Success in Europe? It’s all relative
Ibrox ace is box office among Kents as proud family chase golden ticket
RYAN KENT admits he’s got relatives he didn’t know he had coming out the woodwork as the hunt intensifies for gold-dust Europa League final tickets.
But it’s the chance to carve his name into the Ibrox honour board that is grabbing his full attention as Gers’ date with destiny looms large.
Seville city chiefs are bracing them for an influx of 100,000 Rangers fans and the players themselves are being forced to field frantic calls from desperate friends and family scrambling to snatch briefs for Wednesday’s clash with Frankfurt.
The magnitude of the occasion is not lost on Kent either.
The £7million ex-Liverpool wideman knows this may be his one and only chance to write his name into the history books.
And the 25-year-old is determined to make the most of his own dream ticket.
The Englishman said: “I don’t sleep that great anyway but I’m excited for the game.
“I’ve got family I didn’t even know I had asking for tickets.
“It’s great for everybody to have their family involved in something like this. Thankfully, we have a few tickets!
“It’s something I’ve always strived for in my career, to get to the top, and it’s an opportunity we’re all relishing.
“For everyone in the team it’s the biggest game of their career but I don’t think we will let the occasion get the better of us. We know what’s ahead but without a doubt it’s the biggest game.
“We will go into the game with the same mindset that we’ve had in other games. We have come up against some top-class opposition and nothing changes going into the final.
“We are confident. We have been confident throughout the tournament. When you have defeated great teams you have to be confident.
“Without being naive, we are going there to win but we won’t get ahead of ourselves.”
Kent has been there almost from the start of Rangers’ European resurgence.
He made his debut on loan from Anfield away to Croatians Osijek in a Europa League qualifier back in July 2018 after Steven Gerrard had successfully negotiated his first test as Ibrox boss with a win over North Macedonians Shkupi in the previous round.
And Kent was there as the nine-man Gers held firm in
Russia against Ufa to secure their longed-for return to groupstage action.
Then, 18 months later, it was his goal in Braga that sent Rangers to the last 16 for the first time since their continental rebirth began.
His two goals over two legs against Royal Antwerp last season saw Kent inspire his team to the same stage again.
And he’s been just as key this term as Gers have stepped even further forward again, with his strike in Belgrade holding off Red Star’s rescue attempts after their first-leg battering Glasgow.
It was all those memories which flashed before his eyes as Ibrox erupted in a frenzy of joy and euphoria at the final whistle of last week’s semi-final triumph over RB Leipzig.
The moment was captured by
the BT cameras, with Kent standing in a daze trying to soak it all in.
He said: “I was overjoyed, I was having all sorts of emotions. This team has been a journey for four years since we beat Ufa to get into the competition and that journey has been a beautiful struggle.
“Each year we have wanted to get further than the previous year and this time we have managed to get to the final.”
So what’s made the difference this term, allowing the team to smash through the glass ceiling that had prevented them from reaching the quarters in both of the two previous campaigns?
Kent said: “In previous years there’s been less pressure on these games, less expectation of us in the tournament.
“So I don’t think anybody going into this season would expect Rangers to reach the final, which gives us a platform to really showcase ourselves under less pressure.
“That changes now going into the final – everybody is expecting us to go and win, ourselves included.”
Oliver Glasner’s Frankfurt remain the firm favourites to take the trophy.
But Kent insists his team have nothing to fear from the Germans having already taken down two of the biggest guns in the Bundesliga.
Asked if the February’s epic 4-2 win over Dortmund in the Westfalen was the spark which ignited the belief that his side really could go all the way, he said: “Yes, definitely.
“The players came away from that game asking, ‘At what point can we start taking this really seriously now?’
“We had just beaten a great team in Dortmund and that gives you the confidence to at least think you can go all the way in the tournament.
“Given that the last game against Leipzig was set up to take the game back to Ibrox, everybody was full of confidence knowing that we could reach the final if we came back with the result. In previous rounds, we have wanted to match ourselves up against these teams and the quality has shown.
“We have put in a huge amount of effort in terms of running on the pitch and the defensive department has been solid.
“But going forward the amount of goals scored by this team in the competition has been pretty evident.”