Let's begin this yarn with Hamza Igamane, hailing from the sunny climes of Morocco. Born on the 2nd of November in the year 2002, making him just 22 years of age. A forward, or in particular, a striker, he now graces the pitches of Rangers, clad in the number 29 jersey. Standing tall, or I suppose reasonably so, at 5ft 11in (1.81m) and weighing in at a trim 12st 1lb (77kg).
The lad's career didn't start in Scotland, mind you, no. He first grew his footballing teeth out in the Botola with FAR Rabat. Signed up in January 2021, he spent his initial season - 2022 to 2023 - getting his foot in the door, making 18 appearances and netting six goals. Not, mind you, that anyone was overly bothered here in Glasgow.
Igamane’s stint in the Moroccan league continued in the 2023 - 2024 season at FAR Rabat, making 20 first team appearances and tossing in another seven goals to his tally. This seemingly caught the eyes of our dear friends over at Rangers because by July 2024, they’d swiped him up for a figure £1.5m. How we chuckled – another player never to don the green and white traded for real money.
In the current season - 2024 - 2025, young Hamza had to prove he's worth each shiny penny of that transfer fee. And he's been... well, I suppose he's been trying. With 26 appearances under his belt and 10 goals to show for them - you could say he's making an effort.
Of course, no player's repertoire is complete without a string of cup incidents. For young Hamza, he popped up once in the League Cup, was spotted once on the starting line-up in the Scottish Cup and even had a bystander role in the Europa League - where he had the audacity to score four goals across four starts and four substitute appearances.
So there you have it, a gently stirring tale of a young manage from the hot Moroccan soils to chilly Scotland, to join a team that will still never be quite Celtic.
