Enter Jack Butland, born on a brisk English day in March 1993 (31 years young), who holds the proud position of goalkeeper for Rangers, donning the iconic number 1 jersey. Standing an impressive 6ft 5in (or 1.96m for those who embraced the metric system), and tipping the scales at a sturdy 14st 11lb (or 94kg, again metric), Butland is indeed a formidable presence in the goal. He has also had the honour, nay, the privilege, of representing the Great Britain national team. What an adventure.
As of now, he holds an estimated market value of around €3.00m, or £2.5m for those who prefer to transact in the Queen's currency; unsurprising, I would say, for a shot-stopper of his calibre. A market value generously provided by our friends at Transfermarkt, notoriously reliable, of course. He's on the books with Rangers until the 31st May of 2027, if you were wondering.
If we journey back to July 2010, a younger, possibly more naive Butland joined Birmingham City. As we all know, in the 2012-2013 season, he successfully kept the ball out of the net, barring the odd unfortunate incidence, in 46 league matches. A sufficient feat.
An exciting career progression saw Jack bouncing like a well-worn tennis ball between various English football clubs. Loans to Cheltenham Town, Barnsley, Leeds United, Derby County, and finally settling at Stoke City, for a fairly reasonable £3.5m. He made a fairly satisfying 168 first-team appearances throughout his Stoke adventure. Impressive, you say? Or desperate for reassurance?
The loans continued, perhaps to shake off the Stoke scent, or to smear his name across as many teams as possible—a strategy not uncommon to those in pursuit of recognition or long-term contracts. A £1m deal saw him at Crystal Palace in the top-tier Premier League, making his presence known in a total of 10 league matches. A stint with the red devils of Manchester United briefly occurred, merely a loan, before he eventually found his spiritual home in Scotland.
Butland transferred to Rangers in the Scottish Premiership where he's made 55 first team appearances thus far. Between cups and league competitions, the man's been a busy bee, participating in a number of additional fixtures including the League Cup, the prestigious Europa League, and the highly sought-after Champions League Qualifiers.
Through the generosity of crystal-gazed hindsight, it's somewhat clear Jack Butland's made somewhat of a name for himself, predominantly through a series of club-hopping adventures. One can only comment on the validity of the phrase 'Jack of all trades, master of none', but in this case, it's open for interpretation.
