Veteran Nigeria defender Leon Balogun returned to Rangers’ starting line-up for the first time since early February as the Gers beat Hearts in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup on Sunday.
Balogun was picked alongside John Souttar as the centre-back pair and the 35-year-old played the full 90 minutes as Rangers recorded an impressive 2-0 victory following a brace from his compatriot Cyriel Dessers.
The former Wigan Athletic and Queens Park Rangers (QPR) defender hasn’t played much since returning to Scotland at the start of the season. He has featured in 16 matches in all competitions this term and has accumulated just 1,218 minutes due to most of his recent appearances being off the bench.
However, Balogun made a strong case for deserving more starts after starring against Hearts and helping Rangers to keep a clean sheet on their way to booking their place in the final of the Scottish Cup.
Clement acknowledges Leon Balogun’s massive performance
Despite making his first start in over two months, Balogun produced an assured performance at the back, which caught the attention of Rangers boss Philippe Clement.
The Belgian coach said the defender was “massive” and showed the required desire and hunger while suggesting he could have a selection conundrum in the coming weeks.
“I think he [Leon Balogun] was massive today, he played a really good game in the coaching and in the duels with his hunger and desire,” Clement told Rangers TV.
“So I know I have four really good centre-backs and this season they have all played. That is a thing for the next couple of weeks as a team performance and all going forward together in this chase for the title.”
Leon Balogun’s presence gives Rangers more movement, organisation
The Rangers manager also highlighted the positives that Balogun brought to the team, citing their confidence on the ball and movement without the ball. The 50-year-old acknowledged that his side were better against Hearts than they had been in their previous two matches, pointing to their structure and organisation as areas where he saw improvements.
Rangers had gone three games without a win in April, having drawn with Celtic and Dundee while losing to Ross County, but returned to winning ways with a convincing performance against Hearts in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
“We were more brave on the ball, better on the ball and more movement without the ball also than in the last two games. After that we were also more tough in the duels in a better structure and organisation, which is what we talked about this week also,” Clement said on Rangers TV.
“We see the normal phase of the team, it was not yet our best game but it’s normal because we have players coming back from injury and we need to make changes every time, every three games when we have so many games. So, they need to get their rhythm back but it’s very pleasing to see the guys that started and the guys that came on also to have this energy.”
Rangers’ Nigerian contingent appears to be hitting form at the right moment, as the club aims to win the Premiership and the League Cup. Cyriel Dessers recorded his 18th and 19th goals of the season on Sunday, while Balogun’s exploits could earn him an extended run in the team.
Leon Balogun has, however, not featured for Nigeria for some time now and wasn’t part of the squad for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024) in the Ivory Coast, where the Super Eagles secured a runners-up finish.
The former Werder Bremen and Hannover 96 defender will now be hoping that his latest display against Hearts would force Rangers boss Clement to give him more game time to improve his chances of being handed a call-up for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June.
