Rangers' 31y/o Celtic slayer holds court during Scottish return and throws weight behind embattled ex-teammate
Swede was back on Scottish soil during Omonoia’s defeat by Hearts
As Filip Helander walked through the mixed zone inside Tynecastle on Thursday night, his eyes were drawn to big television screen at the back of the room.
His former club Rangers were winning against FCSB in the Europa League at Ibrox. Now at Cypriot side Omonoia, seeing images from Govan and being back on Scottish soil undoubtedly evoked memories of his four-year spell with the Gers.
Now 31, the Sweden internationalist joined Rangers in 2019 from Bologna, but his time at Ibrox was curtailed by injury. His finest moment was netting a winner against Celtic in 2021, but there were lows too. Helander required surgery on his knee not long after and struggled to make an impression before leaving two summers ago.
Following a spell in Denmark with OB, Helander is now with Omonoia, one of Cyprus’ biggest clubs. His return to Scotland was far from straightforward, he and his teammates toiling to deal with Hearts in a 2-0 Europa Conference League defeat.
Helander was generous enough to give some of his time and thoughts on Rangers to Scottish journalists despite a difficult evening at Tynecastle.
“I’ve watched them sometimes,” said Helander. “We have a lot of games as well, so it's hard to see a lot. But obviously just always following the scores and how they're getting on. It's been quite a tough time for them this season so far.”
Helander was asked if he surprised to see Rangers trailing Celtic by six points so early in the Premiership campaign. “No, you know that there's a lot that can happen very quickly in football,” he said, “so I just hope they can, you know, get into a good rhythm of games and start winning.
“You know yourself, when the team doesn't win games, the pressure builds, the manager comes under pressure. Yeah, that's how it is in big clubs. You know this is what you have to live with, but at the same time, when everything goes well, then it's also a big privilege.”
Helander looks back on his time at Rangers with fondness. “Very good,” he continued. “You know, when we came back here, it felt a bit like home still, so I enjoyed every minute. Then, of course, it was unfortunate for me. I was getting a lot of injuries my last two years, which is like looking back, you can never change anything, and there was nothing I could have done to change it.
“But it was very unlucky and something that it's tough looking back to that, but whenever I played, I thought it was wonderful, and I loved it.
“That [injuries] was unfortunate for me, but that's a part of the game. I'm lucky that I was able to continue playing. I had a really rough injury and, you know, happy that I get back to playing and I feel great now, so that's the important thing. But of course I loved to be at Rangers and the city of Glasgow.”
Helander threw his weight behind current captain James Tavernier, who has come under fire this season from sections of the Rangers support. “I have not seen a lot of games this season,” said Helander, “but even during my time, there were periods where he got a lot of criticism, and for me, it was unfair because he gives you so much offensively, all the goals, assists that he's doing every season, so for me, I think it's a bit harsh to put that type of criticism on him.
“He was a fantastic captain and a fantastic player. As soon as the team is not winning, Rangers is a big club and lot of people have their opinions. For me, he was a great leader, and more so he showed it on the pitch, I thought with the numbers of important goals that he was creating and scoring.”
Helander does not keep up with many of his ex-teammates, although Connor Goldson is now in Cyprus with Aris. “I play now against Goldson, so we've talked a bit,” he added. “First of all, there's a lot of players that's been swapped since I was there. I speak a little bit with people from the club.”
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