Poor Emmanuel Fernandez. Born on 20 November 2001, you'd imagine that the 24-year-old, originally from England, would have dreamt of a career in the sunny pastures of the Premier League, or perhaps dipping his toes in the waters of the Bundesliga, La Liga, or Serie A. Instead, he found himself lumbering about at the heart of the Rangers defence, standing at a rather generous guess of 6ft 4in (1.94m) and weighing in at a tidy 13st 3lb (84kg).
Wearing the seemingly random number 37, our good pal Emmanuel has somehow managed to muster a market value of around £1.3m. It's a figure no doubt inflated by the skyrocketing prices in football these days. But that, my dear readers, is according to the good folks over at Transfermarkt, so take it as gospel if you will.
Fernandez's journey to the reputed heights of Scottish football's Premiership started, as with many, with a less than glamorous stint in the lower leagues of England. In July 2021, he found himself shipped off from Ramsgate to Peterborough United, probably in the back of a beat-up transit. During his time there, he managed to make a solitary first-team appearance in the league before getting shipped out on loan to Barnet, another bottom feeder.
After playing the part of the prodigal son and returning to Peterborough, he probably thought things were looking up. But life, as our friend Emmanuel will surely tell you, is rarely so kind. A mere one appearance later, he was packed off again - this time all the way up to Scotland's Premiership, landing with the Rangers in July 2025. Is it a promotion or banishment? The jury's still out on that one.
So far in the current 'belter' of a season (if you can call it that), Fernandez has made 19 appearances and incredibly, scored five goals. Yes, you read it right - a defender scoring goals. What's next? Goalkeepers taking penalties? Oh, wait...
Despite his unimpressive showing in defence, he does seem to enjoy a run out in the cups, having started in the League Cup, the Scottish Cup and four times in the Europa League. I wonder how he found the time...
