A Canary Islands football academy is currently operated by a cult figure.
Scott Nisbet is just glad to be able to take advantage of these advancements in medical research now, even though they may have arrived too late to stop his professional playing career from ending at the age of 25. The statement that he owes them his life is not hyperbole.
He believes that in this day and age, the pelvic injury that compelled him to hang up his boots while he was at the top of his game with the Rangers would not have been a reason for retirement. Nisbet reveals that despite receiving the devastating news of stage 4 cancer four years ago, he is just grateful to be alive at all.
Nobody likes to hear that, as everyone who has been following the incredible Sir Chris Hoy’s journey in recent weeks knows. Thirty years ago, it would have been a death sentence, according to Nisbet.
He understands enough to realise that it may still show that, even though the shock of Hoy’s announcement is still fresh in his mind. But in order to show that stage 4 does not necessarily mean the end, he is eager to put his shoulder to the wheel—or, maybe more accurately, his foot to the pedal—in support of the charity ride Hoy is organising from Glasgow to Edinburgh next summer. Nisbet says he will schedule his flight from the Canary Isles, where he relocated 20 years ago, as soon as he has the dates.
“He (Hoy) has gone from stage 4 cancer to announcing it is terminal,” he states. “Working with him and riding the bike from Glasgow to Edinburgh would be amazing. I am fully aware of his experiences. Many others who have stage 4 cancer also do.
Among them is Charlie Watson, a 19-year-old football player for Threave Rovers who, despite having skin cancer, just scored a goal in the Scottish Cup. Later, the illness expanded to his lung, liver, and lymph nodes. Nisbet is sympathetic.
“Abdomen, trachea, kidney, and lymph nodes,” he says, seemingly reciting a grocery list. Because the trachea tumour was close to the aortic artery, it was also a major concern. I was going to have major issues if it grew any larger.
As it is, it sounds serious enough. Living on an island in the Atlantic Ocean, 130 kilometres off the coast of west Africa, and COVID-19 were additional challenges. Lanzarote, like almost everywhere else, was under lockdown. He remembers, “There was blood in my toilet, I was exhausted, and my stomach was bloated.” It wasn’t typical, and I’m talking about a lot. as well as dyspnoea.
He sought medical advice after playing golf because of a painful back; lockdown limitations were obviously less harsh on Sunshine Island. He recalls thinking, “I’ll just go and get a check, get some painkillers or something like that.” He claims that after taking his blood, they rushed him downstairs for an urgent CT scan and ultrasound forty-five minutes later. “Right, we have a huge problem,” the radiologist said when I received the ultrasound first.
His kidney has a tumour on it. For the CT scan, he descended. “All right,” he was informed. “We have more serious issues.” His trachea, abdomen, and lymph nodes all had tumours traceable to them. He needed to see a urologist and an oncologist as soon as possible, which meant travelling more than 120 nautical miles to Gran Canaria. He says, “They kept the flights running during lockdown.” People needed hospital treatment, thus the commercial planes were just for the islanders, not the foreign ones. I would occasionally be flying myself!
In many respects, it was a lonely journey. His three kids live in Australia and his hometown of Edinburgh. In the latter instance, TJ, his eldest, was frequently extremely unavailable. “He is a steeplejack,” says Nisbet with pride. He performs repairs and other tasks while suspended from skyscrapers. He occasionally ventures into open mine shafts in the bush and abseils down them.
Nisbet was also living on the brink. Kidney cancer had claimed the life of his older sister, Deborah. He now had to deal with the removal of his own left kidney. In the meantime, his football school company was in cold storage because guests were not allowed to visit the island. “I had to make do with what I had saved and what I had already earned from the football school,” he recalls. A few years prior, he had already raised money for his coaching goals by selling his medals.
“It was difficult, both mentally and physically,” he adds. “You understand what I mean when I say that your body is beaten after undergoing a major kidney operation and then receiving radiation therapy? I experienced both happy and bad days. I made the decision that I would not allow it to overcome me.
As a result of his better health, he was permitted to celebrate TJ’s 30th birthday in Sydney. “My oncologist and urologist gave me permission to fly,” he claims. “If they had not given me permission, I would not have gone – I did not want to be stuck on the other side of the world if anything happened.” He was joined by his other children, Chad and Indya. He was afraid he might never see them again.
Returning to Ibrox a little more than a year ago was another emotional journey. Unfortunately, Michael Beale lost his job as a result of the 3-1 loss to Aberdeen. He was in a suite called the Cooper Club, which was named for his former teammate Davie. “Come on, guys, you’re playing for Rangers now!” he exclaims, “I was dying to get on that pitch and just grab the players by the scuff of the neck.” “I had to sit politely and nicely.”
The iconic Ibrox goal
It is assumed that at least 50% of the 46,000 views and counting for the top video that appears when you search for Nisbet on YouTube may be attributed to Lanzarote.
To the delight of Nisbet and the frustration of some residents, youngsters from Britain, Ireland, and all around Europe flock to the vacation island every half-term and holiday. He operates his football school out of a Playa Blanca hotel with his business partner. They had their best-ever intake on the day we meet for coffee: 58 kids in one morning, following a battle for a table at many coastal pubs that concluded with a free table at a less picturesque wayside cafe.
The promotional materials refer to Nisbet as a “former Rangers star”. Although that is definitely the case—they may have included “cult hero”—his debut occurred back in 1985, under Jock Wallace’s leadership. It was so long ago. Meanwhile, a little more than 31 years ago was his best moment. How many of the parents lingering outside the Princess Yaiza hotel’s football court can recall the night Nisbet scored the game-winning goal in a Champions League match?
