Cyriel Dessers, purportedly born on the 8th of December 1994 - don't be fooled by his youthful looks - is a Belgian forward. A graduate from the school of modern football, his position: a fairly standard striker, currently plying his trade with Rangers. A sturdy chap, he stands not an inch shy of the 6ft benchmark and tips the scales at around 12 stone 8 pounds (or 80kg for our friends on the continent). His shirt choice, rather predictably being a striker an' all, is the number 9.
Back in the subtly freezing month of January 2014, so the story goes, Dessers opted to sign for Oud-Heverlee Leuven in Belgium's Pro League. His debut season was much like a disappearing coin trick - blink and you'll have missed it. He graced the field once for the first team, then decided to take up a change of scenery and went over to KSC Lokeren in July 2014.
Life at KSC Lokeren in Belgium had a bit of a consistency about it. A couple of seasons with 15 and then 10 first team appearances respectively. Nothing to write home about, so he didn't. Instead, in July 2016, he upped sticks and moved to NAC Breda in the Netherlands. Interesting move, one must say.
And what a jamboree that was! In his debut season in the Dutch Eredivisie 2016 - 2017, Dessers was almost a goal machine, notching up 22 in 36 matches. A star in the making, or so they thought, until he decided to wander off to FC Utrecht in July 2017 for the princely sum of roughly £300k.
His time at FC Utrecht had a certain touch of diminishing returns about it. He scored nine goals in 29 matches in the first season, then managed a measly three in 11 the following. Rather conspicuous decline for a hot property. So they offloaded him to Heracles Almelo in July 2019 for a fee which shall forever remain undisclosed, or so they'd have us believe!
So he spent a year at Heracles, knocking in 15 goals in 26 games, before being shipped off to Genk in the Pro League in Belgium in July 2020 for a 'modest' fee of around £3.6 million.
His performance at Genk can only be described as diverse, as he scored four goals in 28 games in the first season, made three appearances in the second and later made three appearances - scoring three goals - in the third. Quite the statistical rollercoaster ride.
No one could blame Dessers for seeking another short-term adventure, this time at Feyenoord in the Eredivisie - again in the Netherlands - on loan for the 2021 - 2022 season. He managed nine goals in 27 outings. Not bad, not great either.
After the loan cavalcade, he returned to Genk only to find himself at the gates of Cremonese in the Serie B in Italy in August 2022, courtesy of a £5.9 million transfer tag. His journey in Italy saw him score six goals in 26 games - a figure eerily reminiscent of his earlier form.
Finally, in July 2023, our nomadic frontman found himself in Bonnie Scotland, joining Rangers for around £4.5 million. Here, he hasn't exactly set the heather alight. In the 2023 - 2024 season, he scored 16 goals in 35 games. However, by the current season, his tally dropped precipitously to six goals in 18 matches.
To add a splash of detail, he has also featured in the League Cup, Europa League, and Champions League qualifiers, adding a sprinkling of goals here and there. If nothing else, he remains consistently inconsistent.
