BARRY FERGUSON had the luxury of playing beside some superbly talented players at Rangers in his two trophy-laden spells which produced 15 major honours and an appearance in an UEFA Cup Final.

 

He worked so well with Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Jorg Albertz in the early days, clicked in the Treble season of 2002/03 with Ronald de Boer and relished a relationship with Steve Davis and Pedro Mendes in his final season of 2008/09.

However, it you were to ask him to name one man he would love to have beside him in the heat of battle, it would be Fernando Ricksen.

Like many, he was not quite sure what to make of the fiery Dutchman when he first arrived at Ibrox in the summer of 2000, not least as a result of his often zany behaviour and invidious opening to his Rangers career.

Ricksen was a prankster off the park but he was bomb-scare on it initially as the humbling 6-2 defeat by Celtic in August that year proved when Dick Advocaat substituted him after 22 minutes.

However, Ferguson admired the way his new team-mate recovered from that humiliation to become not just a fine Rangers player but a captain of the club who delivered a League and League Cup double in 2004/05.

He has an indelible image in his mind of the two of them lifting the Premier League trophy at Easter Road on the day Rangers supporters remember as Helicopter Sunday.

And he has revealed that the two of them actually became good friends which has made the terrible plight of the Dutchman, who is suffering from motor neurone disease, all the more upsetting.

Ferguson, therefore, is delighted he will be playing his small part on Sunday to aid his stricken comrade in a special benefit match at Ibrox which he hopes will be bulging at the seams.

The former Rangers captain said: "As a person he was a pest! There are a lot of perceptions of Fernando but once you got him one-to-one you realised he was a complete gentleman.

"He was a bit crazy, but I quite like that in people. We had so many good moments together back then, on and off the pitch. There are plenty of stories but none I could repeat in a newspaper, that's for sure.

"There were a few team nights out and he was great fun. I was just delighted he asked me to be part of this game.

"It's such a shame what's happened with his illness and it was a shock seeing him after a while.

"I would love to see a full house for him on Sunday because he deserves it. He was a successful Rangers captain and he won trophies at the club.

"He was passionate on the pitch. He struggled a bit when he first came over, but once he found his feet he was a great player for the club.

"That showed you all about his character. He came through that sticky spell and became an important player.

"You don't become Rangers captain without having something about you. It was great to play alongside him because he was always fully committed. He was a winner and that's the type of teammate I like.

"Fans only see what happens on a Saturday or a Tuesday but I thought he was a great partner as a sitting midfielder.

"He played at the back a few times but I liked him in the centre because he got wired in and weighed in with a few goals as well.

"He bought into what Rangers are about. That's the biggest thing when players come in from abroad. There have been plenty who didn't realise you are under pressure in every single game and struggled. Fernando realised this is a special club."

A host of teammates from the early part of the last decade have willingly agreed to take part in Sunday's game - like Albertz, Mols, Numan, de Boer, Klos, Lovenkrands, Ball and Buffel - and it's a sign of the regard he was held.

It will be a strange experience for Ferguson to be back in the home dressing room at Ibrox but one he intends to fully enjoy.

He said: "The players appreciated Fernando because they worked with him day in, day out and saw what kind of guy he was.

"There was a great bond in that group; I am looking forward to seeing them. I am more looking forward to the night out afterwards!

"It will be great to be back in the dressing room with them again. It will be strange going back in there again after so long. It was a massive part of my life being in that dressing room so I am looking forward to it."

Ricksen said:"It is always a good feeling to come back to Glasgow and for me it feels like coming home.

"Since I was diagnosed with MND in October 2013 I thought I would never get that feeling back again.

"Thanks to Rangers, my family, close friends, everyone who has supported me in these difficult times and the Rangers fans who will be coming to the game on Sunday, I will experience that feeling again. I want to thank them for making this possible."

Tickets are on sale now from the Rangers Ticket Centre on 0871 702 1972 (option 1) and www.rangers.co.uk priced £12 for adults, £8 for concessions and £5 for children, with family tickets also available for just £30 for two adults and two children.