Cyriel Dessers has said he is “proud” of his achievements at Rangers and revealed how he has learned to cope with the intense scrutiny on his game since joining Ibrox almost two years ago.
The 30-year-old Nigeria striker opened the scoring in Sunday's 1-1 draw at home to Celtic, taking his total to 25 goals this season and 47 since joining from Cremonese in 2023.
Despite scoring more goals than any other Scottish Premier League player over the last two years, Dessers has been the subject of repeated criticism from pundits and some Gers fans throughout his time at Ibrox.
“I think if you had said to the fans two years ago, the day I signed my contract, 'This striker is going to score 47 goals in two seasons,' they probably would have said, 'Oh, yes, please,'” Dessers said of the criticism of his play. “And I've done that all the time. It could have been more. It could have been less.
“It really hit me hard at the beginning, but now I've kind of gotten over it and just focused on myself and helping the team. In a team that's had a lot of ups and downs, to score 25 goals is a good achievement, I think, and I'm proud of it.”
Desser said the constant criticism that team captain James Tavernier, who has been the team's leader for many years, has helped him realise that winning over some of the Gers fans will always be a challenge.
“There was a moment when I would have liked to change that (negative perception),” he added. “But when I see, for example, the criticism that Tavernier sometimes receives for what he has achieved at this club, I understand that it will always be there and that is normal.
“That's part of working at a big club like Rangers. You can feel the pain of the fans who are always striving for more and better things. But that's also what we as players want. I know it's not always easy, but we all want to move in the same direction as the fans.”
Dessers is under contract at Rangers until the summer of 2027 and is hoping to remain at the club as they prepare to begin a new phase under new American ownership this summer, with Andrew
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
