Let us turn our attention to Rabbi Matondo; born 9 September 2000, now gracing his 25 years of age, and made in England. This lad, primarily employed as a forward, does most of his capers on the left wing for that mob over at Rangers. He scrapes a height of 5ft 8in (that's about 1.75m for the metrically inclined) and tips the scales at around 10st 5lb (sounds heftier in kilos, about 66kg). As for the jersey, it's number 17 he parades in. He's also played a game or two for the Wales national team, a bit of a multi-hat for our lad.
It all started in July 2016 when young Matondo joined Manchester City as a trainee, cutting his teeth among the brash and brazen stars of the Premier League. Fast forward to January 2019, Matondo was whisked off to Schalke 04 in the 2. Bundesliga, a ticket that cost those Germans a hefty sum of around £8.1m. How'd he fare, you ask? Well, in his debut season at Schalke, he managed to wiggle into seven league matches, and the year after that the lad made 20 appearances, even netted twice. But then in the 2020-2021 season, he was left languishing with only three games to his name.
But our lad wasn't for sitting on a shelf. Here comes January 2021 and he's jetted back to England; a loaner this time to Stoke City in the Championship. His stint here saw him get ten games under his belt and even a goal for good measure. However, by August of the same year, our Rabbi had once again been shipped; this time to Cercle Brugge in Belgium. Here Matondo managed, in the 2021-2022 season, to make 26 appearances, netting himself an impressive nine goals.
Then in July 2022, came a hefty change in weather for our Rabbi; Schalke hopped him off for around £2.7m to our neighbours, Rangers, up in the frosty climes of Scottish Premiership. Matondo made 19 appearances in his debut season up North. He followed up with a replication of the 19 appearances the following season, netting five times. However, by the 2024-2025 season, he'd been whittled down to only six games with a brace of goals to boot. Yet here we are in the 2025-2026 season, and he's managed to squeeze in one solitary appearance.
In what may seem a case of deja vu, or an unwelcome rerun if you're Matondo, January 2025 found him on loan again (a tragic repetition – our Rabbi and loans fit hand in glove), this time to Hannover 96 in Germany. Despite the less than welcoming introduction, he made ten appearances, scoring once.
In June 2025, Katondo made his way back to Rangers, where sadly, his fortune echoed what it had been previously - 19 games and five goals in the 2023-2024 season, a measly six games and two goals in the 2024-2025 season, and currently with a paltry one appearance in the ongoing 2025 - 2026 season.
As for his time outside league matches, the lad put in two substitute appearances for Rangers in the Scottish Cup and made three pop-ins (including one goal) for Wales in the 2024 - 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.
What a whirlwind of a career this lad's seen! But then, isn't that the game?
