TODD CANT BE TOO WORRIED ABOUT IMAGE
IT didn’t take long for Todd Cantwell to divide opinion in Scottish football.
Some people rate him as one of the Premiership’s most prodigious talents.
His virtuoso display for Rangers at Hampden last weekend against Hearts showed everyone what he’s capable of when he’s at it. Then there’s the other side.
Maybe it’s the streaky blonde locks, blue hairband and socks halfway down his calves. The back-chat to referees or accusations of diving.
Or it might be the off-pitch dress sense and regular Tiktok videos.
Either way, Cantwell gets people talking – he has done from the minute he arrived in Glasgow.
Cantwell knows all of this, of course. And he feels the perception of him at Rangers simply doesn’t match the reality.
As opposed to being a guy who might appear to be care-free – he’s developed a deep passion for the Ibrox club since joining.
And he’s relying on his single-mindedness – as well as his skill – to get Philippe Clement’s side over the line in the title race.
As Cantwell weighed up where he’s at in his Rangers career right now, he said: “Everyone has an on-field perception and an off-field one.
“My on-field perception is probably very wrong compared to the person that I really am.
“But I’m in a city where football is absolutely adored by both sides and you’re going to be recognised by people.
“People can make up their own minds about my on-field perception,” he added.
“But I do think it’s probably unfair and there’s certain people out there that like to jump on it and play up to it.
“That personal scrutiny is a bit strange because there’s so much more going on.
“But it seems to be highlighted quite a lot.
“I’m the type of player that invites conversation, I know that.
“And probably a bit of controversy as well.
“But I would like to be talked about in terms of how I play football more than anything else.
“I understand up here you have people who need to stay relevant and stay in the limelight. But for me, I’m concentrating on my football.
“We’ve got some big games coming up and I’m looking forward to finishing the season as strongly as possible.
“My family probably has to bite their tongue a lot more than I do.
“I’ve been in football a long time now and things probably go over my head.
“But for my family, they are probably sitting there chewing over it.
“They understand me as a person and as a player. They know exactly what type of lad I am. So stuff like that doesn’t bother me.”