Meet Vaclav Cerny, the boy whose birth halted the nation on 17 October 1997. Born and bred in the Czech Republic, this strapping lad has managed to put his country on the map as a right winger for Rangers. Undoubtedly, his rather average height of 5ft 10in (1.78m) and weight of a meagre 10st 9lb (68kg) have done nothing to derail his career. How could it when he sprints across the pitch, number 18 flashing violently at his heels? Czech Rep. national team has sure taken notice, pulling him into their wartime ranks as well.
Let's talk about something we all get a kick from: money. Apparently, his current market value sits pretty at around £7.5m. At least, that's what Transfermarkt tells us. With his contract with Rangers having but a mere three months to expiration, 30 June 2025 could be a significant date.
It's time for the riveting tale of Vaclav's transfers. In the infancy of 2014, he was swept away from the 1. FK Příbram in the Czech Republic to the ambitious hands of Ajax in the Netherlands for a staggering fee of £650k. Over the course of three seasons, our dear lad made a total of 16 appearances and scored a rather underwhelming one goal. But hey, Rome wasn't built in a day, folks.
In July 2019, our trailing hero found himself on the move again, this time to FC Utrecht, also in the Netherlands, for a fee that someone thought was worth around £680k. There, Mr Cerny graced the league with 13 appearances in his lone season.
Things changed yet again in July 2020, when Vaclav was sent to FC Twente on loan. Over three seasons, he made a total of 66 appearances, coming across the finish line with a more respectable 20 goals.
Ever the economics wizard, Mr Cerny managed to squeeze out yet another hefty fee of £860k when he officially transferred to the same club, FC Twente. His performance there mirrored his loan spell, lots of appearances, a sprinkling of goals.
The tale takes an exciting twist in July 2023, when our hero seals a move to German Bundesliga outfit, Wolfsburg. A cool sum of £7.7m was the price tag for this leap of faith. His lone season there saw him feature 22 times, with four goals to show.
Finally, in July 2024, our globetrotting Vaclav found himself shipped to the gloomy skies of Scotland, loaned off to Rangers. That season, Mr Cerny has certainly not been idle, proud of 28 appearances and a whopping 11 goals.
Oh, and let's not forget his long list of cup runs and qualifiers for various competitions. In short, he's a participant of several tournaments - scoring, starting, subbing. You could find him anywhere from the League Cup to the World Cup Qualifiers - rather impressive for someone born in '97, wouldn't you agree?
