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Rangers are sitting on a gold mine thanks to the World Cup
Updated: 7 Jul 2026 17:19 BST |
5 min read
Analysis
Rangers are sitting on a potential gold mine following Nicolas Raskin's emergence as a bona fide Belgium star at the 2026 World Cup.
The 25-year-old was not a guaranteed starter for the Red Devils heading into the tournament. He was coming off a mixed season for Rangers, which had started in the worst possible fashion.
Then-coach Russell Martin accused him of having had his head turned by transfer speculation last summer and dropped him from the squad. Despite this, Raskin stayed put and ultimately fought his way back into the team.
Martin's sacking was a blessing for the midfielder. He finished what was a hugely disappointing season for the Ibrox club with more than 4,000 minutes played, scoring seven goals and producing nine assists.
He started Belgium's World Cup campaign on the bench as Rudi Garcia's side were trying to find their feet. He came on as a substitute in the opener against Egypt, he started against Iran and then dropped back to the bench against New Zealand. His group stage was fairly uneventful.
Raskin explodes at the World Cup
It has been in the knockout phase where Raskin has really come into his own. The Red Devils were trailing 2-0 to Senegal in the round of 32 when Garcia made the bold call to bring on the 25-year-old and Dodi Lukebakio for Kevin de Bruyne and Jeremy Doku.
People thought that the coach had lost his mind taking two of Belgium's most talented players off, but it actually proved to be an inspired decision, with Raskin and Lukebakio helping turn the game completely on its head.
Raskin, being significantly more defensive-minded than De Bruyne, allowed the Red Devils to push captain Youri Tielemans further forward - resulting in the Aston Villa star bagging a brace to win the game for his country.
Garcia has been a fairly uninspiring coach for some time now, and he was heavily criticised for Belgium's group stage performances, but he has played his cards perfectly in the knockout phase so far.
Instead of reverting to a system that didn't work, Garcia decided to keep Raskin and Lukebakio in the team for Monday's clash with the USA at the expense of De Bruyne and Doku, which naturally raised eyebrows pre-game.
Once again, though, it proved a masterstroke. Buoyed by FIFA's inexplicable Folarin Balogun decision and the sense of injustice it created, Belgium thoroughly outplayed and outfought the US, running out 4-1 victors.
Belgium did not have to be at their very best, such was the feebleness of the US's performance, but Raskin was exceptional in the centre of the park with his tenacity and positioning.
His presence effectively cut off star striker Balogun from the rest of Mauricio Pochettino's paralysed team to the point where the Monaco man was almost a non-factor.
With the centre of the pitch clogged up, the Stars and Stripes had to resort to mostly unsuccessful runs down the wings and long balls over the top of the defence in hopes of securing a lucky bounce for Balogun to latch onto.
It was a professional performance from the Belgians, with Raskin at the heart of it. This is good news for Rangers given that they are faced with a major decision over his future.
They have already activated the one-year extension in his contract, so his deal now runs until 2028 rather than 2027, but that does not mean that he will stay put. In fact, it seems quite unlikely that he will be at Ibrox next season.
Raskin already received significant interest, including from the Premier League, last year, and he is once again on the radar of many clubs. There have been links with Hull City and various Serie A sides in recent weeks.
Losing a key player is never pleasant, but Rangers can take solace in the fact that they should, on paper, receive a major payday from his exit. His impressive performances against Senegal and the US will have raised his profile and, by extension, his value.
This, in conjunction with the fact that they have triggered his one-year option, means that Rangers are operating from a position of considerable strength. While they may not be able to prevent him from leaving, they will at least receive top dollar for him, thanks to his World Cup outings.
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