernier’s idol was.
“I’ve always followed Marcelo or Dani Alves… even Cafu,” he told UEFA’s official website.
“When I was much younger, I loved watching Brazilian players; how they played and how attacking they were.”
“Look at Dani Alves and Marcelo’s trophy collection; how they have been at the top of their game throughout their careers. They are people I respect. I always want to be on the scoreboard.”
“Look at Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James, Dani Alves, Marcelo, Roberto Carlos… They full-back who is very attacking in modern football, a defender whose job it is not only to defend but also to be the focus of the attack, whether it be creating crosses, assists or goals.”
Although we have to take our hats off to Giovanni van Bronckhorst for bringing Rangers to life runner-up Europa League, Tavernier thanks Gerrard for his comeback.
When the Liverpool legend left for Aston Villa, he said: “We achieved a lot together. As a team, we are growing. We demand more from each other.”
