Gary Keown shares Lionel Messi verdict on Cyriel Dessers as Rangers ‘miracle’ emerges at Ibrox
Gary Keown was stunned by the Lionel Messi-esque performance of Cyriel Dessers as Rangers beat Real Betis in the Europa League on Thursday night.
Philippe Clement stretched his unbeaten start to life at Ibrox to 14 games by securing the Gers’ first-ever win on Spanish soil against a Spanish team.
In doing so, the Light Blues managed to top their Europa League group.
Dessers, 29, has been widely dubbed as a flop at Ibrox but he scored a magnificent goal, as well as supplied an assist, in the 3-2 victory and Scottish Mail on Sunday columnist Keown has waxed lyrical about the Nigerian’s transformation for the game.
Writing in the Scottish Mail on Sunday (page 95, 17 December), Keown said: “Recording the club’s first win on Spanish soil against Spanish opposition with a brilliant win over Real Betis was a real gear-shifter. Cyriel Dessers scoring a cracker and looking like Lionel Messi moved it close to the miracle category.
“Rangers shouldn’t be in any position to win a league this season, given what Clement inherited. But they might.
“Looking across Glasgow at a club bristling with tension and having the same recruitment chief and same manager who made a ticket of the summer market, and showing no desire to change, can only give them hope.”
Better than Messi!
Messi no doubt got his fair share of goals and assists against Real Betis during his days at Barcelona but he was able to do that with players like Luis Suarez, Xavi and Andreas Iniesta around him.
Dessers had Ross McCausland and Sam Lammers backing him up at Betis this week – that makes him better than Messi in our opinion.
In all seriousness, Dessers has had a tough start to life at Ibrox and we hope that his performance in Spain can be viewed as a turning point.
We still don’t think Michael Beale should have signed the Nigerian from Cremonense when there are players like Lawrence Shankland and Bojan Miovski tearing it up already in the Scottish Premiership.
But Clement has been a revelation at Ibrox so far and has undone a lot of Beale’s mistakes by getting the best out of the players already at the club.
Dessers can be an Ibrox star yet if this “miracle” continues.
In other Rangers news, Scott Brown has shared his theory about the Gers after an “ignoration” admission by Tim Sherwood.