TITLE 55 will not be the Last Dance for Rangers. This is not the end, it is only the beginning.

As Jermain Defoe filled his time during lockdown with the Netflix documentary that became a must-watch for sports fans, a desire and hunger was forming inside him. Come May, the Ibrox veteran would have his title medal.

The circumstances and the surroundings may be very different, but Defoe was able to tap into the Chicago Bulls story and to take inspiration from one great sporting success as Rangers chased their own piece of history.

The Herald: Rangers’ Jermain Defoe is celebrating his first league title

From the first day of pre-season last summer, there was an intensity and drive about Steven Gerrard's squad that set them apart from the previous two seasons.

Over the following months, their endeavours paid off in emphatic style as league flag 55 was delivered.

“Watching that Michael Jordan documentary over lockdown, I got goosebumps," Defoe told the Rangers official souvenir magazine.

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“The interesting thing for me was that people think about all the trophies that Michael Jordan won but in the first few years he didn’t win anything.

“You watch that and think ‘wow, I want to have that feeling and be in a dressing room where you achieve something special like that.'

“We all came back and all the boys were talking about it, and we all just said that we can achieve this and we can get that feeling if we want.

“We have got the players and at that point new players would come in as well, and everyone was just so hungry from day one.

“It was a long pre-season and there was a different type of focus. We just wanted to do it so bad, and I think that is where the hunger came from.”

When Defoe signed for Rangers in January 2018, he did so with an understanding of the club and it's history. It was the next title that was going to be the most important, however.

Two failures were hard to take as Gerrard's side fell short in successive seasons but those blows only strengthened the resolve at Ibrox and Rangers and Defoe finally have the prize they have waited so long for.

Defoe said: “It is very pleasing because winning silverware was one of the main reasons that I came here.

“What I sat down with the manager he spoke about the main objective which was to obviously win the league title.

READ MORE: Ryan Jack reflects on his Rangers journey and Steven Gerrard's Ibrox impact after 55 triumph

“It’s been many years for Rangers to have to wait and 55 league titles is something that we spoke about in that initial meeting.

“As soon as he said that to me I wanted to be a part of it. I knew that to do that together would be special and we’ve managed to do it. I can’t put into words how much it means to me.

“You set goals and I always try to paint pictures in my mind of what it would be like, but never in a million years did I think it would be like this.

“When I was a kid I always knew about the size of this football club and I remember watching Ally score goals and stuff like that.

“I was just so crazy about football that I just used to watch different forwards and different leagues, so to actually come here and be on the list of players that has won a league title and no one can ever take that away from you, it is the best feeling ever.”

Defoe's time on the pitch may have been more limited during that historic campaign but his influence has never waned as, alongside the likes of Steven Davis and Allan McGregor, he led by example throughout the season.

His experience over the long, hard months was invaluable and his seven goals proof that he was still more than capable of performing at this level and for a team that would write their names in the record books.

Defoe said: “I’ve been in many dressing rooms but I think this one is special at Rangers.

“I think what the manager and the club have done and the people they have brought into the club, they are all good characters and we have young players who want to learn and improve.

“You obviously have the senior players like myself, Davo and Greegsy so it just been fantastic and all the new signings have been great, good people.

“Like I said before, we have players who know the importance of playing for this football club and who want to buy into how we play, in and out of possession.

“Credit to the manager and the recruitment has been fantastic, so yeah it has been good.”

One of those goals proved to be extra special for Defoe. His strike in the 2-0 win over Livingston was the 300th of his professional career and another milestone moment for one of the finest forwards of his generation.

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His efforts over the years haven't been rewarded with the silverware that he sought but that wasn't the case this time around as, at the age of 38, he became a champion for the first time.

Defoe said: “It is definitely up there. If I think about my career and what I have achieved and all the goals I have scored, I would take away 200 goals to have that moment where you have won a league title - but if you have it both it is even better!

“But that is how much it means to me and winning the league title is completely different, it’s on a different level. That is probably what has motivated me to be honest.

“People often ask me ‘what motivates you?’ I don’t really say much to be honest and I usually just say that I love football or something like that. But that was the thing that really motivated me to come here, to win a league title.”