Tottenham’s James Maddison and a Rangers star shared a memorable post-match moment on Thursday night, as newly surfaced footage captures the Ibrox player Maddison sought out to swap shirts with.
Philippe Clement’s side prepared for their Premier Sports Cup final against Celtic with a strong midweek display, holding a Premier League opponent to a 1-1 draw. The result builds on their recent domestic improvement and bolsters their chances of advancing in the Europa League group stage.
After the game, Maddison headed straight to Rangers midfielder Connor Barron to exchange jerseys. While Barron was still in Aberdeen’s youth system during Maddison’s loan spell at the club, the pair share a connection as former Dons players. Maddison was loaned to Aberdeen from Norwich City, while Barron came through the Pittodrie academy.
Rangers now look ahead to another high-profile Europa League clash, traveling to face Manchester United in January.
Reflecting on the Tottenham match, defender Leon Balogun highlighted the belief within the squad heading into the Hampden showdown with Celtic. He said:
“Thursday was reassuring in terms of how we played. I don’t think many people expected us to perform that way, so we proved a point. It’s about carrying that confidence and level of performance into the next game, which happens to be a big one.
“We owed it to ourselves to step up. There’s been a lot of talk about the squad’s quality, and if we don’t meet expectations, questions will be asked. But everyone has shown what we’re capable of, and now it’s about maintaining that.
“In the recent Old Firm matches, it’s clear what we need to do—win. If we play like we did against Tottenham, the squad knows how to get the job done, and now we needto deliver.”
