Meet the unsung hero of grassroots Portuguese footie, numero vinte e oito, as they say in his homeland - Rafael Fernandes. Born on a hot summer's day in 2002 in Portugal, this chap is only 22, young enough to be my grandkid. You can tell he's been chowing down on the Super Bock and Francesinha, tipping the scales at 12 stone 8 lb (or 80 kilograms, if you like your measurements dainty and European). He's no small fry, either, peaking at 6 foot 2 inches in his footie boots (or 189 centimetres in that aforementioned dainty European lingo).
He's a defender fellas. No fancy footwork or top-corner screamers here. Just hard graft in the heart of the defence and he's currently plying his trade with the Rangers, don't you know? Still, at least it's not the 'Old Firm'; that rivalry had more bad blood than a poorly-organised blood bank.
Before he made his way to rainy Scotland, Fernandes kicked about in Portugal's Liga, first with Sporting CP and then with Arouca. According to the lads at Transfermarkt, he's currently worth around £0.85 million. I guess you can't be too choosy these days. He won't be raking in interest from Chelsea or Man City with two first team appearances in his debut season and a grand total of 11 the season after, now will he?
His next stop on the journey of thrilling mediocrity was Lille, in France's Ligue 1, bought for a sum of around £2.2m, pocket change really. Can you imagine getting bought for the equivalent of what some people earn in a lifetime, only to then be loaned out again? Life's tough at the bottom.
So now he's in Scotland, playing for the Rangers. He's had three appearances this season, not exactly breaking records, but he's also had a go in the Scotland Cup with one start. And let's not forget, his contract is up in just 3 months. It’s a career that anyone’s mum would be proud of, really.