There aren’t many, I’d bet, but this goal against Club Brugge is ingrained in my and other people’s memories and is continuously re-enjoyed online. Perhaps after watching parents type Nisbet’s name into Google to verify his football credentials, the players at the football school are impressed. “You scored in the Champions League!” they yell. “Yes,” he responds. When the Champions League was the right one!
In the first season of the Champions League, eight champions were divided into two groups of four, including Rangers. Brugge’s arrival on the other side of Glasgow this week reminds us of Nisbet’s objective. As unbelievable as it may seem, Wednesday’s Champions League matchup against Celtic marks the Belgian team’s first competitive return to Scotland since that soggy March 1993 evening when Rangers sought to prolong their winning streak in Europe’s top club league.
Even though Ian Durrant gave them the lead, things weren’t looking good when Brugge levelled early in the second half. The hosts had already been reduced to ten men after Mark Hateley was sent off. Presenting Nisbet. Commentator Alan Parry exclaimed, “It might be the biggest fluke in Europe this season, but who cares!” after Nisbet’s shot-cum-cross, or was it a tackle?, from close to the touchline struck a divot and arced over custodian Dany Verlinden’s head.
The coach, Walter Smith, told the players at halftime, “Keep fighting, keep winning everything.” And we did. I was fortunate enough to go in for the ball. Additionally, the boy abruptly withdrew. A portion of his footwear was hooked by the ball. The last time I saw the ball, it was going in the direction of Harthill, so it must have struck the driest area of the pitch that evening! When he looked up, he saw that it had veered into the net’s back. You can see Ally McCoist wheeling off with his arms raised. Nisbet grinned and said, “He thought the ball was coming in for him.” “I purposely left him out!”
Nisbet felt something “go” in the vicinity of his pelvis and groin during the very following game, which was against Celtic at Parkhead. It was only fifteen minutes into Rangers’ first loss in forty-four games, a 2-1 loss. He claims, “It went in the wrong place.” In the vicinity of the jungle. You understand what I mean? I was being abused by the dog.
The recent reports emphasise how harmless it appeared to be. While in Scotland on Sunday, Kevin McCarra observes that Nisbet leaves with “a knock,” to be replaced by, of all people, McCoist. “I left,” he declares. “I refused to be carried away in front of fifty thousand Celtic fans. ‘Right, you’re heading off,’ I murmured to myself after getting myself up. The following July, he announced his retirement. Newspapers the next day featured heartfelt tributes from football fans all across the world, including Brugge manager Hugo Broos.
Throughout his eight years with Rangers, Nisbet was consistently in and around the first team, despite the fact that the team had made significant investments in defenders. It’s remarkable how frequently his shirt number changes when seeing YouTube highlights packages of games from that era. He’s number four one minute, then number two, and then what? Seventh? “That’s when I came in for Kevin Drinkell up front against Hearts in the Skol Cup semi-final,” he says. He had recently scored the game-winning goal against the same team at Tynecastle as a second-half substitute; at the time, it was his number 14 shirt. The following Wednesday, he scored again in a 3-0 triumph at Hampden. During that season, he also donned the No. 9 jersey twice.
He repeatedly shown his worth while discrediting Graeme Souness. In 1989, the manager attempted to sell him to Dundee in a £450,000 double transfer with Ian McCall in order to earn money for the purchase of Nigel Spackman. Nisbet would not go. Once, an irate Souness told him to “pick a club” and hurled a copy of a Rothmans yearbook in his way. “Barcelona!” he said in response. Not surprisingly, all of this is being documented in a book that will be published in the autumn of next year under the working title Red, Blue, and True.
The foreword was written by Sir David Murray, the former chairman of the Rangers. To give Souness credit, he later came back to oversee a “international select” in Nisbet’s testimonial, and in keeping with tradition, the defender came on to score a late penalty. When the defender finally made a spectacular comeback to football, Rangers—the Arniston Rangers—were not surprised. Given the logistical challenges, junior football was most likely not on any recommended list of recreational activities for someone in his already weakened physical state.
“I was observing the world while wearing sunglasses on the beach.And the chairman of Arniston called me,” remembers Nisbet. “He asked, ‘What are you doing, Nizzy?'” “Well, I’m lying on the beach right now, having a good time,” I said.”Is there any chance you could return on Saturday?” he asks. Whitburn is what we’re playing. We will be demoted if we lose. I’ll pay for your flight and give you five hundred pounds. “”All right,” I said. I thus took a plane back on Friday and played at Whitburn against Whitburn. won. On Sunday, I was back at Playa Blanca.
He was warned that the arrangement, which lasted for nine years, would cost him both of his hips. Two replacement hips were installed after one kidney was removed. “Duct tape holds me together,” he claims. However, he continues to continue. Every day, even on Christmas Day, when youngsters are on vacation and eager to show off their new football shirts, he power walks to his football school. The idea of Brugge returning to Glasgow for the first time since his goal makes him laugh. “I believe that put an end to them!” he exclaims. “Perhaps Celtic will invite me!”
Perhaps they will. He talks about how many messages of support he has received from players all around the game, including Celtic supporters, and how Nisbet deserves all the goodness that is being shown him by both friends and foes. Lately, the only invitation he dreaded receiving was to his own funeral. However, he recently got some positive news. He says, “A few weeks ago.” “I needed to return to Gran Canaria for blood work and a CT scan. The findings now show that there is no malignancy. Or, as they say, no illness! They presented it to me in that manner.
Nisbet later sends me the results, but he also knows it’s a case of fingers crossed. And there it is, written in bold: NO DISEASE. He says that he has no regrets in spite of everything. His words, “I fulfilled my dream,” “I had a terrific time playing for my favourite club. I played alongside the finest.
