Rangers fans certainly have fond memories of Gaizka Mendieta. The Spanish maestro was a formidable opponent during Rangers’ memorable Champions League clashes with Valencia at the turn of the century. While Los Che were not initially considered among Europe’s elite, they rapidly established themselves as one of the continent’s strongest sides.
Mendieta was the heartbeat of that team, helping Valencia reach back to back Champions League finals before eventually losing to a vastly experienced Real Madrid side in 2000 and Bayern Munich on penalties in 2001.
His later move to Middlesbrough never quite reached the same heights, but the former Spain international has remained a respected voice in football through his media work.
Speaking about Rangers and their European standing, Mendieta reflected on the club’s absence from the Champions League in recent seasons. Naturally, the disastrous 2022 to 23 group stage campaign is largely set aside, given how infamous that six match run became, with Rangers failing to register a point and finishing with a record goal difference that supporters would rather forget.
Nevertheless, Mendieta believes Rangers belong on Europe’s biggest stage and shared his thoughts on why the club has struggled to return consistently to the Champions League since then.
Mendieta told football betting site BetVictor
“Rangers had a tough time last season with so many changes, but they managed to improve towards the end. This summer is important because they need to make a statement, especially since Celtic won the title. Rangers and their fans will be looking to spend.
It is a domino effect. We miss seeing them in European football because of their history and the incredible atmosphere they bring to games which I saw first hand, so let’s hope they can start to make an impact again.”