Barry Ferguson is a polarising figure amongst the Rangers support – not for his achievements on the pitch, where he can rightly hold his head high with some of the biggest names in our long and illustrious history, but for some of his media work since leaving the club.
He is a Rangers fan and just like the rest of us he is entitled to his opinion, I still, to this day, think that he would have returned to the club in a coaching capacity if he had bit his tongue and “played the game” in his interview with Pedro Caixinha rather than telling him that he was after his job.
When he was named as one of the players lining up for the legends team it was met with universal praise, he might come out with the odd criticism or complaint but this shouldn’t detract from what he did on the pitch for us similar to the way in which Ally McCoist remains a legend despite his ill-fated managerial reign.
Resuming his partnership with Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the middle of the park with Jorg Albertz and Ronald de Boer on either side, we saw flashes of his old passing range, the pair of them snapping into tackles as if they were still in their 20s, but there was one moment that stood out for me on the day.
The way Ferguson left the pitch.
If you have played football at any level you will have heard the “you’re a long time retired” statement and for our former skipper, it was like he had this thought at the back of his head.
As his name was called out to leave the pitch, he turned and started to run off before checking himself some ten yards to the touchline, slowing down to a walk and soaking up the adulation from the fans who were, potentially, for the last time showing him just how much he means to them.
He looked every inch the man who was appreciating the opportunity he had been given, and was loving every second of it – and the feeling, for once, was mutual.