TESSEL MIDDAG has bid farewell to Rangers after four trophy-laden years with the club.
The Dutchwoman joined the Light Blues in the summer of 2021 and, in capturing the Scottish Cup three years later, celebrated completing the set of domestic trophies on offer in Scotland.
Indeed, Middag departs having captured the SWPL title, three Sky Sports Cup honours, and a pair of Scottish Cup winners’ medals.
She leaves a lasting legacy in the club’s Women’s programme with her professionalism, dedication and leadership qualities.
Speaking to the official Rangers website upon departing the club, Middag reflected on a memorable period in her career: “It has been a great four years for me.
“I came here because Kevin Murphy, the assistant coach at the time, messaged me. I was living in Italy at the time and, as much as I loved Florence, I wasn’t fully satisfied from a football point of view.
“I had two ACL injuries in 2017 and 2018, so by 2019 I was back and fully fit, but I never really managed to regain my football confidence.
“I was really looking for a place with good facilities where I could start enjoying my football once again.
“My decision to move to Rangers was based on football and wanting to be important for a team. I believed in the project as it was told to me by Kevin, Malky Thomson and Amy McDonald, who were all really lovely people.
“One of the main things that I’ve really enjoyed about my time in Glasgow is the number of games that I’ve played.
“I looked it up recently and I’ve made 145 official appearances for Rangers in four years, with a lot of them in the starting lineup.
“It’s one of the main reasons why I came to Rangers and I’m really happy that it’s worked out.
“You always come to clubs with high expectations, and it’s really disappointing when you can’t deliver on them, but I think I can say that I’ve given it my all on and off the pitch during my four years and I’m quite happy with the way that I’ve been able to contribute on the pitch.
“I’ve been in situations at Ajax and West Ham where I’ve joined the club when they had just started their professional Women’s team.
“It’s not entirely the same at Rangers because I believe they started the year before I joined.
“With every year, there has been more integration of the Women’s team within the wider club.
“There have been a lot of important steps taken in the last few years and the professionalism of our coaching staff has expanded every year, in terms of the number of staff that has been made available to us full-time. It has been good to see the commitment of the club on that front.
“I hope the club will continue on that upward trajectory of making the Women’s programme as good as the Men’s, at least in terms of facilities, and making it even more attractive for female footballers in Scotland and abroad to join and bring success to the club.”
Middag’s time at the club has spanned two separate head coaches, having joined the Gers under the tutelage of Malky Thomson before forming an important part of Jo Potter’s squad.
Within that, the 32-year-old has shared a dressing room with a number of important players over the years, forming relationships and creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Through it all, however, Middag has cherished the support of the loyal Rangers fans, who, whether it be at Broadwood Stadium, Ibrox or further afield, have shown a special affection for the Dutchwoman.
Middag’s face has adorned flags and banners in the stands, and she says she’s been taken aback at the growth of the fanbase across her time at the club.
She added: “They’ve been absolutely amazing since I came here.
“We had a very loyal following and it has been great to see that following develop and grow.
“I think some of those supporters appreciated that we had a bit more of a personal connection because, compared to the men’s games, there aren’t as many people who come to the games.
“It didn’t matter whether it was Dundee, Inverness or Aberdeen, we were able to speak to them in-person and I would always fist bump the loyal fans from the two supporters’ groups.
“They’ve been very loud and our 12th player in games where we’ve needed it.
“I’m disappointed for them that we didn’t deliver the league title this past season, but they’ve been absolutely brilliant and I wish them all the best.”
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