As Rangers defeated Union Saint Gilloise in the final matchday of the Europa League’s revamped first phase, the result meant more than just qualification to the last-16 for Nico Raskin.
Opening the scoring with a back-post header in the first-half – his first Rangers goal since October 2023 – the former Standard Liege midfielder knew that this was the sort of an opportunity he had been waiting for.
Small in size, ginormous in influence; Nico Raskin is in the form of his life under compatriot Philippe Clement.
But with the Scottish Premiership not exactly one of the continent’s more high-profile divisions, there is always the concern that Raskin’s stunning form would go unnoticed by those at the helm of the Belgian national team.
The Rangers star’s father thinks Europa League exposure is what Raskin needs in order to catch the eye of the Belgium bosses, and he may be onto something.
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Rangers star Nico Raskin opens up on Belgium dreams
Nico Raskin was ‘unbelievable’ as Rangers held Tottenham Hotspur in December. He more than held his own at Old Trafford too, another tireless display ensuring that Raskin would remain amongst the Europa League’s most-effective ball-winning midfielders.
Only Patrick Berg of Bodo/Glimt – Rangers could face Kjetil Knutsen’s Norwegian champions in the last-16 – as well as Julio Romao of FK Qarabag average more successful tackles per game in the Europa League than Raskin’s 3.8.
And, speaking to Le Soir, a player with nine caps for Belgium’s Under-21 side is hoping that another stand-out performance – and a rare goal – against last season’s Jupiler League runners’ up Union Saint Gilloise represents another big step towards a first-ever senior call-up.
“It’s true that the Belgian media coverage [of Scottish football] is not huge. It was therefore a pleasure for me to put in a good performance, to score a goal, to win the match and to show that we are not that bad,” Raskin smiles. “Now, we will try to go as far as possible [in Europe].”
Raskin feels that a rival midfielder from across the Old Firm divide could also give his international prospects a bit of a leg-up. Arne Engels made his Belgium debut in September, shortly after an £11 million deal made him Celtic’s record signing.
Provided the Rote Duivels scouts had an eye on Ibrox as Engels’ Celtic travelled across Glasgow on January 2nd, they would have witnessed Nico Raskin produce an ‘outstanding’ display to end Clement’s long wait for a derby win.
“I know there is a Belgian in the rival team [Engels at Celtic] and he has been called up. So why not [me too]?,” Raskin asks.
“I have to do my job as best I can. I had some good matches recently in the Europa League, against Tottenham and Nice, but also against Celtic in the Premiership. I think that works in my favour, but it’s not up to me to decide.
“I can just give my all, wait and hope.”
Raskin’s transformation has shocked even his dad
Philippe Clement has lauded the progress of numerous Rangers players in recent months, including Jefte, Mohamed Diomande, Hamza Igamane and a revitalised Cyriel Dessers.
No player has developed quite as dramatically as Raskin, however. The diminutive ankle-biter threatening to blossom into the club’s most effective defensive midfielder arguably since Barry Ferguson’s trophy-laden heyday.
“[Moving to] Rangers was a good choice,” beams Thierry Raskin, Nico’s proud father dad. “I was in Manchester for the Europa League match with friends and we were saying to each other; ‘How far he’s come since he was a kid at the Standard Academy!’.
“When he arrived [at Rangers], people saw a promising youngster. But, after his return from injury, he wasn’t as fast as he used to be. He himself recently admitted that he hired a personal chef to try to lose weight and minimise the risk of injury.
“He prepared specific dishes for him. It’s something we’d been talking about for a while. The kind of detail that can make a difference.”
