Lighting the fuses of the Belgian Pro League, one Cyriel Dessers, born on a cold winter's day, the 8th of December 1994, if we're being precise, has made a name for himself as a forward. Regaling in the glory of wearing the number 9 jersey for Rangers – ah, such responsbility. The bloke stands at a lofty 6ft (1.85m) and tips the scales at 12st 8lb (80kg).
The lad initially sprung out of relative obscurity in January 2014, having allied himself with Oud-Heverlee Leuven in the Belgian Pro League. Although, that first season, 2013 - 2014, saw him making a solitary appearance. One can only imagine the rush he must've felt.
Dissatisfied with his easy life at Oud-Heverlee Leuven, Dessers hitched his wagon to KSC Lokeren in the Challenger Pro League, still in Belgium, come July 2014. Stoically, he tallied up a total of 25 league appearances in two years.
Perhaps longing for the scent of tulips, Dessers then decamped to NAC Breda, sequestering himself in the Dutch Eredivisie in July 2016. Somehow, against all odds, he managed to shine brighter in his new environment, smashing 22 goals in 36 appearances – a season to remember indeed.
Pursuing further change in Netherlands, he packed his bags again in July 2017. This time, he was bought for a princely sum of around £300k by FC Utrecht. His performances, however, seemed to nosedive a bit, with 9 goals in 29 appearances in the first season, and limping to 3 goals in 11 appearances the year after.
Not finding much joy at Utrecht, Heracles Almelo presented him with a lifeline in July 2019, where he rediscovered his form, advancing to 15 goals in 26 appearances. But then he felt the lure of Belgian waffles too hard to resist, and so moved back to Belgium to join Genk, for a fee that rounded up to approximately £3.6m in July 2020. Here, the harsh realities of professional football caught up with him yet again, with a scanty yield of 4 goals in 28 appearances.
Seeking abolition from his misery at Genk, a loan move to Feyenoord in the Eredivisie provided some respite in August 2021. Operatic in his performances, he hammered 9 goals in 27 appearances, a period of healing indeed. However, the unforgiving wheel of time grinds on, and Dessers returned to Genk in June 2022, knocking in a total of just seven goals in the following two seasons.
With the nuances of Serie B in Italy beckoning, Dessers moved to Cremonese for a breathtaking sum of £5.9m in August 2022. Perhaps the Italian pasta fuelled him a bit, as he bagged six goals in 26 appearances.
Come July 2023, he found himself being shepherded towards the Scottish Premiership, lured by the radiant lights of Ibrox, and so transferred into Rangers for roughly £4.5m. Since then, the tale of Dessers has been one of a robust striker, clocking up a solid 22 goals in his time so far.
And so, he continues at Rangers, crafting tales of League Cup runs, European battles and the seemingly endless slog of domestic fixtures. One can only wonder what the future holds for this journeyman striker. Will he ever feature in the green and white hoops of Celtic? Only time will tell I suppose.
