Former Rangers star on the Ibrox moment 'I'll never forget' as first Premier League goal takes second rank
The former Sheffield United and Rangers midfielder has discussed his career highlight to date and his relationship with the Ibrox faithful
Scoring your first English Premier League goal is often a career highlight for many professional footballers - but there is one moment that stands above that achievement in the eyes of former Rangers star John Lundstram.
The 30-year-old midfielder, who left Ibrox last summer after three years in Govan to join Turkish Super Lig outfit Trabzonspor alongside ex- teammate Borna Barisic, has recalled his first ever goal in the top-flight of English football when he netted the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace back in August 2019 with fond memories.
It was a strike that also meant the Scouser had found the net in each of England’s top four divisions and while that marked a tremendous achievement, Lundstram instead pointed to the goal that sent Rangers to the Europa League Final as the most memorable moment of his career to date.
Lundstram bagged the third and clinching goal for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side in the semi-final second leg 3-1 win over RB Leipzig in front of a raucous home support Ibrox in 2022 - and he’s outlined his ambition to reach the same level of fans acclaim he received in Glasgow with his Turkish club.
“My relationship with the fans at Rangers reached a great level,” Lundstram admitted. “And that is my aim for the same to happen at Trabzonspor. I’ve had two memorable moments in my career.
“The first was to score my first English Premier League goal against Crystal Palace for Sheffield United - it was a huge moment for me. Of course it was my dream to play in the Premier League when I was a kid. For that to happen, for my family to watch me there was emotional.
“But the best moment in my career was when I scored the winning goal against RB Leipzig in the Europa League semi-final for Rangers. It’s probably even better than the goal I scored in the Premier League.
“That night was a moment of destiny for everyone at Rangers Football Club, but being the player who scored the winning goal was also my most special moment. I’ll never forget that moment.”