RANGERS: Pedro Mendes may not be the new messiah, but after just seven games he has gained thousands of disciples. The good news for Rangers, and their fans, is that there is plenty more to come, finds Michael Grant

PEDRO Mendes has an eye for a smart designer shirt, and the pair of jeans which are just right. His appearance matters to him and he goes for the stylish, casual look. For some Rangers supporters a simple t-shirt will do, namely the new one on the streets which shows a picture of his face and the phrase: "Mendes. My Personal Jesus."

He hadn't heard about those. "Jesus t-shirts? Really," he asked, laughing. "I haven't seen them. It must be because of the long hair." Well, partly. There may be the physical resemblance but his football has something to do with it too. Mendes isn't the new messiah but that hasn't stopped him quickly assembling tens of thousands of disciples. Members of his congregation will pile into Love Street this afternoon to watch what will be only his eighth match for Rangers.

The impact he has made on the club so far has been remarkable. Carlos Cuellar has become "Carlos who?" largely because of Mendes. Supporters were on the point of razing Ibrox to the ground when Cuellar left for Aston Villa just a week after Rangers were knocked out of the Champions League by FBK Kaunas. Europe, the entire season, life as they knew it: all seemed to be over. Then owner Sir David Murray was as good as his word and spent the £7.8 million from Cuellar's sale on Steven Davis, Maurice Edu and a 29-year-old playmaker from Portsmouth. Ask any Rangers fan to name the individual who has done more than anyone to turn their mood around in the past couple of months and there will be only one reply: Mendes.

A series of events in England once prompted Mendes to wonder whether he might be the unluckiest footballer in the country. He doesn't think that way now, what with his family around him in their new home in Glasgow, the warming adulation of the Rangers support and a spectacular goal against Celtic to savour. Mendes and his wife, Sabrina, have moved into the city's west end, a school has been found for four-year-old daughter Ines and their son, Rodrigo, is three this month and demanding of dad's spare time. It is rare and unusual for either of the Old Firm clubs to pluck an established, valued, twentysomething non-Scot from the English Premier League and convince him he can come and be satisfied in the SPL, but Rangers have done it.

His passing and technique, and the vision and intelligence of his play, have been embellished by stunning goals against Celtic and Partick Thistle. The more excitable observers have drooled and proclaimed him as a certainty to become Player of the Year, which is simultaneously a justified compliment to Mendes and a humbling acknowledgement of how easy it is for a thoroughbred to stand out in this country. For now, it is enough to say that he will bring class and poise to the Scottish scene.

"It's too early for player of the year talk, definitely. I am just here to do a good job for Rangers and help them win something. This is more or less the same standard as I have played through my career. For me it was about keeping the same form going. I am quite happy with the way I have played in my career so it is not a surprise for me.

"But it is always nice to have good reactions. They are very friendly people here. Not only the Rangers supporters, even those from other teams, ordinary neighbours, other school parents. It's not a surprise because some friends told me before I came that Scottish people were really friendly and now I know that it's true.

"Wherever I have gone, if there have been Celtic fans they have spoken to me. There hasn't been an issue. Of course there is a big rivalry in Glasgow but on the pitch and off the pitch are two different things. I don't think there should be any confusion about that. Off the pitch, players just want to live a normal life."

In his case a normal life means being a dedicated father. Although he wants to take up golf properly, after a couple of frustrating false starts in England, his time is consumed by taking the children on walks or to the cinema or a swimming pool. "Glasgow was a strange unfamiliar city for me. I didn't know anything about it at first. That's why I searched the internet and Googled for schools, places to live, supermarkets, things to do, everything. I took a note of all the addresses and did my homework. That meant when my family joined me I more or less knew where everything was without having to waste time."

Mendes was born and raised in Guimaraes in north-west Portugal. Had he not made it as a footballer he intended to go to university and study to be a physiotherapist. Instead he had a professional contract with his home-town club, Vitoria, by the age of 16 and became a growing influence for them until being signed for Porto by Jose Mourinho in 2003. The Special One gave him the stamp of approval as "a top quality midfielder". In his only season there he played in 10 of Porto's 13 games en route to winning the 2004 Champions League, including every minute of the final victory against Dado Prso's Monaco. He was at home in the company of team-mates of the calibre of Deco, Maniche and Ricardo Carvalho.

Possessing a Champions League winner's medal meant it was less of a deal for him to sign for Rangers when he knew they wouldn't be in the competition this season. "That didn't give me any reservations about coming. It was a massive blow for everyone not to be involved, all the players and the fans. But not being there gives us a big extra motivation to be there next year. We definitely want to be in the Champions League. That's why we will do everything we can to win the title this year, to win the SPL."

Spurs signed him for £2m only weeks after the 2004 final and in his first season he was a regular in their midfield. It did not last. He slipped out of the picture under Martin Jol and was moved on to Portsmouth in January, 2006. Fratton Park embraced him as a hero from the moment he scored a 93rd-minute winner from 25 yards against Manchester City. Mendes scores rarely, but memorably. He remained a regular starter until last season, although he returned for the FA Cup final victory over Cardiff City in May.

Portsmouth fans mourned his summer departure. There is a feeling on the south coast that he should still be with them, or at the very least still be in England. Mendes is comfortable with the decision which took him north on a three-year contract. "Everyone compares the Scottish Premier League to the English Premier League and they say oh there is a massive difference' but if you come up here and see the standard, and see the way teams play and the way you have to adapt your own game to play against them, it is quite hard.

"It is difficult, even in the home games. I am finding that being here is very similar to when I was at Porto. Porto are one of the big teams in Portugal and others would play against them with men behind the ball, trying to be patient. Here in Scotland teams are more aggressive. I know the comments people make about the Scottish Premier League but they need to come and have a look. It is easy to talk without knowing about it properly. I invite them to come up and have a proper look at the Scottish game and how hard it is."

Mendes used to see himself as being unlucky because of two controversies which enveloped him in England. Playing for Spurs, he hit a speculative 50-yard shot which Manchester United goalkeeper Roy Carroll fumbled over the line. Inexplicably the referee did not award a goal. There was sympathy for him then, and much, much more of it when he was the victim of a brutal assault when playing for Portsmouth against Manchester City. Ben Thatcher's forearm smashed into his face, leaving him unconscious, requiring oxygen at the side of the pitch and an overnight stay in hospital. Mendes only remembers waking up surrounded by men in white coats. It was frightening, his lowest point in football. "I did not want to put my life at risk," he said at the time.

Two weeks later he was playing again and now, two years on, he has SPL opponents wondering how they can stop him without resorting to the unpardonable brutality of Thatcher. He is unconcerned about the possibility of being singled out for attention by players who see him as the orchestrator of Rangers' moves. "I think everyone knows how Rangers play, they know we like to play attacking football, nice football, pass the ball around the park. Of course they will set out their tactics to stop us playing. But I don't think they will focus on me or any other individual player. I think they just set their teams out to try to stop the way we play in general. So it is our job to break them down.

"That is good for me, good for my game. I keep learning. I am really enjoying working with the manager Walter Smith and I think I can learn a lot from him, Ally McCoist, Kenny McDowall and all the staff. You are always trying to improve. You can never say oh I have reached my level'."

That amounted to an assertion that he wanted to be better than he has shown so far. If he can pull that off, Ibrox will have to step up its level of worship.