James Tavernier has been one of Rangers’ most influential players in the club’s modern history, if not the most influential.
Tavernier has been at the Ibrox giants for more than eight years now and with that, he is the club’s currently active longest-serving player.
In that time, he was installed as captain by former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard and has led Rangers to the highs of Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup glory.
Tavernier has also had to shoulder the responsibility of leading the club through Celtic’s dominance of the domestic landscape and as a result, has copped some extremely unfair criticism.
But when goal machine Tavernier eventually calls time on his Rangers career, true supporters of the club will understand just how much of a brilliant servant the Hall of Fame inductee was in Govan.
Here’s a deep dive into Rangers captain Tavernier’s life and career including all your frequently asked questions.
James Tavernier personal profile
- Full name: James Henry Tavernier
- Age: 32 (31 October 1991)
- Birthplace: Bradford, England
- Height: 6’0″ (1.82m)
- Position: Right-back
- Number: 2
When did James Tavernier join Rangers?
James Tavernier signed for Rangers in July 2015 from Wigan Athletic alongside teammate Martyn Waghorn with both putting pen to paper on three-year contracts, as per BBC Sport.
According to The Rangers Review, Tavernier cost Rangers a transfer fee of £220k.
How many goals has Tavernier scored for Rangers?
For a defender, Tavernier has scored a sensational number of goals for Gers since signing for the club in 2015.
At time of writing, Tavernier has scored 125 goals for Rangers. He has also registered a remarkable 130 assists, meaning a total haul of 255 goal contributions, as per Transfermarkt.
How many penalties has James Tavernier scored for Rangers?
Many of his 125 goals for Rangers have been scored from the penalty spot, something he often gets a bit of stick for. Overall, Tavernier has netted 67 penalties for Rangers.
What is James Tavernier’s salary?
According to Salary Sport, Tavernier earns a weekly wage of £30,000. That equals a yearly salary of £1,560,000 before tax.
He is reportedly the club’s highest paid player. Tavernier’s current Rangers contract expires in May 2026.
What is James Tavernier’s goal celebration?
Some Rangers fans may be surprised to hear that James Tavernier’s current goal celebration is not a golf swing – rather, it is a baseball swing.
It’s not clear why Tavernier has adopted the celebration but he is undoubtedly a big fan of baseball. His brother has also used the baseball swing move after scoring for Bournemouth in November 2023.
James Tavernier song lyrics
Tavernier has his own song as chanted by Rangers fans at Ibrox and beyond. It is simply titled ‘He’s James Tavernier’ and is the sung to the tune of Michael Jackson’s ‘You Are Not Alone’.
Here are the song lyrics:
Running down the wing
Hear the Rangers sing
He’s James Tavernier
He makes defenders fear
(Repeat)
Are Marcus and James Tavernier brothers?
Yes, James is the older brother of Marcus Tavernier. Marcus is also a professional footballer and currently plays for Premier League club AFC Bournemouth.
The Tavernier brothers are seven years apart in age and grew up together under their single mother Bernie. Their father split up with Bernie when James was just four years old [The Scottish Sun].
He shouldered the responsibility of helping to raise Marcus alongside his mother as a result. Marcus and James have gone on to achieve great success, with the former playing over 150 games for Middlesbrough before a switch to Bournemouth in 2022.
James Tavernier’s wife
James Tavernier’s wife is Melissa Tavernier. The pair got engaged in January 2018 before getting married five months later at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire.
According to The Scottish Sun, Melissa owns a nail salon business called NAIL B.A.S.E Deluxe. Melissa and James have two children together called Jacob and his youngster sister Harlow.
