Fabio Cardoso has opened up on his failed switch to Rangers last season, stating he felt disrespected after being unceremoniously dropped from first-team action.
The Portuguese defender made 18 appearances for the club, but made just five beyond October when he broke his nose in the Scottish League Cup semi-final against Motherwell.
The departure of Pedro Caixinha and subsequent appointment of Graeme Murty ensured he was pretty much frozen out of the first team and he was eventually axed this summer after Steven Gerrard arrived.
It’s fair to say he doesn’t exactly have fond memories of his time in Scotland.
As quoted by Portuguese outlet A Bola, Cardoso said:
When I broke my nose, I’d been waiting for surgery for a long time, because of the transition of managers – Mr. Caixinha was eventually fired – and I felt that I and other colleagues were off for no good reason.
I felt that I was disrespected and it was difficult not to be playing.
I wanted to feel happy, to assert myself again. I didn’t play in the second half of the season which is the most important time.
Scottish football is very physical. In my opinion, it doesn’t have as much quality as the Portuguese, with the exception of the greats like Celtic, Rangers and one or another team.
Cardoso will go down in Rangers history as a massive flop alongside other Caixinha duds like Carlos Pena and Bruno Alves. He arrived with much fanfare last summer, but it’s clear from this year’s recruitment that the club could and should have done much better.
As soon as Caixinha exited it was obvious the Gers were going to go down a different route, putting the players he brought into the club on the fringes of the first team squad.
Cardoso was a committed performer and the breaking of his nose was a disgusting incident, but he’s unlikely to find too much sympathy with supporters.
Do you think Cardoso was disrespected during his time at Rangers? Have your say in the comments below…