The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Former Rangers captain Fernando Ricksen, 43
Fernando Ricksen’s body may have failed him in the end but the fighting spirit that marked the former Rangers captain’s playing career never faltered.
Just as he was feisty and determined on the pitch, the Dutchman maintained a similar outlook as he battled motor neurone disease, the condition which ultimately took his life at the age of just 43.
He faced his fate head-on, bravely setting up a foundation in his own name to lead the search for a cure that might save others from the ravages of the muscle-wasting disease.
Yet it is not the sight of the frail, wheelchairbound figure that will be remembered by thousands of Rangers supporters but rather the image of the jubilant midfielder leading the celebrations after skippering the Ibrox side to their most dramatic title win.
Ricksen was born in July 27 1976 in Hoensbroek near the Dutch-German border and football ran in his blood.
His grandfather Willem Szymiczek won a Dutch title with Limburgia in 1950 but, had the family elder had his choice, Ricksen would have made his name on the green baize of the billiards table, having watched the youngster finish third in the national championships aged just 12.
But the glamour offered by the footballing world proved too alluring.
“Have you ever heard of a truck load of girls swarming round a billiards player?” wrote Ricksen in his autobiography as he recalled his dilemma over which sport to choose. “No. I made the right choice.” He embarked on the football career that would eventually earn him 12 Holland caps, seven major honours with Rangers and Scotland’s Players’ Player of the Year award.
Having started out at Fortuna Sittard and then AZ Alkmaar, his talent was spotted by Dick Advocaat, who lured him to Ibrox in the summer of 2000 for a £3.75 million fee.
He helped new Gers boss Alex McLeish reclaim the league title in 2003 and had been appointed captain by the time the Ibrox men completed the most remarkable championship triumph in the club’s history two years later – a day forever remembered as Helicopter Sunday.
Rangers took the crown on goal difference, plus 73 to Celtic’s plus 72.
His form during that season saw him jointly awarded the SPFA player of the year award alongside Celtic striker John Hartson.
He moved on to Zenit St Petersburg, where he joined up with Advocaat once more, with the Russians lifting the Uefa Cup during the Dutchman’s reign – defeating Rangers in the final. He finished his career back where it all started, with a three-year stint at Fortuna.
He broke the news on Dutch TV in 2013 that he was terminally ill with MND.
Ricksen is survived by his wife Veronika and daughter Isabella.