Imagine scoring a last-minute winner against your greatest rivals in a cup final, just let that sink in, what a raw emotion and feeling that must have been. For Peter Lovenkrands, this happened, and it certainly wasn’t the only memorable part of his very successful time spent with Rangers. Scoring in games against Porto in a 3-2 victory and scoring in a draw with Inter Milan, Peter certainly knew how to find the back of the net on the big occasion and he played a pivotal role in helping the team reach the last 16 of the Champions League, only to be put out by Villareal on the away goals rule.
Lovenkrands came to Scotland in the summer of 2000 and went on to make over 180 appearances for the club, spending a total of six seasons with Rangers. Naturally a centre-forward, he played in both that role and out on the left where he looked a just as comfortable. After his contract expired Peter moved to Germany to play with Schalke 04 in the summer of 2006. It was claimed he was in talks with a fair few clubs throughout Europe and settled with Schalke alongside fellow Danish striker Soren Larsen. A fantastic first season saw the club narrowly miss out on the Bundesliga title and Peter played a pivotal role out on the left, chipping in with 6 goals and 4 assists in a critical time during the chase for the championship.
Peter spent 3 seasons with the German side before moving to Newcastle United in the transfer window of January 2009. Joining after a 2-week trial, he signed for the club until the end of the season. Once his contract expired he left the club only to resign two months later with the north-east club giving him a three-year deal. Lovenkrands left Newcastle in the summer of 2012 and signed on the dotted line with Birmingham City. Following a two-year stint in the Midlands, he confirmed his retirement from football in 2014.
Over the last few seasons, he has been back in Glasgow helping Rangers TV with match commentary, he makes a very knowledgeful and funny partnership with Tom Miller up in the gantry on matchdays. Very recently, Peter has joined the Rangers Academy under head coach Graeme Murty and will help coach the academy players throughout the coming seasons, so what goes around comes around for the Danish striker. I hope he really does well in his new role and continues to serve the club in this capacity. I have always been fond of Peter as a player and his experience with Rangers will only help the young squad understand the pressure and requirements to represent an institution like Rangers.