When Walter Smith brought Ally McCoist back to Rangers in 2006, it seemed like a match made in heaven.
Both were unanimously loved at Ibrox and are two of the most iconic figures in the club’s modern history – the word legend is banded about too often but these two certainly deserve the moniker.
After a Champions League final that saw one player become Real Madrid’s most decorated player, it serves as a reminder to a conversation that Smith and McCoist shared that could have changed the course of European football and Rangers.
Real Madrid legend Luka Modric becomes record breaker
Luka Modric, at 38-years old continues to defy his age and collected his 26 major trophy at Wembley on Saturday night.
This season has seen him rotate mainly with Toni Kroos as the old guard make way for the younger generation, however, his impact on those around him can never be downplayed.
Recalling his first encounter with the Ballon d’Or winning playmaker, McCoist tells of how close Modric came to becoming a Rangers player:
“I’ll tell you right now, I don’t know how much money we’ve got in our bank account but there’s a wee fella called Modric.
“If you can get him gaffer, he is unbelievable.
“Walter picked up the phone and said forget it, he’ll cost too much for us.
“He just looked light-years ahead of anything else on the football pitch.”
What might have been for one of Europe’s greatest ever
It’s one thing being able to spot a player, however, Luka Modric moved to Tottenham Hotspur for £16.5m in 2008, a little out of Rangers price range.
Whether McCoist watched Modric in 2006 or 2007 before Modric hit the big time is unclear.
It’s incredible to think that, nearly 20 years later, and he remains one of the most gifted players in the game, even if his legs aren’t quite what they once were.
Rangers need to get to the stage where the recruitment team led by Nils Koppen can discover players like Modric before they become too expensive.
This will always involve an element of risk, but as we’ve seen with Jefte, it doesn’t always have to come at a prohibative cost.
Even players like Mohamed Diomande and Oscar Cortes who will both cost the club in the region of £4m, this is the sort of fee that can be doubled or trebled if things go well.
For the club to truly be self-sufficient, a successful player trading model has to be at the heart of everything, and finding the next Luka Modric is the next task on Koppen’s list.
