Born on the 23rd of February 2001, the not-so-mighty Nicolas Raskin is busying himself these days as a central defensive midfielder for Rangers. Standing at a slightly humdrum height of 1.78m (5ft 10in), and tipping the scales at 74kg (11st 9lb), Raskin is a footballer who's certainly consumed his fair share of haggis and Irn-Bru. He proudly dons the number 43 jersey as if it carries the weight of Celtic legends like McGrain or MacLeod - except, of course, it doesn't.
According to Transfermarkt, Raskin's current market value whirls around £5.5m. He's got a contract with Rangers that's due to run out of ink on 31st May 2027, coinciding with several fans' hopes for an unceremonious exit.
Our Belgian hero began his footballing journey far from the misty lands of Scotland. In July 2017 he was welcomed by Gent in the Belgian Pro League. His contribution was 1 league appearance. Inspirational, no?
Then, in January 2019, Raskin made the daring switch from Gent to Standard Liege, clearly drawn towards the opportunity for even more bench-warming. Ironically, he had a couple of seasons that were borderline noticeable making 29 first team appearances and scoring a goal (once in a blue moon that is) in the seasons 2020-2022.
Refusing to be contained within the borders of Belgium any longer, Raskin made the move to Rangers in January 2023 for the reportedly staggering fee of around £1.5m. One can only imagine the excitement of Rangers fans at that time, no doubt envisaging a Belgian Pele in their midst. Alas, reality was a shade more prosaic, with Raskin managing 12 league showings that season, followed by an 18 game wonder-season wherein he discovered the back of the net once. Truly, the legends of yore must be quaking in their boots!
Never outdone by his previous feats, Raskin has managed this current season to once again grace the field 26 times and repeated his singular goal scoring prowess. And let's not forget his cameos in various cups and Europa League where he once found his scoring boots. Ah, the unbroken consistency of mediocrity!
