Kemar Roofe fires Rangers regret warning over Cyriel Dessers as he pinpoints critical moment in Ibrox career

Daily Record

16-06-2025

The Nigeria international splits opinion among the Ibrox legions and his old team-mate has given the lowdown
Kemar Roofe fears Rangers could live to regret selling Cyriel Dessers.
The current Ibrox number nine is on the verge of a move to Greek outfit AEK Athens for around £4 million.
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Rangers look set to get their money back on the 30-year-old who has bagged 51 goals in two seasons at Gers.
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If Dessers goes, new gaffer Russell Martin will be charged with finding a replacement up front and has already been linked with moves for Israeli ace Dor Turgeman and Croatian hit-man Matija Frigan.
However, former Rangers striker Roofe - who played alongside Dessers at Ibrox - believes the Nigerian international will be a big loss.
He insists his old club must find a player who can replicate Dessers' goal return on the pitch - as well as his character and resilience off it.
In an exclusive interview with Record Sport, Roofe said: 'I rated Cyriel highly at Rangers. First and foremost, he's a good human being.
'A really good guy and brilliant for the squad. He has lots of respect for everyone.
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'Cyriel worked really hard to get his goals and I think some players end up with unfair opinions on them.
'He was definitely one of them at Rangers. The thing about Cyriel is that when he was criticised - it didn't affect him.
'He just kept going and that's massive as a player. Everyone will get criticised at some point but it's how you handle it.
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'Cyriel handed it tremendously. He's got the character and personality to be a Rangers player.
'Could they regret selling him if he goes? Yeah, because goals are goals - and you have to replace them.
'It depends who Rangers bring in his place. If they get someone who can score more than Cyriel it will be the right decision.
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'But if they don't, it'll be the wrong decision. We'll find out at the end of this season.'
Roofe spent a year with Dessers at Ibrox under ex-boss Michael Beale before leaving last summer.
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The 32-year-old - who was the club's top scorer in Rangers' 2021 title win and reached the Europa League Final in 2022 - was impressed by his strike partner's attitude at Ibrox.
Because Roofe says some players, unlike Dessers, couldn't handle the expectations at such a big club.
He said: 'At Rangers, it all comes down to whether players - or staff - can handle the pressure there. If you can't handle it and you crumble, you get found out by the fans.
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'And as soon as they see it, you're finished. It takes a special kind of character to play for Rangers under that pressure.
'From my experience at Rangers, Leeds, Anderlecht - massive clubs where the pressure is huge - it's all about winning. Just win, win, win, that's all that matters.
'Anything less is no good. Being able to deal with that demand every day is tough. But if you can't do it, the fans will see it and eventually it affects results.
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'I saw it with players at Rangers, many times. Players who couldn't handle it. But not everyone is built the same. There are strengths and weaknesses in every team.'
In Roofe's last season at Ibrox, he played alongside Dessers in a controversial Old Firm derby defeat in September 2023.
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Dessers dispossessed Celtic defender Gustaf Lagerbielke and set up Roofe to score - only for it to be chalked off for a foul by the Nigerian.
Rangers lost the game 1-0 to a Kyogo Furuhashi strike and then-gaffer Michael Beale was sacked later that season.
But Roofe says the Dessers decision was harsh - and a pivotal moment for Beale and the club.
He said: 'What I remember is that it should have been a goal when Cyriel played me in - and we should have won that game.
'It was a huge moment for Michael. If that goal had stood and we'd have beaten Celtic, things could have been a lot different for him at the club."
** Kemar Roofe has launched his own football journal at twohalvesjournal.co.uk **