Glasgow Rangers were home to the greatest Scottish footballer of all time.
Widely regarded as the most naturally gifted player Scotland has ever produced, Jim Baxter won 10 trophies in five years at Ibrox in the 1960s with his effortless left foot.
Davy Cooper, who Ruud Gullit once described as the greatest winger he ever played against, spent 12 iconic years at the club and is still spoken of with respect by those who watched him play.
John Greig devoted his entire career to Rangers, making 755 appearances and was voted the greatest Ranger of all time by supporters in 1999. Ally McCoist remains the club’s most prolific striker, scoring 355 goals in 15 years and winning Europe’s Golden Boot award twice.
Rangers’ all-time eleven | player | Years at Rangers |
|---|---|---|
goalkeeper | Andy Gorham | 1991-1998 |
right back | sandy jardine | 1966-1982 |
center back | Richard Gough | 1987-1997 |
center back | John Greig | 1961-1978 |
left fullback | terry butcher | 1986-1990 |
midfielder | graham souness | 1986-1991 |
midfielder | jim baxter | 1960-1965 |
midfielder | paul gascoigne | 1995-1998 |
right wing | Brian Laudrup | 1994-1998 |
left wing | davie cooper | 1977-1989 |
striker | Ally McCoist | 1983-1998 |
Scotland has produced some of the best footballers for decades, and Rangers have consistently been the home of Scotland. For generations, Ibrox has been a stage for some of Scotland’s greatest players to showcase their talents.
But when Sir Alex Ferguson (a proud Scot himself and one of the greatest judges of footballers in history) was asked to identify the greatest Scottish players of all time, his list included only one Rangers player.
Sir Alex Ferguson says Souness is better than Gerrard
In fact, Sir Alex named Dave Mackay, Kenny Dalglish, Dennis Law and Graeme Souness as the four greatest Scottish players of all time.
Souness spent the final years of his playing career at Ibrox, winning three league titles and four Scottish League Cups as player and coach.
His best years were spent at Liverpool. Liverpool have a history of being great central midfielders, but Ferguson believes Souness is isolated.
“Along with Graeme Souness,[Steven Gerrard]is probably the best midfield player Liverpool has ever had, although I would put Souness above them all.”
But the tough-tackling midfielder didn’t just win at Rangers, he transformed the entire club, taking them into a new era and inheriting a team that would dominate Scottish football for nearly a decade.
He won 54 caps for Scotland and captained his country with uncompromising authority wherever he went.
And Ferguson wasn’t the only one to praise him.
Alan Hansen, who played with Souness at Liverpool and Scotland, said succinctly: “Graham was the king.”
High praise from a man who has shared dressing rooms with some of the best players of every generation, and Sir Alex clearly shared the same verdict.
Lionel Messi names his top Celtic and Rangers fans, calling them ‘the best’
The Argentine icon played for both Parkhead and Ibrox.
