Jermain Defoe illustrated just what Rangers meant to him this morning.
Last week it was announced that Defoe had left Rangers after three years on their books.
Steven Gerrard signed him on loan from Bournemouth in winter of 2019 and even included him in his backroom staff last summer, as a player-coach role.
But Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s arrival at Ibrox in November saw the Dutchman bring his own coaches to Glasgow, resulting in 39-year-old reverting to exclusively being a player.
The legendary English hitman helped Rangers to a first Premiership title in a decade last season, also ending Celtic’s historic 10-in-a-row bid in the process.
When reflecting on his time in Scotland during an interview with talkSPORT, an emotional Defoe spoke fondly of Glen Kamara and Joe Aribo, revealing their nickname for him.
He told talkSPORT: “My teammates were just special. These boys, especially the young lads. Joe Aribo and Glen Kamara, they call me uncle! It’s just that appreciation from the boys. Aribo messaged me the other day and said ‘honoured to play with you uncle.’ These are special people.”
Despite his advancing years, the fact is that Defoe was still lethal in Scotland.
Obviously he got progressively less effective for Rangers, but 32 goals in 76 senior outings across all competitions illustrates that Scottish defences still struggled.
He even scored a hat-trick against Hamilton a few years ago, underlining that Gerrard bringing him up north was anything but a novelty.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
