As Rangers secured that legendary 55th title fewer players have been more influential than the Ibrox side’s commander-in-chief Connor Goldson.
The powerful centre-half, 28, has played every single minute of this legendary campaign for Rangers and has come of age as a leader, a force, and a baller as every second has passed on by.
The club’s vice-captain – and current stand-in for fellow stand-out James Tavernier – such has been Connor’s consistency no-one would be surprised if the defender is crowned Player of the Year.
It’s not only defensively – where Goldson has had to adapt to multiple centre-back pairings – but offensively the ex-Brighton man has been pivotal to the club this season.
Not only in scoring big goals – Goldson has netted massive goals v Antwerp, Dundee United, and Celtic this season – but he often forms the base of our attacks.
Goldson’s long-raking passing is impressively accurate for a defender and he can pick and spot a pass like a deep-lying midfielder.
Not only that but the Englishman is not shy in dominating the ball, in winning headers, or in driving out of defence and into areas of the pitch which opens the play for the forward players.
This great piece by Four Lads Had a Dream goes further into the statistical analysis of his performances this season, revealing that Goldson has a 78% pass accuracy in forward passes this campaign.
The big man is an asset – and with every passing game it becomes clearer that Rangers probably got a bargain when they paid a reported £3.5m [Sunday Post] for the centre-back in 2018, Gerrard convincing Goldson to travel north after a well-documented spell out of the game due to a heart issue.
It’s a remarkable comeback story and Goldson’s name will echo loudly through Ibrox as one of the key playing figures who turned the tide and restored the club’s status as Champions.
But there is absolutely no doubt in my mind – especially when you compare the competition – that Connor Goldson deserves a chance with England on current form.
English football might look down at the Scottish game but Goldson is as commanding a presence on continental soil as he is domestically and is more than worthy of a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad.
The likes of Harry Maguire, Eric Dier, and Michael Keane are not only Goldson’s peers, but the Rangers defender can also offer something different that these guys often don’t.
A commander, a leader, and a very talented footballer to boot, the English would do well to at least consider the Ibrox star in their next international squad.
To give a scale of the player’s commitment to the cause at Rangers, the Ibrox fans have been lauding the big man for breaking a club record in style this season.
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