The defender is in his veteran years and he will be the last to complain about the festive madness
The last player you’ll hear lamenting over a demanding festive football schedule and having to practice on Christmas Day is Leon Balogun.
The Rangers defender has lived a life of luxury, believing that his promising career—which had brought him close to the 2014 World Cup—would end in flames after a club let him go due to a serious injury. The Nigerian international, who is currently enjoying every minute of his second stint at Ibrox at the age of 35, is therefore unlikely to complain about playing a few games over Christmas and New Year’s for a team that has one trophy in the cabinet and is still chasing three more.
Along with Connor Goldson, Balogun has emerged as the new Gers manager Philippe Clement’s preferred option at left center back, and he will almost definitely play when Ross County visits tonight. The only way he wouldn’t play is if Clement wanted him fresh for the Old Firm match on Saturday, but Bagogun says he approaches every training session with the same mindset and would play every minute of every game if asked.
He stated, “I am 35 years old, and I have been attempting to live that way for a few years now in order to add some years towards the end.” For me, it’s not going too badly. As football players, we are extremely fortunate to be doing what we are. Being a football player brings a lot of happiness and pleasant things with it.
Additionally, there are numerous sacrifices. However, we have an endless amount of time. To be the best version of yourself, you must constantly improve your craft.
“You must make sure you are consistently working toward your goals if you want to play for the top teams in the world and win trophies. It ought to be obvious, in my opinion.
I’m not sure how much you know about me, but when I was 26, my career hadn’t really taken off at all. Three months before my contract expired, I broke my metatarsal while playing for Dusseldorf, a team that had just been demoted from the Bundesliga. I also made my debut for the national team.
“I was told I was getting released when I returned on crutches. I was supposed to be in the 2014 World Cup roster, but I was left off. I had been unemployed for roughly six months.
“I have attempted to view my career as though it can end here after finding a team in Germany’s second league and we were promoted. I’m also attempting to impart that information. It is an enormous privilege for me to be back at Rangers, a club I adore and grew to love during the first spell.
which, he maintains, turns playing video games into an enjoyable activity instead of a chore. Balogun stated, “I think you are used to it if you play for Rangers, at least in my case and that is probably the same for most of the boys who have been here for some time.”
“They told me you play 55 to 60 games on average when I first came here. Whoa! It’s a significant figure. especially from Germany, where there are 17 games in addition to a few cup matches, and if you play for a team like mine, you only get to play until the second round!
Although that is a different story, it was extremely shocking! However, you need to get ready for it. The manager, the entire staff, including the sports science and medical staff, keep us under constant observation to ensure that we receive the necessary treatment. We also perform the cryotherapy add-ons. You prepare for it, groom yourself for it, and go with the flow.
Talking of the boss, Balogun has been hugely impressed with the impact made by Clement in only two months. “I think he is very demanding in his ways and he is challenging us every day,” he assessed. “He has got very high demands.
“That is not to say he is some sort of dictator or anything, but he is very meticulous in the way he wants to work and he reminds us in every given moment that we need to keep these standards up constantly, whether that’s in training sessions, in the game at half-time.
“Everybody is constantly on their toes. The way he wants to work is just something everyone has to adapt to and it is almost automatic, when you’re trying to meet his expectations it just goes up.”
At 35, Balogun doesn’t know how long he’s got at Rangers. But when it was pointed out to him that David Weir was still strolling through games for this club at 40, it brought another smile to the face of this amiable, grateful footballer.
“I hold him very dearly,” he said. “I’ve never met him but I played with his son, Jensen, at Wigan. He was somebody who recommended me at some point [to Rangers first time around] without ever meeting me. I hold him in very high regards. He is a good role model. Forty is a good number as well. Maybe I can make it!”
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