Born on 23rd of February, 2001, Belgian central defensive midfielder, Nicolas Raskin, boasts impressive stats. He carries the rather uninspiring number 43 on his shirt and is the proud owner of a physique measuring a modest 5ft 10in (1.78m) in height and tipping the scales at a trim 11st 9lb (74kg). You wouldn't think twice about this rather unassuming chap, would you?
Straight from the digit cruncher's mouth, Transfermarkt, Raskin's value in the playground auction is hovering around £10.5m; but who's counting pennies?
Proving that there are indeed other Belgian teams than Anderlecht and Club Brugge, this fine specimen of footballing mediocrity made the jump from Gent to Standard Liege in January 2019. Why bother with original team names when you can just relocate to another Belgian Pro League team, eh?
After a series of staggeringly average seasons with Standard, this relative under-achiever moved to Rangers in January 2023, for a hearty £1.5m. Perhaps the dizzying heights of the Scottish Premiership were just too tantalising to resist.
Where I'm from, one doesn't simply walk into a club like Rangers and magically become a part of the furniture. Yet, in his first season, our dear Nicolas somehow made 12 first-team appearances. By the 2024-2025 season he had managed to increase this tally to a somewhat respectable 33 appearances and even banged in four goals. And in the current season, he has made an impressive 27 first team appearances and scored three goals. You could say he's becoming prolific.
A reminder, as if one were needed, of his brilliantly average career; Nicolas graced the Champions League Qualifiers 2025 - 2026 with his presence four times as a starter and twice as a sub. And let's not forget the eight starts in the Europa League in the same year, a veritable tour de force of mediocrity.
As a Celtic writer, one is programmed to be cynical of a Rangers player. But let's cast rivalries aside, this lad's bagged a fair tally of goals, appearances, and even a few accolades, like a surprisingly successful housefly navigating a room full of rolled-up newspapers.
