Born on the 23rd of February, 2001 in Belgium, the now 24-year-old Nicolas Raskin is a central defensive midfielder who has found his way into the ranks of the Rangers, sporting the noteworthy number 43 on his back. His stature of 5ft 10in (1.78m) and his weight of 11st 9lb (74kg) have served him well in a game where sometimes the only strategy left is brute force, or so the management at Rangers must have been thinking when they saw him for the first time.
Surviving in the harsh realm of professional football, Raskin’s current market value is approximately set at £8m, a number given some semblance of authority by Transfermarkt. However, as history will tell you, a player's worth is not just the number on the proverbial price tag.
The journey of our Belgian prodigy began at Gent in the Belgian Pro League in July 2017. Not the most exciting of starts with a single first team league appearance in the 2017-2018 season. Perhaps they were saving him for something special? Or more likely, he was their wee secret weapon, used sparingly. We may never know the truth.
A little over a year later, in the misty month of January 2019, Raskin transferred to Standard Liege, still within the Pro League in Belgium. The undisclosed fee is always a tantalising mystery, isn’t it? The next three seasons saw a steady improvement in his performance: two appearances in 2019 followed by a grand 29 appearances and one gargantuan goal in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Quite the transformation, leaving no doubt that the lad wasn't taking his football lightly.
Raskin’s career took him across the North Sea to join the Rangers in the Scottish Premiership in January 2023, for a fee approximately around £1.5m. His performances, much like the Scottish weather, were a varied mix - 12 appearances in the 2022-2023 season, then 18 more in the next (accompanied with his first Scottish goal), and finally peaking at an impressive 33 appearances and four goals in 2024-2025. This season hasn't borne much fruit yet with only 3 appearances to his name. Or perhaps he’s saving his energy for the right moment?
His Scottish career also sees him involved in the Scottish Cup, Europa League and Champions League Qualifiers, making handfuls of appearances in each. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, it seems.
Raskin also boasts the feather in his cap of representing the grand old Belgium national team. Perhaps not the highest of accolades, but I’m sure he’s very proud. Bless him.
