By Monsurah Olatunji
Cyriel Dessers has been praised for his remarkable sportsmanship following Rangers’ dominant 5-0 victory over Fraserburgh in the Scottish Cup fourth round.
While his hat-trick was the highlight of the match, it was Dessers’ actions off the pitch that truly captured attention. After the game, the Nigerian striker visited the Fraserburgh dressing room to personally congratulate the players on their performance and professionalism, despite the heavy defeat.
Fraserburgh club secretary Finlay Noble shared the heartwarming story during an interview with Scottish broadcaster Tam Cowan, calling it a “brilliant day” for the club. Noble highlighted how Dessers’ kindness made the occasion even more special.
The striker went further by arranging shirt swaps for the Fraserburgh players, allowing them to take home mementoes from the Rangers squad.
Reflecting on the day, Noble described Dessers as a “genuinely decent lad.” He said, “Cyriel Dessers spoke to our players in the dressing room after the match and told them they should be proud of their performance and how they conducted themselves.”
“He then arranged to get all of our players the shirts they wanted to swap with the Rangers players. We were treated exceptionally well by everyone at Rangers, to be fair.”
Dessers’ display of humility and generosity in the wake of such a dominant victory further cemented his reputation as a true sportsman.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
