I’m the Rangers golden boot winner who never was and urban myths exploded over my aborted Ibrox transfer
The need for a Rangers striker has been evident this season with Philippe Clement looking like he's finally lost patience with Cyriel Dessers.
But Hamza Igamane, despite his two goals when handed his big chance against Nice, is still raw with the 22-year-old Moroccan finding his feet in the Scottish Premiership. And how the light. blues could do with a frontman in his prime they once came close to signing for the kind of cash that they can only dream about just now. During the lavish spending days of Sir David Murray ’s tenure when Walter Smith was in charge, Rangers were on the brink of signing Brazilian Mario Jardel.
In fact, so close were they to signing the South American - who would go on to win two Golden Boots - that he was even paraded in front of the Ibrox crowd complete with Rangers kit before a a 4-0 win over Raith Rovers. Accompanying Jardel at the time was his stunning WAG Karen who almost caught as much attention as the player himself. In fact, it even prompted one Rangers Supporters Club based out of Lyall's Bar in Uddingston to temporarily change the name of their club to the Karen Jardel Loyal in her honour, with the club shield featuring a portrait of her. That impressed those stuck behind the supporters bus during busy traffic on matchdays.
However, it all went sour and despite the mega hype over the proposed move. Jardel caught the attention of Rangers after bagging a staggering 67 goals in 73 appearances while on loan at Gremio from Vasco da Gama. This included 12 goals on the way to winning the 1995 Copa Libertadores which made him the tournament's top scorer that year.
Smith wanted to show Rangers's strength despite already being on their way to winning an historic ninth title in a row. But the