Cyriel Dessers on what he brings to Rangers that 'people in stands or on social media don't see'

Nigerian striker hits 20-goal mark with crucial winner over St Mirren

Cyriel Dessers savoured the most important goal of his Rangers career after landing the winner away to St Mirren.

The Nigeria international’s header broke a 1-1 deadlock and moved the Ibrox side temporarily level on points with Celtic before their subsequent victory at Dundee.

The strike was Dessers’ 20th for Rangers since signing last summer and makes him the first centre forward to reach that tally for the club since Alfredo Morelos four years ago.

Cyriel Dessers celebrates at full time after netting Rangers' winner against St Mirren. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

Despite some criticism of his performances – especially earlier in the season – the former Cremonense forward always retained a confidence in his abilities and believes that faith is now being rewarded.

“I think it was important to start the [post-split fixtures] with a win,” he said. “So in those terms it was an important goal. To score 20 is a beautiful number. I looked it up last week after someone told me [I was close]. Not a lot of Rangers strikers have got to those numbers in the last few years. It’s a nice milestone for me.

“I know that throughout my career if I play minutes, I’m always going to score goals. I’m a striker who maybe isn’t the most beautiful on the eye or the cleanest. I think with me, as a striker, it’s easy to see what’s not there. But, as I am in life, I think this is a good lesson for everybody.

“You have to look at what’s there, what you get out of me and what I can do for the team. If you look only, then the numbers speak for themselves. But I’m not only talking about that.

“I’m talking about winning the battles with the defenders. About running. Last week I broke my record for high-intensity runs, for sprints. To do all of this for the team is of the same importance as scoring goals.

“These are the things people in the stands or on social media don’t see immediately but they are there and they benefit the team. So it’s about more than just the goals but I’m of course very happy to reach that number. But I want more.”