Rangers fans are paying tribute to Ibrox legend Fernando Ricksen on what would’ve been his birthday after the former Gers captain sadly passed away last year.
Ricksen would’ve been 44 today but succumbed last year to Motor Neurone Disease despite putting up a legendary fight against the illness.
Rangers fans flocked to Ibrox to lay tributes to Ricksen back in September 2019 with the club poignantly playing Dutch side Feyenoord in the Europa League.
Ibrox – like the Glasgow sky – had a touch of Oranje all around it as Rangers recorded a legendary 1-0 victory, dedicated to the former Holland international.
Ricksen regularly held events with the public in order to fundraise for both his own care and into research trying to help find a cure for the degenerative illness.
The former right-back-turned-midfielder’s struggle was embraced by the Rangers support who endeavoured to raise as much as they could for the ex-Ibrox hero.
Rangers fans took to Twitter to raise a glass to an absent friend as the special anniversary marked what would’ve been Ricksen’s birthday for the first time since his passing.
https://twitter.com/OhItsSteely/status/1287708358296965121
https://twitter.com/JJ22GR/status/1287782988055490562
https://twitter.com/ottleti/status/1287707352876167172
https://twitter.com/dianelambie71/status/1287707167894773761
https://twitter.com/CraigMacDonald3/status/1287761595020578816
Starting his career at Fortuna Sittard, Fernando Ricksen joined Rangers from AZ Alkmaar for a fee of £3.75m in the year 2000.
Ricksen would spend six years at the club, making over 200 appearances, winning seven trophies and captaining the Ibrox side to the Scottish Premiership on Helicopter Sunday in 04/05.
The feisty full-back also played for Zenit St. Petersburg in Russia and made 12 caps for the Dutch national team.
Ricksen ended his professional playing career where it all started, back at Fortuna Sittard.
