Rangers will travel to Istanbul for the first time in almost 24 years this evening as they face Turkish giants Fenerbahce in the last 16 of the Europa League.
Interim boss Barry Ferguson will be hoping for a huge improvement from his team, with his struggling squad entering the mammoth clash in Türkiye on the back of three successive home defeats to Motherwell, St Mirren and Queen’s Park respectively.
Currently second-place in the Turkish top flight, Jose Mourinho’s side are favourites heading into the game, though tonight’s game will be just the third meeting between the sides in their history, having previously only met in qualifying for the 2001-02 Champions League. The Turkish side progressed that time, winning the tie on aggregate after securing a 0-0 draw at Ibrox on the back of a 2-1 home win in the first-leg.
But what happened to the starting XI from Rangers’ last meeting against Fenerbahce in Istanbul? With three Ibrox Hall of Famers, a Rangers cult hero turned carpenter and an EPL scout, we assess at what happened to the Rangers team that lost 2-1 to Fenerbache in 2001.
1. Stefan Klos
A UEFA Champions League winner with Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in 1997, the popular former German stopper won 10 trophies during his time at Ibrox after arriving at Ibrox in 1998. Inducted into the club's Hall of Fame in 2009, Klos reportedly settled in Switzerland upon his retirement in the late 00s. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
2. Fernando Ricksen
Much loved on the Ibrox terraces, Ricksen won seven trophies during his six years at Rangers, before leaving to join Zenit St. Petersburg, whom he won the UEFA Cup with against Rangers in 2008. The PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year in 2005, he was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame in 2014. The Dutch defender sadly passed away aged just 43 in Airdrie in 2019, following a battle with motor neurone disease. | SNS Group 0141 221 3602 Photo: SNS Group
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3. Lorenzo Amoruso
Known more affectionally as 'Amo', the big Italian defender was another played adored on the Ibrox terraces. Played over 150 times for the club after they beat off competition from Manchester United to sign him in 1997. Went on to become a Rangers icon despite missing most of his debut season with an Achilles tendon injury. Won three Scottish titles, three Scottish Cups and three Scottish League Cups. Amoruso is now more often seen as a commentator on Serie A football back in his homeland, but often revisits Glasgow to do talk-ins with Rangers fans. Another player added to the club's Hall of Fame in 2010. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
4. Arthur Numan
Arguably one Rangers' greatest ever left-backs, the Dutch international lifted 10 major trophies during his time at Ibrox, and was part of the Netherlands squad that made the semi finals of both the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championships. Retiring in 2003, Numan has managed the Netherlands B team in his post-playing career, and worked as a squad for English Premier League club Aston Villa in 2011. Currently, he works as a scout for Eredivisie outfit AZ Alkmaar on a part-time basis. | David Cheskin Photo: David Cheskin