Born on the 25th September 1996, John Souttar is a Scottish lad with a fondness for defending. A central defender for Rangers, no less. He's a sizeable unit at 6ft 2in (1.88m) and weighs in at 11st 11lb (75kg). If you see the number 5 jersey darting about the pitch, that's likely him. He's also earned the respect of the kilt-wearers; Scotland's national team can proudly count Souttar amongst their ranks.
Souttar whetted his proverbial boots at Dundee United, joining fresh-faced and naive as a trainee in the summer of 2012. His track record for the club wasn't exactly a feast of goals, but that's defenders for you. He scraped together a slew of first team appearances each season, registering as many as 22 in the 2013-2014 period, before venturing south.
Mr. Souttar swapped the Dundee jersey for that of Hearts in 2016 for a cool £150k. Nothing like a healthy transfer fee to fill one's chest with inflated self-worth. Similar to his Dundee stint, the lad was persistent in pushing for those first team slots, making as many as 31 appearances in the 2017-2018 season. The lad also had something of a purple patch in the 2021-2022 season, netting a whopping four goals. As defenders go, he was turning a few heads.
Rangers snatched him from Hearts' warm, welcoming bosom in 2022. The green of Dundee, the maroon of Hearts, and now, the blue of Rangers. You couldn't write it. In his first season with the club he secured 12 first team appearances, and not to forget, basked in the glory of a single, solitary goal. His tally has steadily bulged over the years though, netting one more in the subsequent go-around, and a bountiful two in the 2023-2024 season. At present-one finds oneself in the ongoing 2025-2026 season-Souttar has strapped on the boots for five league matches.
And let's not forget his cameos in both local and international competitions. Scottish Cup 2024-2025, Euro Qualifiers 2022-2024, Champions League Qualifiers 2025-2026. Between them, World Cup Qualifiers and the Nations League, our number 5 has certainly been busy, adorning the squad sheets of several fixtures for both club and country.
As this brief sardonic journey through his career conveys, John Souttar may not be the most effervescent of footballers, but the lad's persistence and demand for first-team action surely deserves some begrudging respect.
