UPDATE: Rangers striker still needs to win over supporters

Tsetim theophilus | March 6, 2024 | Rangers fc | No Comments

The Nigerian international forward has had a rollercoaster of a first season in Glasgow, receiving criticism frequently.
However, two of the striker’s previous coaches, who are both Belgian-born, have expressed their admiration for the player’s underappreciated potential, which is nothing new in Cyriel Dessers’ career.
The remarks are from a FIFA interview that Rangers made public prior to their matchup with Benfica in the Europa League Round of 16.
Previous mentors support Cyriel Dessers
Former Belgian football coaches Hendrik Swerten and Joseph Biljoos were questioned about Cyriel Dessers’ early years as he reflected on his time in the youth setups.
Both have had nothing but positive things to say about the now-Ibrox attacker, who led the league in scoring with 10 goals when Feyenoord defeated AS Roma in the Europa Conference League Final in 22.
Hendrik Swerten, for starters, has extolled the 29-year-old’s inherent talent for the game and asserted that the striker’s South American passion defies his background in a small Belgian hamlet.
“I used to deliver bread to his house,” recalled Hendrik Swerten, the first coach of Cyriel Dessers at FC De Zwaluw Vechmaal, a small Belgian team. I got to know little Cyriel in this way.
“I believe that saying that I taught him the fundamentals is overstated.” He already has the fundamental skills, so I didn’t have to teach him any more.
“He moved so well. He plays samba football, and I love how well he can turn.
Another previous coach of Cyriel Dessers, Joseph Biljoos, asserts in the interview that a player with a distinctive capacity for comebacks is accustomed to being “underestimated.”
“Cyriel has always been undervalued, which has made his journey difficult,” stated Joseph Biljoos, Dessers’ coach at KSK Tongeren.
“He didn’t always get the credit he deserved for his talents. He has always been able to recover from his setbacks. That perfectly captures his personality.