RANGERS fans would love nothing more than one of the team’s current stars to dig them out of their rather dire state they currently find themselves in.
And that’s exactly what a major Ibrox flop is doing at another European giant of a club that currently finds itself in a major struggle.
He’s finding some form at Valencia[/caption]
Sadiq scored a stunner from an improbable position[/caption]
He flicked the ball when surrounded by defenders[/caption]
The great skill saw Sadiq score one of the ‘goals of the season’[/caption]
Rangers fell to a 2-1 defeat at home to Motherwell on Saturday, the latest dreadful result in what’s been a horror campaign for the Light Blues.
Barry Ferguson’s homecoming as interim boss quickly turned sour with the Gers recording a third consecutive defeat at home in all competitions.
As well as the result, it was another dreadful performance from Rangers.
Cyriel Dessers did his best to dig his team out of a hole, getting a goal back after the Gers fell 2-0 down and having another strike disallowed for offside.
In Spain, a former Rangers No9 is doing his best to dig another team out of a hole that they find themselves in.
Valencia have become one of Europe’s fallen giants in recent years with their top-flight status in serious jeopardy.
With 12 games of the La Liga season left to go, the six-time Spanish champions find themselves in the relegation zone.
The famous club have been in a steady decline for much of the last decade, with financial peril delaying a new stadium and halting any progress on the pitch.
But their predicament isn’t quite as desperate as it was a matter of weeks ago.
Under former West Brom boss Carlos Corberan, Los Ches are dragging themselves in the right direction.
They’re currently 18th and only in the bottom three on goal difference.
This weekend just gone, they had a huge Rangers flop to thank for a priceless point.
Umar Sadiq isn’t a player many supporters at Ibrox remember fondly.
The towering striker joined Rangers in July 2018 in a season-long loan deal from Italian giants Roma.
His spell in Glasgow was nothing short of a disaster, however.
Handed the No9 shirt, Sadiq made just four appearances for the Light Blues.
Failing to score a goal, the lasting memory of Sadiq was a hapless showing in a League Cup semi-final defeat to Aberdeen in October 2018.
In what was his only start for the Gers, Sadiq missed a host of chances and was booked for diving.
He would never play for Rangers again and his year-long loan was cut short in December, after just five months.
Since leaving Ibrox, Sadiq’s fortunes have improved significantly.
After an inconsistent loan at Perugia, the Nigeria internional headed for Partizan Belgrade in 2019.
Finding a prolific streak for the first time in his career, 17 goals in 39 games saw the Serbian club sign him permanently.
His good form saw him earn a move to Spain with Sadiq joining Almeria in 2021.
He would score 41 goals across two seasons at the club, firing them to promotion to La Liga in 2022.
Sadiq’s goalscoring form alerted a number of big clubs and he earned a bumper £16million move to Real Sociedad early in the 2022/23 campaign.
Injuries, however, ravaged his time in San Sebastian and when fit, Sadiq struggled for form.
In January this year, he headed for Valencia where he’s been helping the club in its fight against the drop.
He’s scored three goals in his last three La Liga matches, with two of those efforts being late equalisers to secure crucial points away from home.
The latest one of these was certainly something special.
Valencia visited Osasuna on Sunday and they looked destined for defeat.
The hosts had a 3-2 lead with the clock ticking away until a moment of Sadiq magic secured Valencia a point in the 87th minute.
Sergi Canos fired a low ball into the box which headed in the direction of Sadiq who had his back to goal.
With his back to goal and a couple of defenders behind him, it didn’t look like there was much for the striker, now aged 28, to work with.
However, in a moment of brilliance, Sadiq flicked the ball with an outrageous back-heel that took everyone by surprise.
The incredible effort left Osasuna keeper Sergio Herrera with no chance and Valencia had what could be a crucial point.
The goal caught the attention on social media and Rangers fans couldn’t believe they were watching the same player who struggled so badly at Ibrox six years ago.
One said: “Nah that’s got to be his twin.”
Similarly, another fan commented: “Got to be a doppelganger.”
A third post read: “This the same guy who missed about 10 chances against Aberdeen?”
Another fan insisted: “Can’t be the same player man.”
A fifth post said: “Looked like he wasn’t even a footballer when he was at Rangers.”
Another said: “He couldn’t tap it into an empty net at Hampden.”
While another impressed punter said: “Just give him goal of the season already.”
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