Inside Union Saint Gilloise as Rangers hero Thomas Buffel charts Champions League rivals' incredible redemption story

Don't let the name fool you. Yes, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise may sound as if it belongs in a historical novel and, true, the club is only just back in the Belgian big league after 48 years kicking around down the divisions.

But Thomas Buffel watched this side hit the top flight like a runaway train last season and the moment he saw their name come out alongside Rangers in Nyon on Monday, it nearly sent a nasty shiver racing down his spine. The former Belgian international has been around the block enough times to know how it works.

While Rangers fans might have been a little less bullish if it was an Anderlecht, Standard Liege or Genk waiting for them on the other side - expectations soared like the summer mercury yesterday when Union came out of the pot to stand between their club and a place in the Champions League play-offs. But the truth of the matter is this fairytale club came close to eclipsing the kind of miracle which rocked England’s Premier League to the core when Leicester City won the title against all odds in 2016.

Union finished the league season at the top of the Jupiler Pro League only to then lose the title to big hitters Brugge over the course of a six game play-off campaign. It was an astonishing return to the top division capped off with a first ever crack at Champions League football for a club which was once regarded as the powerhouse of Belgian football.

But none of it caught Buffel the slightest bit by surprise. Speaking exclusively to the former Rangers man said: “The whole country has been fascinated with Union’s story. It’s been incredible.

“It started a couple of years ago when they started beating big clubs in the cup competitions even when they were in the second division. So everyone