ABDALLAH SIMA held out for as long as he could over a potential return to Rangers. But when the Gers crashed out of the Champions League he moved to Brest. 4 The swivelling shot put Brest ahead for their first win Credit: Reuters 4 He hit 16 last season despite picking up an injury that ruined the second half of his season Credit: AFP 4 The Sima slide became a regular sight at Ibrox - now it's being repeated across the Channel Credit: Getty And the Senegalese star showed Gers just what they were missing with a stunning strike on the big stage.
Brighton sent the winger out on loan to the Ligue 1 side citing Champions League football as a contributing factor. It was only finalised once Rangers were beaten in qualifiers by Dynamo Kyiv - with both Philippe Clement and the player keen to be re-united. The Ibrox boss once described Sima "like a son" .
Read More Rangers stories FORCED OUT Steven Gerrard was KICKED OUT of Rangers claims ex-chairman Dave King CUP BONUS Rangers vs Dundee: Get £40 in free bets for Scottish football with BetMGM But Brighton's bid to send him to the highest level possible - and the top tier of European football - proved the deciding factor. Not that the fact makes it any easier for Rangers fans to watch the foe turned fan favourite excel in different coloured shirt. Sima stuck away the opener on the spin against Sturm Graz - a crucial goal to give the French cracks their first win in the new-look league phase.
Ref Nick Walsh was in charge and former Motherwell kid Max Johnston was in the opposition ranks - but it was Sima who stole the show . Most read in Football JET OFF SPFL star SACKED by club after being accused in £600,000 drugs plot VLAD LANGUAGE Celtic hero calls Vladimir Weiss a 'f***** d***' and was BUZZING to hear boos JET BUST Footie star & Wag nicked over £600k weed haul seized from business class flight BRUTAL BUSINESS Manager of Celtic's Champions League rivals SACKED after Euro hammering It was his first goal for Stade Brestois to give them their full name - and what a way to do it. Celtic hero Mark Wilson launches an X-rated blast at ex-Rangers winger Vladimir Weiss following Hoops' 5-1 win over Slovan Bratislava It didn't escape Gers fans' notice either.
Some replied with tearful memes or emojis to TNT Sports replays of the goal on social media . Others simply lamented the loss of a player who smashed 16 goals in 39 games of an injury hit season last term. Sima first came to Ibrox attention as a player for Slavia Prague in the infamous Europa League clashes in 2021, but he joined Brighton and was loaned first to Angers in France , and then Gers a year ago.
4 His performance saw him named player of the match Credit: Getty One Ibrox fan reacted to the goal and forlornly said: "He was ours once." Another added: "Tillman last season and now Sima this season, thriving at a higher level after we failed to secure them permanently. "Failing to win the title & secure CL football the last two seasons has absolutely killed us.
It’s some laugh isn’t it?" Read more on the Scottish Sun REALLY WILD School pupil allowed to identify as WOLF in first case of its kind in Scotland 'TOTAL CHAOS' Scots beauty spot CLOSED two days in a row as campervans gridlock narrow road And the spectacular shot even caught his old rivals' fans attention too. One joked: "Decent player @CelticFC get the chequebook out." Keep up to date with ALL t h e latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page.
