Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers has stated that although he has goals to back his quality, his overall performance is testament of his importance to Rangers, Soccernet.ng reports.
Dessers arrived at Rangers from Cremonese after the club got relegated from the Serie A last season. The Nigerian striker arrived with a decent reputation after impressive stints at Feyenoord and Genk.
He started the season well, scoring in just his second competitive appearance for the club. However, the Nigerian striker has constantly been under fire from Rangers because of his occasional profligacy in front of goal.
Nonetheless, despite the trolling, Dessers has been consistent for the Gers, and he recorded his 20th goal of the season over the weekend, in their 2-1 win over St. Mirren.
After the game, Dessers was in high spirit, and when quizzed about the criticisms he has gotten this season, he was quite relaxed, albeit he felt he has not gotten enough appreciation for his performances.
“Throughout my career, I know that if I play games, I’m always gonna score goals. I’m maybe not the most beautiful striker or the most clean striker on the eye. But I think it’s easy for me to see what’s not there,” Dessers said, per Joshua Barrie.
“But as I am in life, I think it’s a good lesson for everybody, I love to look at what’s there and what you get out of me and what I can do for the team.
“If you look only at the goals, the numbers speak for themselves. Aside from the goals, winning the battles with the defenders . About running, last week, I broke my record for sprints. To do all of these for a team, I think it’s the same importance as scoring goals. These are the things that people in the stands or social media don’t see, but they benefit the team. But I want more goals.
“I’m maybe not always the most beautiful striker on the eye – but it’s easy to see what’s not there.”
Really interesting from Dessers’ press conference on how he’s perceived and how he sees his game. pic.twitter.com/cVzDrBLPvX
— Joshua Barrie (@JoshuaBarrieRR) April 29, 2024
For his first season, Dessers has been quite decent and it is clear that coach Philippe Clement approves because of the strikers at the club, Dessers gets the most playing time.
He has scored 14 goals in 31 league appearances this season. By next season, when he would have settled in, he could get more goals for Rangers.