Sasa Papac proves his Rangers love is forever as cult hero devours everything about club he adores

Sasa Papac might live 2000 miles away but distance has only made his heart grow fonder.

And he never passes up on the chance to pull the Rangers jersey over his head despite leaving the club more than a decade ago. The former Bosnia international was a hugely popular figure in Walter Smith’s team that reached the UEFA Cup final in 2008 and will be a major target for autograph hunters who flock to Bury’s Gigg Lane on Saturday as a Rangers Select take on a team of former English pros based in the North West in aid of the Lee Rigby Memorial Foundation.

Now living in Mostar with his wife and four children, the 43-year-old can’t wait for a reunion with many of the friends for life he made in his six years at Ibrox and Papac is convinced that the new generation of Rangers players being brought to the club by Michael Beale will also quickly pick up on the standards demanded of anyone wearing that blue shirt. The former left back credits Smith with having a profound effect on not only his career, but his life, after being signed by previous manager Paul Le Guen from Austria Vienna.

He told Record Sport: “I might be a couple of thousand miles away, but I live in a household where we still have a great love for Rangers. Every time there is a Rangers game on TV we watch hoping for three points. Every day I keep up to date with what is happening at Ibrox. That news is still very important to me. I like to know what’s going on because the six years I spent at Ibrox were the best and most fulfilling of my career. My other clubs were fantastic but my time at Rangers pushed me to become a much better player and that is something I will always be thankful for.”

Le Guen signed Libor Sionko and Filip Sebo from the Austrian outfit but it